NDP hang on to the late Jack Layton’s Toronto-Danforth riding
Posted Mar 19, 2012 10:04:11 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO, Ont. – The late Jack Layton’s former riding of Toronto-Danforth will stay Orange.
Preliminary byelection results give NDP candidate Craig Scott about 58 per cent of the vote. As the gap between the NDP and the Liberals grew, Liberal candidate Grant Gordon announced that he was conceding.
Layton’s widow Olivia Chow stood next to Scott as he addressed the crowd at The Opera House, where his victory party was held.
“Tonight the people of this community of Toronto-Danforth have sent a message to Ottawa that will be heard across this country. They said no to a party that is still mired in the old ways and they said yes to a party that is ready to take on Stephen Harper’s Conservatives right now,” said Scott.
He will now fill the seat left vacant in Parliament after the death of former NDP leader Jack Layton.
The riding has been held by the NDP since 2004.
Layton, who died of cancer last August at the age of 61, won the riding with an overwhelming 60 per cent of the vote in the last election.
Before the results rolled in, NDP candidate Craig Scott said he was hoping he could ride the ‘orange wave’ all the way to Ottawa.
People in the riding are looking for a worthy successor to Layton, according to Scott.
“Who can stand up to Stephen Harper and add strength to the opposition for the next three years,” Scott said.
He adds that the issues are wide ranging, with transit and the environment coming up frequently.
“People talk about how difficult it is to get to work in a timely way, how difficult it is to get kids to childcare, that kind of stuff,” Scott said.
Grant Gordon is running for the Liberals, and he thinks along with the wide range of issues it’s key to stimulate local business.
“Door-to-door, I think families are feeling squeezed in our riding, but for a broad number of issues, child care, youth nutrition, immigration, old-age security,” Gordon said.
Andrew Keyes is running for the Conservatives, and there are several independent candidates also in the race.
NDP MP Olivia Chow has also been helping out in the race, showing her support for NDP candidate Scott.
“They’ve been missing Jack Layton, and Jack Layton’s voice is no longer there, but Craig Scott has the same values that Jack had,” Chow said.
Preliminary results will be posted here.
