Jack Layton

Layton Pianos had been made in London, England, since 1837, and Philip had emigrated to Montreal at the age of 19.

His great-grandfather, Philip E. Layton, was a blind activist who founded the Montreal Association for the Blind in 1908 and led a campaign for disability pensions in the 1930s.

Philip was the senior partner in the family business, Layton Bros. Pianos.

John Gilbert Layton (July 18, 1950 – August 22, 2011) was a Canadian academic and politician who served as the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) from 2003 to 2011 and leader of the Official Opposition in 2011.

He previously sat on Toronto City Council, occasionally holding the title of acting mayor or deputy mayor of Toronto during his tenure as city councillor.

Layton was born on July 18, 1950 in Montreal, Quebec, to parents Doris Elizabeth (Steeves), and Progressive Conservative MP Robert Layton.

He was the maternal great-grandnephew of William Steeves, a Father of Confederation, and his grandfather, Gilbert Layton, had served as a minister without portfolio to the government of Quebec's Union Nationale Premier Maurice Duplessis.

Layton was raised in Hudson, a largely Anglophone suburb of Montreal, where he served as the student council president of Hudson High School.

He would later credit longtime friend and musician Billy Bryans for having played a role in his student council victory.

In his graduating yearbook, Layton wrote as a testament, "I leave to become prime minister."

In 1969, he was appointed as the Quebec Youth Parliament prime minister, holding this position until 1970.

That same year, Layton graduated from McGill University with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in political science, and was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.

During his time spent at McGill, Layton's view on politics had been greatly influenced by professor, philosopher and mentor Charles Taylor, so much so that he decided to switch his major from science to arts.

Moreover, it was on Taylor's advice that he pursued his doctorate at University of Toronto to study under political philosopher C. B. Macpherson.

In a foreword Layton wrote for Canadian Idealism and the Philosophy of Freedom, he explains, "The idealist current holds that human society has the potential to achieve liberty when people work together to form a society in which equality means more than negative liberty, the absolute and protected right to run races against each other to determine winners. Idealists imagine a positive liberty that enables us to build together toward common objectives that fulfil and even surpass our individual goals."

Upon reading Canadian Idealism and the Philosophy of Freedom, Layton came to understand himself as part of the intellectual tradition of Canadian idealists.

In 1970, the family moved to Toronto, where Layton graduated the following year from York University with a Master of Arts (MA) in political science; and later in 1983, he completed his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in political science at York.

In 1974, Layton became a professor at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute (now Toronto Metropolitan University).

Over the next decade, he taught at Ryerson, York, and University of Toronto.

He also became a prominent activist for a variety of causes.

He wrote several books, including Homelessness: The Making and Unmaking of a Crisis and a book on general public policy, Speaking Out.

Layton's great-granduncle, William Steeves, was a Father of Confederation.

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 NDP on the first ballot of the convention.

Under his leadership, support for the NDP increased in each election.

Layton was the member of Parliament (MP) for Toronto—Danforth from 2004 until his death.

The 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 the city and Metropolitan Toronto councils, championing many progressive causes.

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.

In the 2011 election, Layton led the NDP to the most successful result in the party's history, winning 103 seats—enough for the party to form the Official Opposition for the first time.

Federal support for Layton and the NDP in the election was unprecedented, especially in the province of Quebec, where the party won 59 out of 75 seats.

Layton died on August 22, 2011, after being diagnosed with cancer.

He was survived by his wife of 23 years, Olivia Chow, who was elected mayor of Toronto in 2023.

Details of the type and spread of the cancer, and the exact cause of death, were not released to the public.

Shortly before he died, Layton had nominated Nycole Turmel as interim leader of the NDP and, consequently, of the Official Opposition.

Tom Mulcair won the NDP leadership contest to replace Layton.