Jack Layton, the leader of the federal New Democratic Party, is a career politician.

Born into a political family - his father was a Progressive Conservative MP in the '80s and early '90s; his grandfather was a member of Quebec's Legislative Assembly in the '30s - Layton spent his twenties as a community activist, working on issues such as poverty, transit and housing. He was elected to Toronto's city council in 1982 when he was only 32 years old and served six terms as a councillor before making the switch to federal politics in 2003, when he was voted into his party's leadership role a year before he was officially elected into the House of Commons.

Given the breadth of Layton's experience, you'd expect the 58-year-old to have a thorough understanding of the issues at the forefront of Canadian politics (he does), be able to speak articulately about them (he can) and be media savvy (he is).
But when you sit down and chat with him - as I had the opportunity to do last week during an informal meet-and-greet following a stopover at which he announced the NDP's plan for public transit funding - he doesn't come off as fake, smarmy, pompous, or any of the other adjectives that often get tossed around when one is describing politicians.

Sitting in a comfy armchair in Winnipeg North MP Judy Wasylycia-Leis' living room, tieless and in his sock feet, Layton is on-message, to be sure - perhaps campaigning in advance of a rumoured fall election? - but he's also approachable, engaging and clearly passionate about Canada's future.

In fact, the ability to influence that future on a grand scale was one of the reasons he says he left municipal politics and ran for federal office in the first place.

In 2001/02, Layton served as president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, a role that had him networking with elected officials from other cities.

"My friends across the country said to me, 'Jack, we need someone to speak up for our cities and communities in Ottawa. Ottawa raises all the money, they've got surpluses, but the solutions are local - we need to get some of the money from the centre to come for those local solutions so we can build a national dream around environment, around healthy communities, around sustainability.' I found that persuasive, so that's why I got involved," he says.

On the national stage, Layton quickly made a name for himself with his sometimes-controversial, shoot-from-the-hip style. During 2004's election campaign, for example, he caused a stir when he said then-Prime Minister Paul Martin was personally responsible for the deaths of homeless people due to his part in the Liberal government's funding cuts to affordable housing initiatives.

Four years and two elections later, and Layton's approach to politicking hasn't changed all that much. During last Wednesday's announcement, he called the federal Conservatives "arrogant" and "dismissive," and at Wasylycia-Leis' house he went even further, describing Prime Minister Stephen Harper as a "George-Bush style of politician" who prefers "throwing people in jail and cutting taxes" to working on social issues.

Predictably, some pundits have dismissed his tactics as nothing more than cheap grandstanding by a man desperate for attention (the term 'yappy dog' has been used repeatedly to describe him), but behind the arsenal of sound bites is a man who knows what he's talking about: Layton has a PHD in political science and has written two books, including Homelessness: How to End the National Crisis, which was updated and rereleased this year.

"I didn't want to rewrite it," he laments of the comprehensive (and rather depressing) new version, "but eight years later, the situation has gotten drastically worse."

The environment is another issue dear to Layton's heart, personally as well as professionally. He and his wife Olivia Chow - who's also a federal MP; the couple is only the second husband-wife team in Canadian history - gave up their cars in 1984 and now cycle year-round.

"It just didn't fit our lifestyle," Layton says. "We have two Toronto bikes, two Ottawa bikes and a tandem bike - that's our romantic bike."

Despite being the smallest party in Ottawa, the NDP has managed to advance its socially progressive agenda in recent years - most notably, its 19 members of Parliament showed off their clout when they agreed to prop up the Liberal minority government during the 2005 federal budget in exchange for the addition of $4.6 billion dollars in funding for housing, education, transit and foreign aid.

Now up to 30 MPs, Layton is equally optimistic about the future, pointing to a recent NDP by-election win in the Quebec riding of Outremont (traditionally a Liberal stronghold) as proof of the party's spreading popularity.

Like any career politician, he exudes confidence - and when asked if he thinks an election is, in fact, coming sooner than later, his answer is typical Jack Layton:

"I hope so - Harper has to be stopped."

. . .

Oh sure, federal NDP leader Jack Layton can talk politics - but Uptown decided to pick his brain about other topics, too.

What's the last book you read?

Apollo's Fire: Igniting America's Clean Energy Crisis by Jay Inslee; No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod.

Last movie you saw?

Stop-Loss

What music are you currently listening to?

"I have an iPod full of stuff. I've been really into Bob Dylan's lyrics lately - I like to pull out the guitar when people are over and sing songs. Richard Underhill is my favourite jazz musician."

What city is the best place to cycle in Canada?

"I quite like Ottawa. It's nice because you can ride beside water a lot of the time... Toronto's getting better. The most beautiful place is probably Victoria - there's a great bike/trail system there called the Galloping Goose. I just love that name."

What's the last vacation you took?

"To North America's largest wilderness preserve (the Yukon's Kluane National Park) - it's the largest subpolar ice cap left in the world. We went up the Alsek River to see the effects of the melting glaciers. It's shocking."