Byelection to be held Monday in Jack Layton’s riding
Posted Mar 16, 2012 06:54:40 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A byelection will be held Monday in the Toronto-Danforth riding of the late NDP leader Jack Layton.
Layton died of cancer last August. He was 61.
Craig Scott is hoping to keep the seat for the NDP. Grant Gordon is running for the Liberals, Andrew Keyes is the Conservative candidate, while Adriana Mugnatto-Hamu is running for the Green Party.
The riding, located east of downtown Toronto, is a diverse section of the city that was known as a Liberal bastion until Layton’s 1994 election.
University of Toronto political scientist Nelson Wiseman said the New Democrats will likely take the seat.
“I think it’s just a traditional NDP riding, and the fact that the NDP is now the Opposition, makes it even stronger,” Wiseman said.
He also said he believes the Liberals have the most on the line, adding that this is a reality check for the party and a test of Bob Rae’s leadership during the rebuilding process.
The byelection will come just before the NDP selects a new leader on March 24.
