He previously sat on Toronto City Council , occasionally holding the title of acting mayor or deputy mayor of Toronto during his tenure as city councillor. He rose to prominence in Toronto municipal politics, where he was one of the most prominent left-wing voices on the city and Metropolitan Toronto councils, championing many progressive causes.
In , he ran for mayor, losing to June Rowlands. Returning to council, he rose to become head of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. In , he was elected leader of the NDP on the first ballot of the convention. Under his leadership, support for the NDP increased in each election. The party's popular vote almost doubled in the election , which gave the NDP the balance of power in Paul Martin 's minority government.
The NDP saw further gains in the and elections , in which the party elected 29 and 37 MPs, respectively. In the election , Layton led the NDP to the most successful result in the party's history, winning seatsβenough for the party to form the Official Opposition for the first time. Federal support for Layton and the NDP in the election was unprecedented, especially in the province of Quebec , where the party won 59 out of 75 seats.
Layton died on August 22, , after being diagnosed with cancer. His wife of 23 years, Olivia Chow , was elected mayor of Toronto in Details of the type and spread of the cancer, and the exact cause of death, were not released to the public.
He was the maternal great-grandnephew of William Steeves , a Father of Confederation , and his grandfather, Gilbert Layton , had served as a minister without portfolio to the government of Quebec's Union Nationale under Premier Maurice Duplessis.
