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For seven years now, Jack Layton has been the leader of the NDP, but his political history goes back a lot further. His great, great uncle was a father of confederation, his grandfather was a Quebec provincial cabinet minister, and his dad, a federal minister - but guess in which party? The Tories! Under Brian Mulroney.
Actually, Layton himself started in another party. He was a young Liberal at McGill University. But that changed in 1971, when Layton heard Tommy Douglas speak out against the war measures act. Layton was so impressed - he went NDP.
Eventually, he moved to Toronto, and became a city councillor. For twenty years, Layton was the city's voice on the left, working to help the poor, to stop the spread of AIDS and violence against women.
As NDP leader, Layton has done a lot, too. Under his watch, NDP seats have nearly doubled. The party now has thirty-seven - the second most it's ever held. And in 2008, Layton formed a coalition with the Liberals to try topple the Conservative government.
Now, Layton is busy protesting against the Prime Minister's decision to prorogue parliament. And recently, he revealed he's battling prostate cancer.
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