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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The death of Jack Layton, Canada's leader of the Official Opposition, has touched many Yellowknifers.

Judy Sharp said she cried all morning upon hearing the news that he lost his battle against cancer on Monday.

"I really admired Jack Layton. He never gave up, it is so important to let people know, you don't stop trying, you don't give up," said Sharp, a cancer survivor who is involved in the annual Relay for Life fundraiser to battle the disease.

"It's important to realize that treatments have come along and are much better. You try every option open to you, hoping your body can rally against it," she said. "He has had a good life and done a lot of great things for people. He stood up for the little guy all of his life with his politics and he fought hard for people. I'm really proud of him."

Dennis Bevington, Western Arctic Member of Parliament for the NDP, has known Layton since they first met at a Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) conference in the late 1990s, when Layton was a Toronto city councillor and Bevington was the mayor of Fort Smith.

"I was attracted to the man immediately. I remember when he came into a room carrying his guitar and a sheet of songs. He wanted to get everyone going and he did. He ended up being the president of the FCM and it became a very strong organization," said Bevington.

He said Layton fought a brave battle and kept an optimistic outlook despite his situation. The direction of Canada and the well-being of Canadians were in Layton's thoughts until the very end, according to Bevington.

Layton had led his party to become the Official Opposition in the Canadian Parliament for the first time in NDP history, advancing to 103 seats in the May 2 federal election from 19 seats in 2004 during his first election fight as party leader.

When asked about the future leadership of the New Democratic Party, Bevington echoed words Layton composed in a letter to Canadians two days before his death. In the letter, Layton recommended that Hull-Aylmer MP Nycole Turmel continue her work as interim leader of the NDP until the party holds a leadership vote in the new year.

Joe Handley, who ran in the federal election on May 2 as the Western Arctic's Liberal candidate, said there was much to be admired about Layton.

"He was 100 per cent determined as a politician and had a lot of resilience, always upbeat. In any meetings I had with him, he gave 100 per cent to everything," said Handley. "It is sad to see someone with his leadership skills and charisma to pass away, especially when he built up the NDP party so dramatically in the last election. I have never seen that before; I guess nobody has. I just found him to be a caring and compassionate person and a politician who wanted to make a difference."

On July 25, Layton stepped down as leader of the NDP as he announced he was taking time to concentrate on treatment of another form of cancer - this news came one-and-a-half years after being treated for prostate cancer in February 2010.

Layton died at his home in Toronto on Monday morning surrounded by his friends and family. He was 61.

In the letter he left behind to Canadians, Layton relayed a message of hope.

"My friends, love is better than anger," the letter reads. "Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."

A state funeral will be held in Toronto on Aug. 27.

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