- published: 04 May 2011
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John Gilbert "Jack" Layton, PC (July 18, 1950 – August 22, 2011) was a Canadian social democratic politician and Leader of the Official Opposition. He was leader of the New Democratic Party from 2003 to 2011, and previously sat on Toronto City Council, occasionally holding the title of "Acting Mayor" or "Deputy Mayor" of Toronto during his tenure as city councillor. He was the Member of Parliament for Toronto—Danforth from 2004 until his death.
Son of a Progressive Conservative cabinet minister, Layton was raised in Hudson, Quebec. He rose to prominence in Toronto municipal politics where he was one of the most prominent left-wing voices on city and Metropolitan Toronto councils, championing many progressive causes. In 1991, he ran for mayor, losing to June Rowlands. Returning to council he rose to become head of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. In 2003, he was elected leader of the federal NDP on the first ballot of the convention.
Under his leadership, support for the NDP increased in each election. The party's popular vote almost doubled in the 2004 election, which gave the NDP the balance of power in Paul Martin's minority government. In May 2005 the NDP supported the Liberal budget in exchange for major amendments, in what was promoted as Canada's "First NDP budget". In November of that year, Layton voted with other opposition parties to defeat the Liberal government over the findings of the Gomery Commission. The NDP saw further gains in the 2006 and 2008 elections, in which the party elected 29 and 37 MPs, respectively.
Jack Layton's election night victory speech
Peter Mansbridge announces the death of Jack Layton on CBC News Network
RMR: Jack Layton
Jack Layton steps down to battle cancer
Jack Layton State Funeral
Priceless Moments during 2008 Canadian Debate - Jack Layton wins
Jack Layton 1950 - 2011 (CBC coverage)
This Hour Has 22 Minutes - Remembering Jack Layton
tout le monde en parle Jack layton 2011
Téléjournal - L'entrevue avec Jack Layton
RMR: Rick and Jack Layton
Jack Layton On The Hour: Full Interview
Jack Layton's letter
Jack Layton: Party For Sale or Rent
Actors: Victoria Snow (actress), Zachary Bennett (actor), Laszlo Barna (producer), Tanya Mazur (miscellaneous crew), Christina Buchli (miscellaneous crew), Wendy Crewson (actress), Laszlo Barna (producer), RoseAnna Schick (miscellaneous crew), Judah Katz (actor), Rick Roberts (actor), Sook-Yin Lee (actress), Andrew Gallinger (miscellaneous crew), Neal Baksh (miscellaneous crew), Neal Baksh (miscellaneous crew), Erin Karpluk (actress),
Plot: NDP Leader Jack Layton was fluently bilingual, glib, sometimes flashy, full of energy and always media-friendly. He loved to entertain and uplift his co-workers with a strum on his guitar and spirit in his voice (which wasn't particularly good but he sang with gusto). Growing up in a political family, Layton was a left-wing Toronto city councillor for 17 years and spent a year as head of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. He became leader of the federal New Democratic Party in 2003. In his first election as leader the NDP won 20 seats and in the 2008 election the NDP was up to 37 seats. Jack was a happily married man, with wife Olivia Chow who stood by his side, and together they were a political dynamo couple very much in love to the end. Things changed late in the 2011 federal election when a surge in polls in Quebec held and the NDP won 103 seats, 59 of them in Quebec. The NDP became the Official Opposition for the first time in history. Going into the 2011 federal election, Layton had been dealing with prostate cancer for a year, and had surgery on his hip a few weeks before the campaign. In July 2011, Jack Layton faced a bigger challenge. He announced that he had been diagnosed with a new form of cancer, and would step down as NDP Leader temporarily to get treatment, hoping to resume his job in September. Jack Layton died on Monday, August 22, 2011, at his home in Toronto. Before he died, he wrote an inspirational letter to all Canadians.
Genres: Biography, Drama,