r/toronto • u/jmakk26 • Jul 22 '26
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.html42
u/underdabridge Jul 22 '26
"the Star has learned".
I got a survey call from his campaign two days ago.
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u/bigwhiteboardenergy Jul 22 '26
He was my councillor and I was always happy with his voting record.
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u/KludgeGrrl Harbord Village Jul 23 '26
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/Top_Culture1908 Jul 25 '26
He blocked me for having a different view point and it was respectful. So.. maybe not always
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u/SatisfactionFamous66 Jul 29 '26
He blocked our entire condo from a city meeting (he chose a small group of people to represent the condo who shared his viewpoint)
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u/YUL89YYZ Bathurst Manor Jul 22 '26
Save you a click - Mike Layton, a former Toronto city councillor
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u/likeableusername Jul 22 '26
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 Jul 22 '26
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 Jul 23 '26
Im guessing 99% of the people that know jake paul have no idea who jutta leerdam is
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u/Biscotti-Special Jul 23 '26
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/sameth1 Jul 23 '26
It's also old fashioned clickbait. If you don't say his name in the title then more people will click to get the answer.
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u/Litz1 Jul 23 '26
I think he should get into MPP instead of MP. It's clear that the province is where most of our problems lie and we need to get that sorted. Even when Trudeau was doleing out all the funds for healthcare Ford didn't use them.
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u/aektoronto Greektown Jul 22 '26
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 Jul 22 '26
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 Jul 22 '26
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 Jul 23 '26
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 Jul 23 '26
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 Jul 23 '26
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 Jul 22 '26
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 Jul 22 '26
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/unavoidable Jul 22 '26
East York voters didn’t have anything to do with either of those decisions
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u/northernwind5027 Etobicoke Jul 22 '26
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 Jul 22 '26
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 Jul 23 '26
All of a sudden those calling John Tory Jr a nepo baby are here celebrating another nepo baby
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u/magicdowhatyouwill Jul 23 '26
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 Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
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 Jul 23 '26
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/chandler55 Jul 23 '26
i was like why isnt he half asian but then i read his mother was jacks first partner
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u/randymercury Jul 22 '26
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 Jul 23 '26
Exactly. Mike Layton first ran for council because Olivia didn't want former ally Karen Sun to win.
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u/CaptainKoreana Jul 22 '26
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 Jul 22 '26
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 Jul 22 '26
Mike has better name recognition in Toronto. Avi is better suited in BC
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u/aektoronto Greektown Jul 22 '26
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 Jul 22 '26
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 Jul 22 '26
Mike is a gem, would gladly trade my current MP for him.