For his humanitarian work in Africa and the United Nations, the Governor General of Canada appointed Lewis a Companion of the Order of Canada on October 10, 2002. His investiture into the order was held on October 23, 2003. He delivered the annual Massey Lecture in 2005, and it was published in book form under the title "". The book consists of five lectures that depict the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa, critically examining the international community's passivity as a contributing factor.