Fans Tweet Support for Beloved Canadian Leader

Jack Layton, the beloved leader of Canada's New Democratic Party, announced today that he has prostate cancer. He did so while saying that he remains optimistic, and that the athletes competing this week in the Winter Olympics in Vancouver will provide a source of inspiration as he undergoes treatment.

Many might say Layton himself is an inspiration after learning that he has no intention of stepping down, and that he is vowing to be at work on Monday.

"I’m a fighter and I’m going to beat this," he said.

Perhaps inspired by his determination to overcome his diagnosis, Layton's fans have been tweeting up a storm, offering words of encouragement to the leader of Canada's most left-wing party.

"What an amazing example of how to deal with adversity — he just laid the smackdown on cancer!!!" wrote one fan, while many other echoed the sentiments of danawelsh, who said, "Get well Jack: Canada (cross parties) loves you!"

Layton has good reason to be optimistic. His wife, NDP Member of Parliament Olivia Chow, overcame thyroid cancer.

"She won her battle and I’m going to win mine as well," Layton said.

In a press conference today (Friday), Layton mentioned that his father, former Conservative cabinet minister Robert Layton, battled prostate cancer. He stepped down from the House of Commons in 1993 following his diagnosis, but survived for many years before eventually succumbing at the age of 76 to complications from the cancer combined with Parkinson's disease in 2002, reports the Toronto Sun.

Layton has been enormously successful in his leadership of the NDP, building up the beleaguered party's popularity to its strongest position in 20 years. Thanks to him, the party now has 37 Parliamentary seats.

And for the Canada-philes out there, check out the video below of Layton's address to Canadians:

Layton speech from NOW Magazine on Vimeo.

Photo courtesy of via mattjiggins via Flickr.