NDP Votes Unanimously for Nycole Turmel

The former union boss has big shoes to fill while Jack Layton battles cancer.

The NDP has followed up on leader Jack Layton's wishes and unanimously anointed rookie MP Nycole Turmel to lead the party during Layton's leave of absence due to a new case of cancer. The entire NDP caucus endorsed Turmel for the interim position, which she will hold on to until Layton resumes his duties, which he said this week ought to be when Parliament resumes in September. Turmel, 68, is the member for the riding of Hull-Aylmer, just across the Ottawa River from the western reaches of the capital, and the caucus chair, despite having just more than two months of federal political experience. Before entering politics, Turmel had led the Public Service Alliance of Canada, the largest union in the country. She's bilingual, and strikes a fine balance between the NDP's nascent Quebec wing and its traditional labour base.