Condolences are pouring in for federal New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton, who died this morning from cancer. Aside from being one of the country’s most passionate politicians, Layton should also be remembered as an accomplished author.

In 2000, during his time as a Toronto city councillor and affordable housing activist, Layton wrote Homelessness: The Making and Unmaking of a Crisis (Penguin Canada). Layton’s vision for the country, Speaking Out: Ideas That Work for Canadians, which Q&Q called “brightly written,” “articulate,” and praised for its theme of “positive thinking,” was published by Key Porter Books in 2004, as was his 2006 memoir.

Layton’s eloquence is still apparent in his final letter addressed to Canadians.