Posted on 08/22/2011 9:39:09 AM PDT by fanfan
OTTAWA - Jack Layton, the leader of the official Opposition, died early Monday morning, his family said.
Layton, 61, had been battling cancer for more than a year and, a month ago, announced he was temporarily stepping aside from his job to fight the disease.
Layton's immediate family -- his wife, MP Olivia Chow, and his children, Sarah and Michael -- issued a statement at about 8:30 a.m. Monday morning.
"We deeply regret to inform you that The Honourable Jack Layton, leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada, passed away at 4:45 am today, Monday, Aug. 22. He passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by family and loved ones. Details of Mr. Layton's funeral arrangements will be forthcoming."
Earlier this year, Layton led the New Democratic Party to its best electoral showing in the party's history.
Quebec MP Nycole Turmel had temporarily assumed leadership duties when Layton stepped aside last month.
Layton was born July 18, 1950 in Montreal and was raised in Hudson, Que. His father, Robert Layton, was a Progressive Conservative cabinet member and his grandfather, Gilbert Layton, was a Quebec cabinet minister.
Layton studied political science at McGill University before moving to Toronto in 1970 to continue his studies. He obtained his PhD in political science from York University and then became a professor at Ryerson University.
His political career began when he became a city councillor in Toronto in
1982 and served as acting deputy mayor and as a member of the Toronto Port Authority. He opposed the building of the SkyDome (now Rogers Centre) and also opposed Toronto's bid for the 1996 Summer Olympics.
He ran for mayor in 1991, but lost to June Rowlands. He became head of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities before moving into federal politics.
Layton took over for Alexa McDonough to become leader of the New Democrats in 2003, and was elected MP for the Toronto-Danforth riding in June 2004.
Since then, Layton has been the face of the party, and led them to new heights of success in the most recent election when the NDP ascended to the ranks of official opposition for the first time.
Layton married his high school sweetheart, Sally Halford, in 1969 when he was 19. They had two children together but the marriage ended in 1983.
He married Olivia Chow in 1988. Shortly after the wedding, Chow joined Layton on Toronto council. She also became an NDP MP in 2006. He became a grandfather in the summer of 2009.
Layton has had a public struggle with cancer since announcing on Feb. 5, 2010, that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
His father had also had prostate cancer 17 years earlier and recovered from it. His wife, Chow, also battled thyroid cancer.
Layton vowed to defeat it.
"Like my dad, I am a fighter and I am going to beat this," Layton told reporters.
But last month, Layton called a press conference in Toronto to announce he was battling a new cancer and would be stepping down temporarily from the NDP leadership to focus on his health.
The following people will probably have comments like yours stand: Pelosi, maybe Reid, Lautenberg, and politicians who have really proven committed to the destruction of America (like those three). Obama, Waters, Jackson-Lee will probably have comments like yours NOT stand, because they are of color.
It just kinda been tradition on FR to not totally gloat in the death of people -- at least on obituary threads -- unless they are really REALLY bad. You can probably say you are happy they are dead on other threads with little penalty.
It's not censorship. We have traditions of respect on obituary threads.
OK, now you’re just being sick.
Just wait until we have your obituary thread. ;)
Thanks Laz.
Bump
“...Dude, how long have you been here?...”
Since March 2006. I haven’t had too many post pulled over the years.
“...It just kinda been tradition on FR to not totally gloat in the death of people — at least on obituary threads...”
Not gloating per say; I just think it’s no loss that he’s gone. A socialist is a socialist. Whether he’s a “little bit Socialist” or a full-blown commie POS, it all leads to the same place eventually. I won’t pretend to be choked up about it and say nice things just because he died.
My comment torqued some folks off; ‘s the way it goes. I’m not one for holding my tonque.
Deleting a post just seems like censorship. If it isn’t, well, then I’m wrong, and I’ll admit it. Wrong place/wrong time, makes sense.
Understand and appreciate your advice, brother.
“Most Canadians disagreed with his politics, but liked and respected him as a true patriot.
“Celebrate his passing if you had no problem with leftists cheering Reagan’s passing.”
Well said, 83Vet4Life.
Laz's wake will make the Book of Revelations look like a Quaker quilting club!
Let me explain how it works to you. I`ll do this only ONCE.
“Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.”
“Then came Peter to him, and said, ‘Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?’ Jesus saith unto him, ‘I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.`”
BROTHER is your Christian BROTHER, and NOT your pagan enemy.
“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?”
PS:
“If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.”
“Do not I hate them, O Lord, (Yahweh) who hate thee? ... I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.”
whoa, wait. I’m Canadian, and jack layton (refuse to capitalize his name), was working day and night to ruin any freedoms and economy we had. He did nothing good, and to say he won and became official opposition? He did not win because of anything he did, he won because people were so sick and tired of the Liberals making threats to bring down the conservatives that they voted for anyone but Liberals, as a result, NDP gained votes as did the conservatives, heck, even the green party’s flake got a riding on Vancouver Island.
I am not saying I’m glad that a person suffered from a terrible disease, but I am saying I’m glad one of freedom’s great enemies is gone. I did wonder today what he said when he met God... “oh #$&*#, you’re real!”
Good. I can assume you are done now.
whoa, I didn’t read that into Hale’s comment. I understood he was comparing socialism to socialism and how many people it’s killed which is absolutely true, part of our problem today is we have an enemy but no one wants to stand up to it. As as ex-soldier, I have no problems with people calling it like it is. I don’t believe in sugar-coated BS.
zero respect, he did nothing to be opposition, I said it before, I’ll say it again, people were fed up with Liberals threatening elections all the time and they were punished. People voted anyone but liberal, so the Conservatives benefited, as did the NDP. They were just there, they did nothing to earn it, it was just natural fallout for the Liberal party being hated so much. So I wouldn’t go waving any flag for him, nor would I EVER call him patriotic. As an ex 2PPCLI soldier of 10 years and 3 tours, I find that extremely offensive, and I emphasize extremely.
“A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.”
“But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”
LOL
Now I`m done. Maybe you should switch your vote for the xeonphobic bloc/ndp party.
RIP.
nobody sees him as a true patriot, and that’s extremely offensive, sorry for the repeats, but I can’t help it, as a former military man, I understand patriotism, he has none of it.
He was a socialist ?
.... Well bye !
ding ding, we have a winner, finally someone who knows why the NDP got official opposition, had nothing to do with anything except Liberal hate.
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