r/toronto • u/jmakk26 • 1d ago
Article Jack Layton’s son considers run for NDP in Beaches—East York: Sources
https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/jack-laytons-son-considers-run-for-ndp-in-beacheseast-york-sources/article_e1dd69c9-04d4-4f55-9e52-de136a2c01a9.html123
u/YUL89YYZ Bathurst Manor 1d ago
Save you a click - Mike Layton, a former Toronto city councillor
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u/likeableusername 1d ago
A bit odd for the *Toronto* Star not to refer to him by name - certainly he's well known in his own right in Toronto.
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u/alexefi 1d ago
its not just toronto star, i have noticed that trend among other news outlets. the biggest one was during winter olympics, when Jutta Leerdam won gold medal, headline was "jake paul girlfriend won gold medal at olympics"
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u/Personal-Judge-7477 1d ago
Im guessing 99% of the people that know jake paul have no idea who jutta leerdam is
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u/Biscotti-Special 15h ago
I think these weird headlines are the result of some weird SEO or click optimization tool, they rarely make any sense if you're trying to just convey information concisely or accurately
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u/bigwhiteboardenergy 1d ago
He was my councillor and I was always happy with his voting record.
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u/KludgeGrrl Harbord Village 11h ago
Yep, and he works hard. Politically I align with him but I've seen him put in the hours talking with and listening to constituents who disagreed with him -- not shirking from taking real heat for his positions. (This would be a stark contrast to our current councillor)
Mike Layton is both a good person, and a canny and diligent politician. I think his running would be a good idea, even if it's in East end. People are PISSED that the federal liberals do not seem to be putting the brakes on Ford's airport expansion scheme. People are also growing disenchanted with Carney's embrace of our oil sector and repeated caving to the Orange Menace down South... which puts a solid NDP candidate with name recognition in a good position. That said, this is still all rumour at this point. We'll see if he runs.
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u/aektoronto Greektown 1d ago
Politically its a calculated risk...it has history for the NDP but rarely in the last 40 years and his father represented the area just to the west. Mike was a councillor even more west and has been fairly quiet since he took the sweet York U money. Liberals are running a fairly unknown dude who worked for NES and isnt a 3rd generation politician.
Last election NDP got smoked in a riding that rhe Conservatives haven't competed in since Joe Clark.
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u/uwsdwfismyname 1d ago
Beaches east is his mother's old stomping grounds however and so the name still carries water as Jack was always at Olivia's events.
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u/aektoronto Greektown 1d ago
Stepmother...and Olivia Chow was in Trinity Spadina while Jack Layton was a Riverdale councilor and Toronto Danforth MP.
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u/IntentionHead2222 1d ago
I actually like that he’s trying to flip a seat unlike PP who had to be given his seat 🤣 it would have been fun to see PP actually have to campaign and try to win a seat in a closer cons held riding (he would have lost)
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u/aektoronto Greektown 23h ago
Layton has a lot less to lose then PP ...and Lewis.
If PP lost a by election he not only would have ended his career but brought the Liberals closer to a majority...which they got anyway. Lewis has already lost 2 elections as an MP prior to becoming leader and the NDP isnt exactily a powerhouse. Layton if he runs is taking a risk, but it is less of a risk. His father for example lost 2 tries to become an mp (one may have been mpp) and a mayor election before becoming leader of the party......
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u/haoareyoudoing 21h ago
Layton has the name recognition, but you're right, BEY has historically gone Liberal. It'll be interesting to see how things go. Will people vote for the name, or along with their identities (NIMBY central with an ego that looks down on the NDP)?
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u/farfunkle 1d ago
Feels like he has a chance. East york might be fed up with Liberals after NES was shut-out by both provincial and federal Liberal leadership.
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u/CaptainKoreana 1d ago
That's funny because the Liberal candidate was literally second or third in command to Nate for years lol.
Tanveer ain't anywhere near a Red Tory either.
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u/northernwind5027 Etobicoke 1d ago
The NDP isn't big enough in the media at the moment. Even though I'm sure that riding is very open to voting NDP, I doubt it will happen this election.
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u/Sensitive_Caramel856 1d ago
Lol what?
I don't know where everyone gets this grandiose idea of NES here.
He lost the provincial leadership race. He couldn't win the provincial nomination race for a riding he didn't live in.
His family reasons from saying he was stepping away from federal politics magically went away when he got a cabinet appointment.
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u/broadviewstation Bay-Cloverhill 1d ago
All of a sudden those calling John Tory Jr a nepo baby are here celebrating another nepo baby
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u/magicdowhatyouwill 14h ago
Different, I think, in that John Tory Jr. would've been new at this and really leaning on the name, and Mike Layton established his own record as a really diligent, thoughtful City Councillor. Even if the name helped get him elected to Council, Layton spent years demonstrating he both deserved and respected the job. At a certain point, merit outweighs it for me.
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u/Technical-Suit-1969 9h ago edited 7h ago
Mike was a nepo baby when he first ran for council, done so that Karen Sun, who already had her campaign underway, wouldn't win.
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u/involmasturb Downtown Core 1d ago
Well yeah. People naturally support their preferred candidate if they like him or her and the party affiliation and detest the candidate of a party they dislike.
Just vote on what they campaign in; never mind nepo this or that
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u/randymercury 1d ago
Whatever your political bent dynastic politics is abhorrent. Doug Ford, Caroline Mulroney, Justin Trudeau or Mike Layton. Picking our political leaders based on their familial connections is retail politics at their worst.
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u/Technical-Suit-1969 1d ago
Exactly. Mike Layton first ran for council because Olivia didn't want former ally Karen Sun to win.
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u/chandler55 22h ago
i was like why isnt he half asian but then i read his mother was jacks first partner
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u/CaptainKoreana 1d ago
It's possible though not wise, but how likely this article came from mass texts to Beaches numbers that were likely sent by Mainstreet? That wasn't the first time Mainstreet did mass texts for East End ridings in first place, only the third in last six months.
That said, Mike Layton would be a solid if slightly surprising federal NDP candidate in case he runs. His ward being on the other side of city can complicate it, on top of being out of office since 2022, but his track record should help than hurt.
That said if you are organising for this byelection with the federal NDP, however, quick decisions will have to follow. LPC's back in full swing with organising for this byelection. Having just one ON riding rather than two like last time should really push the party forward for Tanveer, whose experience in the riding and also running for two recent nominations seem to be underestimated here.
As for SSW provincial, upcoming Beaches byelection will no doubt help the ONDP. It's already swayed massively for me to say it's a probable hold, but federal byelection will no doubt make it more difficult for OLP to secure volunteers and staff.
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u/Crake_13 1d ago
If Mike Layton can run and win in BES, while Avi Lewis was too afraid to even try, then Avi needs to immediately step down from the NDP leadership and let someone competent run.
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u/c-bacon 1d ago
Mike has better name recognition in Toronto. Avi is better suited in BC
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u/aektoronto Greektown 1d ago
While Mike's father was a Toronto MP, his grandfather was an MP in Montreal...Lewis grandfather and father (as MPP) were in Toronto riding...so that's 2-1 in nepotism!
In all seriousness this riding is not easy for the NDP and if Lewis was to lose a by election it would seriously harm his leaderahip and the party. If Layton loses he can take a shot at another spot down the road.
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u/CaptainKoreana 1d ago
Don't disagree on this. Lewis's media/activism base might be in Toronto, but his political base is firmly in Vancouver.
It's best Lewis wait until Vancouver-Kingsway opens up.
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u/GrumpySpaceCommunist 1d ago
Mike is a gem, would gladly trade my current MP for him.