Jack Layton, the charismatic leader of Canada's official opposition, died on Monday just months after guiding his New Democratic Party to its strongest ever performance in the May federal election. Layton, 61, had almost single-handedly turned his leftist party from the smallest bloc in the House of Commons to the second largest in the House of Commons.
"He passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by family and loved ones," a statement from his family said. The cheerful former municipal politician from Toronto had won admiration for his bravado and stamina on the campaign trail, pumping a walking cane in the air soon after a hip operation and treatment for prostate cancer. Rather than making him look weak, pundits said it gave the ever-cheerful Layton a warmer image than his political rivals, boosting his party's popularity even as Stephen Harper's ruling Conservatives were returned to office with a majority.
The NDP's strong showing meant that the party displaced the Liberals as the official opposition in the House of Commons. It will retain that status until the next election, due in 2015, but will have to redefine itself in Layton's absence. Although the Conservatives dismissed the NDP as tax-loving socialists, Layton had nudged the party toward the center, effectively splitting the left-of-center vote.
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