Obit

Popular Canadian Politician Dies

Country mourns social democrat, large personality.

John Gilbert (Jack) Layton has died from cancer at the age of 61. He was the popular leader of Canada’s Federal New Democratic Party. During the most recent federal election he won Official Opposition status for the NDP for the first time in its history, after winning 103 seats. In 2008, he led the party to 37 seats, which was its previous all-time high. Layton offered innovative political ideas, often talking about better pensions, health care, and the wrongs of economic inequality. At the same time, he refused to use attack ads and tried to avoid a culture war with conservatives. He often said that Tories were not evil, but misguided.