One year since Layton stepped down

New Democrats believe Jack Layton would be proud of the way his party has turned the tragedy of his untimely death last August into a political triumph.


The NDP’s world began turning upside down one year ago today (July 25) when a frail, raspy-voiced Layton stepped aside as leader to fight an unspecified — and ultimately deadly — form of cancer.

He died August 22, 2011, less than 4 months after leading the NDP to official opposition status for the first time in its 50-year history.

Without Layton, pundits predicted the NDP would sink back into its traditional third place in the polls.

Instead, the party has flourished under new leader Tom Mulcair and is now tied with — or even slightly ahead of — the ruling Conservatives.