Chow is a former Canadian politician who served as federal New Democratic Party Member of Parliament for Trinity-Spadina from 2006–2014, and Toronto city councillor from 1991 to 2005. Chow is the widow of former NDP and Opposition Leader Jack Layton; they were married from 1988 until his death from cancer in 2011. She was a candidate in the 2014 Toronto mayoral election, where she placed third behind winner John Tory and runner-up Doug Ford.
Chow won the Trinity—Spadina riding for the New Democratic Party on January 23, 2006, becoming a member of the House of Commons of Canada. In 2011, she was re-elected in her riding for her third straight win. She speaks Cantonese, Mandarin and English. In May 2012, Chow was named one of the top 25 Canadian immigrants in Canada by Canadian Immigrant magazine. Chow's personal memoir, titled My Journey, was published January 21, 2014. Chow resigned her seat in parliament on March 12, 2014, to run in the 2014 Toronto mayoral election. Following her mayoral election loss, Chow became a distinguished visiting professor at Ryerson University from 2015 to 2018.

Walter D. Young was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. His family moved to Victoria, British Columbia when he was young. He attended the University of British Columbia, achieving his honours B. A. in English and History in 1955. He went to Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and achieved his M. A. in 1957. He returned to Canada and took teaching positions at Canadian Services College, Royal Roads University, United College in Winnipeg and between 1959-1960 he worked in the Department of Political Science at the University of Manitoba. He achieved his Ph. D from the University of Toronto in 1965. He began teaching at the University of British Columbia in 1962, and served as the Head of the Political Science from October 1969 until his resignation in 1973. At that point he took a position at the University of Victoria. Walter Young contributed numerous talents to a variety of departmental, faculty and university enterprises. He was one of the organizers of the Arts I programme and, with Margaret Prang, launched the major academic journal dealing with the history, politics and society of British Columbia, B.C. Studies. He was elected to the committee on long-range prospects of the University, and served on the Board of Directors of the UBC Press. In 1969 he was elected to the Senate by the Joint Faculties. Professor Young's research interests focussed on the CCF party, on which he wrote the definitive history. He devoted a life-long interest to the NDP party in this province and in the country. He was an active participant in NDP party affairs, and in 1974 chaired the University Government Committee whose report to the Minister of Education led to the creation of the Universities Council.