Editing Jack Layton (section)

===2006 campaign===
[[File:Jacklaytonoutside.jpg|right|thumb|In a [[media scrum]] during the 2006 winter election campaign]]
With a vote scheduled for [[2006 Canadian federal election|January 23, 2006]], many New Democrats expected Layton to deliver substantially more seats than he did in 2004. They hoped the NDP would hold the balance of power in a new minority Parliament, so that they could carry additional leverage in negotiating with the governing party.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}} Mike Klander, the executive vice-president of the federal Liberals' Ontario wing, resigned after making posts on his blog comparing Chow to a [[Chow Chow]] dog and calling Layton an "[[asshole]]".<ref>{{cite news |title=Liberal exec quits over his blog remarks about NDPers |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/liberal-exec-quits-over-his-blog-remarks-about-ndpers-1.545740 |access-date=October 11, 2024 |work=[[CBC News]] |date=December 26, 2005}}</ref>

Through the course of the campaign, Layton attempted to cast himself as the sole remaining champion of [[universal health care]]. Some opinion polls showed that Canadians found Layton the most appealing and charismatic of the leaders. Layton repeatedly insisted that "Canadians have a third choice", and urged Liberals to "lend us your vote". Some commentators and pundits mocked Layton for over-using these catchphrases instead of explaining the NDP platform.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}

The NDP strategy had changed in that they were focusing their attacks on the Liberals rather than in 2004, where they criticized both the Liberals and Conservatives in equal measure, prompting some criticism from Paul Martin.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20061014201106/http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2006/01/17/martin-layton.html Martin attacks Layton for not attacking Harper] January 17, 2006.</ref> [[Andrew Coyne]] suggested that the NDP not only wanted to disassociate themselves from the scandal-ridden Liberals, but also because the Liberals were likely to receive credit for legislation achieved under the Liberal-NDP partnership. The NDP had also lost close races in the 2004 election due to the Liberals' strategic voting. Early in the campaign, NDP MP [[Judy Wasylycia-Leis]] had asked the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] (RCMP) to launch a criminal investigation into the leaking of the income trust announcement.<ref>[https://archive.today/20060302162201/http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060121/election_turningpoints_060121?s_name=election2006&no_ads= Income trust a major campaign turning point] CTV News. January 22, 2006. {{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> The criminal probe seriously damaged the Liberal campaign and preventing them from making their key policy announcements, as well as bringing alleged Liberal corruption back into the spotlight.

Layton's campaign direction also caused a break between him and [[Canadian Auto Workers]] union head [[Buzz Hargrove]] over the issue of [[Tactical voting|strategic voting]]. Hargrove preferred a Liberal minority government supported by the NDP and he had earlier criticized Layton for participating in the motion of non-confidence that brought down the Liberal government. Hargrove allied with the Liberals and publicly stated that he "did not like the campaign that Jack Layton was running", criticizing Layton for "spending too much time attacking the Liberals". During the final week of the campaign, knowing that last-minute strategic voting had cost the NDP seats in several close ridings during the 2004 election,<ref name="StrategicVote 2004">{{cite news|last=Brennan|first=Richard|title=Liberals stem Conservative tide|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/974828621.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jan+24%2C+2006&author=Richard+Brennan&pub=Toronto+Star&edition=&startpage=A.04&desc=Liberals+stem+Conservative+tide|access-date=August 26, 2011|newspaper=The Toronto Star|date=January 24, 2006|location=Toronto|page=A4|archive-date=November 5, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105043113/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/974828621.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jan+24%2C+2006&author=Richard+Brennan&pub=Toronto+Star&edition=&startpage=A.04&desc=Liberals+stem+Conservative+tide|url-status=dead}}</ref> Hargrove and Martin urged all progressive voters to unite behind the Liberal banner to stop a Conservative government.<ref name=Martinpleads4vote>{{cite news|last=Whittington|first=Wes|title=Don't let Tories tear Canada apart Martin; PM in last-ditch plea to voters Says final outcome will hinge on B.C.|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/974196541.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jan+23%2C+2006&author=Les+Whittington&pub=Toronto+Star&edition=&startpage=A.06&desc=Don%27t+let+Tories+tear+Canada+apart+Martin%3B+PM+in+last-ditch+plea+to+voters+Says+final+outcome+will+hinge+on+B.C|access-date=August 26, 2006|newspaper=The Toronto Star|date=January 23, 2006|location=Toronto|page=A6|archive-date=November 5, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105043121/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/974196541.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jan+23%2C+2006&author=Les+Whittington&pub=Toronto+Star&edition=&startpage=A.06&desc=Don%27t+let+Tories+tear+Canada+apart+Martin%3B+PM+in+last-ditch+plea+to+voters+Says+final+outcome+will+hinge+on+B.C.|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Layton intensified his attacks on the Liberal scandals, pledging to use his minority clout to keep the Conservatives in check. Shortly after the election, the Ontario provincial branch of the NDP revoked Hargrove's party membership because he had violated the party's constitution by campaigning for other parties during an election campaign, though Layton disagreed with this. Hargrove retaliated by severing ties with the NDP at the annual CAW convention. The election increased the NDP's total seats to 29 seats, up from 18 before dissolution.<ref name=2006results/> Among the new NDP candidates elected was Olivia Chow, making the two only the second husband-and-wife team in Canadian Parliament history ([[Gurmant Grewal]] and [[Nina Grewal]] were the first husband-and-wife team in Canadian Parliament after the 2004 federal election). In the end, the NDP succeeded in increasing their parliamentary representation to 29 MPs, though they had significantly fewer seats than the Bloc Québécois (51) or the Opposition Liberals (103).<ref name=2006results>{{cite news|last=Delecourt|first=Susan|title=CON124 36.5% POP VOTE LIB 103 30.1% POP VOTE BLOC 51 10.5% POP VOTE NDP 29 17.4% POP VOTE Independent 1|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/974828531.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jan+24%2C+2006&author=Susan+Delacourt&pub=Toronto+Star&edition=&startpage=A.01&desc=CON124+36.5%25+POP+VOTE+LIB+103+30.1%25+POP+VOTE+BLOC+51+10.5%25+POP+VOTE+NDP+29+17.4%25+POP+VOTE+Independent+1|access-date=August 26, 2011|newspaper=The Toronto Star|date=January 24, 2006|location=Toronto|page=A1|archive-date=November 5, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105043051/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/974828531.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jan+24%2C+2006&author=Susan+Delacourt&pub=Toronto+Star&edition=&startpage=A.01&desc=CON124+36.5%25+POP+VOTE+LIB+103+30.1%25+POP+VOTE+BLOC+51+10.5%25+POP+VOTE+NDP+29+17.4%25+POP+VOTE+Independent+1|url-status=dead}}</ref>