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Email Address There was an error, please provide a valid email address. Thanks for signing up! After an entire life spent in politics -- first as an academic, then as a city councillor, then in federal politics -- Layton had been riding a wave of popularity ahead of his death. It was his personal popularity that many credit for the NDP's "orange crush" in the federal election.
Buoyed by his party's success, Layton had even put the prime minister's office in his sights for the next election. Now, with his death, those dreams come to an end and put the very future of his party into doubt. While not everyone agreed with Layton's socialist views, there were few who didn't respect the man's passion and work ethic.
The politician who had once been a scrappy city councillor with a brash, sometimes strident style, matured into a federal party leader renowned for his dedication. Layton's colleagues say he was a master politician who knew how to both work a crowd and work out compromise within his team. All the while, he seemed to never abandon the causes he held most dear: poverty, the environment, public transit, workers' rights.
In the election, voters who had once seemed a little wary of the camera-loving politician appeared to finally connect with Layton, embracing his energy, his no-nonsense approach and his promises to represent the average Canadian in Parliament. Many voters, particularly in Quebec, said it was Layton himself that drew them to vote for his party and push the NDP into official Opposition status. Layton had likely dreamed of reaching the higher echelons of power his whole life.
He had been steeped in politics from an early age, growing up in Hudson, Que. Layton's grandfather too was a cabinet minister, under Maurice Duplessis' Union Nationale government in Quebec, and his great-great-uncle was one of the Fathers of Confederation. The Layton political legacy continues today, with his son, Mike, now a Toronto city councillor as well. Layton became student council leader in high school and was voted by classmates as most likely to become a politician.
Layton married at 19, wedding his high school sweetheart, Sally Halford. But his marriage to Sally dissolved in , shortly after Layton decided to leave behind life as a politics professor at Ryerson University then called Ryerson Polytechnical Institute and make a run for Toronto city council.
A few years later, Layton met Olivia Chow, who was then a school board trustee, and married her in She ran for Toronto city council in , the same year that Layton decided to make a bid for mayor. Layton lost badly to June Rowlands; but Chow won her council seat. Many have credited Chow, an ambitious politician in her own right, as being one of Layton's greatest assets, acting as both his closest adviser and his soulmate.
Together, Layton and Chow became Toronto's political power couple, fighting for public transit, the homeless and sustainable urban development. As councillors, they were often accused of grandstanding, once wearing black gags to protest being silenced by other Toronto politicians when they attempted to object to a deal with Shell Oil. We reserve the right to close comments at any time. Join the conversation Create account. Already have an account?
Follow Us. Terms Privacy Policy. This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Canada, which closed in Most biographies now skip ahead to , when the couple divorces 14 years after marrying. Little else is known about Layton's media-shy first wife. That doesn't mean relations soured between Layton and his ex-wife. When her son Mike announced he was running for Toronto City Council, she appeared with him. This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Canada.
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