Jack Layton was a prominent political figure in Canadian politics who was born in July 1950 and raised in Hudson. He had a passion for politics from a very young age, coming from a family that had a lot of impact on politics over the years.
Once he became the leader of the NDP in 2003, he gained a lot of support and made it a viable opposition party against the Liberals and Conservatives. He created historical results for the NDP by gaining 30% of the votes and obtaining 103 seats in the House of Commons.
Jack Layton and his team helped build bridges with marginalized groups through continuous efforts, such as helping draft an apology for the treatment of Indigenous peoples in residential schools and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan. While in office, often held Stephen Harper accountable while finding ways to get results done. He succumbed to cancer and died in August 2011 while still in office.
Many memorials were erected, and locations were renamed to honour his memory, such as Parc Jack Layton in Hudson and the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal in Toronto.
Photo: Matt Jiggins, flickr, CC BY 2.0
