Jack Layton

Yesterday we learned that Jack Layton, leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada and Leader of the Official Opposition in the House of Commons, will temporarily step down from his post due to an additional diagnosis of cancer.

Jack Layton is a dynamo of a politician. This May, while using a cane due to an earlier hip operation, Mr. Layton managed to do what no previous federal New Democratic leader had ever done -- take his party to Official Opposition status. This amazing feat -- the likes of which legends Tommy Douglas, Stephen Lewis or Ed Broadbent could not do -- was done by winning an amazing 59 out of 75 seats in Quebec and virtually eliminating the Bloc Quebecois in that province. Many more seats were won in former Liberal strongholds such as Toronto, which is an additionally amazing feat. All in all, the 41st Canadian parliament is the first to have a social-democratic opposition and its 103 NDP seats make that party the largest opposition party in years.

Avenue and Ridley would like to wish Mr. Layton a full, complete and speedy recovery. We rarely share his views, but as a fellow cancer survivor, we have never felt closer to him than now. Good luck, Jack. You can beat this!