NDP, under an energetic but garrulous new leader, Jack Layton, had hopes of a breakthrough in this election.

ECONOMIST: Canada's election

The party's leader, Jack Layton, wants to see Mr Martin keep his campaign pledges to promote child care and safeguard the country's costly health system.

ECONOMIST: A mandate but no majority for Martin

Jack Layton, the NDP's leader, promised to make French the language of work in federal institutions in the province and to require justices of Canada's Supreme Court to be bilingual.

ECONOMIST: A more confident Quebec has other things to think about

Yet on August 27th Jack Layton, leader of the opposition New Democratic Party (NDP), who died of cancer on August 22nd at the age of 61, will be laid to rest in Toronto with all the pomp and solemn ceremony that official Canada can muster.

ECONOMIST: Canada��s opposition