Inside Politics

UPDATED - NDP Leader Jack Layton announces "temporary leave of absence" to fight new cancer

by Kady O'Malley Posted: July 25, 2011 3:15 PM Last Updated: July 26, 2011 10:26 AM
For the latest CBC.ca report on NDP Leader Jack Layton's decision to step down temporarily to focus on his treatment for a newly discovered non-prostate cancer, click here. 

You can also follow the liveblog for complete coverage from the announcement, as well as realtime reaction to the news. 

Mobile-friendly auto-updating text feed available here.  

You can read Layton's statement in full right here. The party has also released the following statement from Princess Margaret Hospital: 

"Doctors at Princess Margaret Hospital have been treating Mr. Layton for prostate cancer since his diagnosis. Recently, new tumours were discovered which appear to be unrelated to the original cancer and Mr. Layton is now being treated for this cancer."

OTHER LEADERS REACT: Prime Minister Stephen Harper has issued a statement on Layton's announcement, in which he says he was "deeply saddened" by the news.

The Liberal Party has also posted a statement from Interim Leader Bob Rae, who describes Layton as "an incredibly resilient man who does not give up without a fight."

UPDATE - Courtesy of the ever vigilant Janyce McGregor, here's the relevant section of the NDP constitution. Worth noting, perhaps, is that it does not appear to apply specifically to a situation where a leader steps down temporarily, but is intended for use in the interim before "a new leader" has been elected: 


3. Elections and Appointment of Officers
(a) Leader
(i) The Leader shall be elected by secret ballot.
(ii) Every member is entitled to cast a ballot for the selection of the
Leader.
(iii) Candidates for the leadership with the fewest number of votes will
drop off the ballot in subsequent rounds until one candidate
receives 50% plus one or more of the total votes cast in that
round. The Council shall determine other leadership selection
guidelines.
(iv) Should the position of Leader become vacant at any point, the
Council may, in consultation with the Parliamentary Caucus,
appoint a Leader for the interim period until a new Leader has
been elected.
(v) At every convention that is not a leadership convention; a secret
ballot vote will be held to determine whether or not a leadership
election should be called. If 50% plus one delegate supports the
calling of a leadership election, such an election will be held within
one year of the convention vote.


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