The leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada has lost his battle with cancer. He was a man who earned much respect, even from people who did not agree with him on anything.
Just saw this - he fought the good fight, RIP.
I can’t believe how fast it happened though. He didn’t look good when he announced his break, but I still had no idea.
I was completely taken by surprise when I saw the headlines. I had no idea he was that ill.
Rest in peace, Mr. Layton.
I was completely shocked when I found out this morning!
RIP Jack.
I knew it was possible, but the news just slapped me in the face this morning; smiling Jack won’t be returning.
I think he was the only politician that I actually liked. I loved his sketch on Rick Mercer - where they were doing yoga and riding a bicycle-built-for-two…he seemed like a really nice guy.
Rest in peace, Mr. Layton.
R.I.P., Jack.
I agree with Soylent Juicy: he was the only funny, charismatic Canadian politician that I can think of. R.I.P. Jack.
Couldn’t believe it when my Canadian friends passed on the news. RIP, Jack.
He was one of the good guys, for sure. I knew he didn’t look or sound good at his last news conference, but I didn’t expect him to go so quickly. I wonder if we’ll find out what kind of cancer he had?
I think I spend too much time with oncology nurses… I knew after the last news conference that he wouldn’t be back. Still, 61 is too young to die.
I have so much respect for Jack Layton, and I think we are worse off without him. RIP.
Damn. So few respected politicians in this country.
I also imagined this is how it would end, when he stepped down, just never imagined it would be so soon.
Glad as I am, that he lived to see his party sweep into official opposition, how tragic for his family to know, that so much of his final year, was spent away from them and stomping the campaign trail. I can’t help thinking that he must have been suffering through it all.
That’s some heavy sacrifice for your political beliefs. I’m really glad he did, Canada is better because of it, I’m sure.
Far too young, my heart goes out to his family.
He wasn’t looking good at his last press conference, but this came as a surprise to me, too - so quick! Rest in peace indeed.
This was not what I wanted to wake up to.
Now that made me cry…
Me too.
I’m a little surprised at how upset I am by his death. Life just isn’t fair.
The letter was extraordinary.
This is so sad. Rest in peace Mr Layton - you were one of the good guys.
He set a fine example, one that crossed political boundaries, of what a good politician is – even beyond his ideals, which I agreed with, his way of doing politics was exemplary, proving beyond a doubt that there is space for the conduct of our democracy to be honest and good, rather than sordid.
I rubbed shoulders with him many times and I can tell you that he was the same over a beer or chatting in a car on the way to some event, or speaking to a single voter at a doorstop, as he was in front of a crowd of 2,000 like we had in Montreal during the election campaign: sincere, enthusiastic, and utterly devoted to improving our country through social democracy. He hated cruelty, was utterly convinced that the purpose of the chose publique was to make a more humane society that leaves nobody behind, and was determined to refocus the public conversation on the needs of individual, everyday Canadians.
As a Quebec New Democrat I can say we were all amazed by his continuous faith in our potential in this province. When he took over, we were at single digits, and many of us frankly thought we would never get anywhere at all. Of course he put paid to that in a big way. “Don’t let them tell you it can’t be done!”
And it seems so cruel to lose him now that he’s led us to all the things he always said were possible – a mammoth victory in Quebec, Official Opposition. We owe it to him to keep fighting for the ideals he names in his moving political testament.
Canada has lost a peerless public servant. And I think we have a successor to Robert Stanfield as “the best Prime Minister Canada never had.”