Buoyed by his party’s success in Tuesday’s federal election, the New Democratic Party leader has called on the House of Commons to work for all Canadians.
The NDP won 37 seats in the House of Commons, eight seats more than the 29 they held when Parliament dissolved in September. Layton spoke at a rally in downtown Toronto celebrating his Toronto-Danforth victory, but warning of the need for unity in Parliament.
“Canadians have elected a minority parliament,” Layton said. “No party has a mandate to implement an agenda without agreement from the other parties.”
Layton said he was proud of his party’s gains and emphasized his campaign stance that his party best represents the middle class.
“We haven’t won the gold medal this time around, but we did our best,” he said. “We were able to cut through and put the concerns of ordinary working families front and centre in this election.”
Layton outlined his party’s primary concerns in the next Parliament while emphasizing its willingness to work together with other parties.
“(The NDP) will fight and fight hard for real action on the real economy,” he said. “We’re going to fight for training programs, for family doctors, for pharmacare, for childcare,” he said. “We’re going to fight for new Canadians, for the environment and for making Canada once again a voice for peace in the world.”