Canadian opposition leader Jack Layton dies at 61

AP - Jack Layton, a folksy and charismatic political leader who guided his party to become the dominant opposition group in Canada’s Parliament while battling severe health problems, died Monday of cancer. He was 61.

Layton hobbled through the campaign earlier this year as he recovered from a broken hip and prostate cancer. Under his upbeat leadership the New Democrats outpolled the Liberals and became the official opposition party for the first time in their 50-year history.

The New Democrat party issued a statement saying Layton died peacefully Monday morning at his Toronto home, surrounded by family and loved ones. Only weeks ago, a gaunt Layton held a news conference to announce he was fighting a second bout of cancer.

The spring campaign started out looking like a straight battle between Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Liberals’ Michael Ignatieff, with Layton recovering from prostate cancer and a broken hip.

But Layton’s party scored its historic win by garnering 103 seats in the May federal election, up from a previous 37.

Layton’s cheerful message, his strong performance in the debates and his popularity in the French-speaking province of Quebec, went over well with voters.

A native of Montreal, a photo of him wearing a Montreal Canadiens jersey and pouring a beer during the hockey playoffs went viral in Quebec.

But Harper’s Conservative government won a coveted majority government in part because the left-center vote in Canada split between the Liberals and New Democrats.

Harper said he was deeply saddened by Layton’s death.

“When I last spoke with Jack following his announcement in July, I wished him well and he told me he’d be seeing me in the House of Commons in the fall. This, sadly, will no longer come to pass. On behalf of all Canadians, I salute Jack’s contribution to public life, a contribution that will be sorely missed,” Harper said in a statement.

The flag on the peace tower on Parliament Hill was lowered to half-staff.

Layton announced in February 2010 that he had been battling prostate cancer but he continued a crowded schedule while getting treatment.

He lost a considerable amount of weight and his voice was very weak when he said last month that his battle with prostate cancer was going well but that recent tests showed he had a new form of cancer. He not did elaborate on what type of cancer was discovered.

His gaunt and feeble voice shocked Canadians, who just a month before saw an energized Layton lead his party to official opposition status. The New Democrats’ gains were attributed to Layton.

Layton came from a political family. He was the son of a former federal Progressive Conservative cabinet minister and the grandson of a prominent provincial politician in Quebec. He had said that although his father was a conservative, he truly cared about those less well off.

Layton was a career politician, a former longtime city councilor known to work tirelessly on behalf of the poor and homeless. He ran for mayor in Toronto and lost in 1991 after being criticized for living in subsidized housing and for opposing Toronto’s ultimately failed bid for the 1996 Summer Olympics.

New Democrat lawmaker Libby Davies, her voice breaking, said Canadians came to love Layton.

“His commitment to social justice and equality and a better Canada in the world and in home, I think that’s how people saw him, they saw him as someone who deeply, deeply cared for people,” Davies said.

U.S. Ambassador David Jacobson to Canada expressed sorrow on behalf of his family and the American people.

“I will never forget the image of Jack campaigning as the happy warrior. His energy, enthusiasm and passion for politics and for the Canadian people were undeniable, » Jacobson said in a statement.

Layton was married to Hong Kong-born Olivia Chow, also a former Toronto city councilor, and now the New Democrat Parliament member for a downtown Toronto district.

He has two children, Sarah and Mike, from a previous marriage. Mike is now a Toronto city councilor.

Funeral details have not yet been announced.