I should say that the outpouring of support we’re seeing, while extraordinary (can you imagine spontaneous memorial services popping up upon the death of another political leader in Canada), is not a surprise. He had the most amazing way of connecting with people.
I remember once we were door-to-dooring together during the by-election in Outremont; I was his “advance party” in an apartment block. A lady answered the door in a housecoat and grumpily asked me what I wanted. I told her Jack Layton was in the building and would she like to speak with him. Her eyes lit up, she hastily told me to wait and slammed the door. When Jack got there, she had rushed to change into a nice dress; she opened the door and talked with him, starstruck, for several minutes. He inspired people. You knew he cared about what you were saying - whoever you were.
Whatever one’s views on NDP policies (and I have my disagreements with some of them), no one can deny that Jack was utterly devoted to working for what he saw to be the best for Canada. No one can ask for more than that in a politician, and no one should settle for less.
It’s dreadful news, though not surprising. I think most of us knew based on his appearance that he was dying, even if nobody wanted to say it.
Life isn’t fair. It just plain sucks.
I never voted for Jack Layton and likely never would, but we’ve lost a dedicated and honorable public servant, and his family has lost him way, way earlier than they should have. Canada’s lost a fine man. It’s an awful shame.
I’ve never voted for the NDP. My preferred version of government leans more to the right.
However, it is with genuine sadness I learned of Jack Layton’s passing today. He was an honourable man with a strength of conviction in his ideas. I have no doubt Canada would have been in capable hands should he have assumed leadership of a government.
I’ve reflected on the seemingly opposing statements of those first two paragraphs. I believe many Canadians would agree with me. It gave me pride in my country to recognize our ability to disagree yet remain fundamentally respectful of different points of view. Quintessentially Canadian. Other countries should be so fortunate.
Goodbye, Jack. You were a good man. And a good Canadian.
I canvassed for an NDP candidate last Winter before the election, and wound up marginally involved in politics. Layton has always been an amazing and inspiring speaker, but I got to know a lot more about him during the time I was canvassing. He really and truly was, sincerely and through and through, a decent and honest man. He certainly had his detractors, and certainly there are those who sincerely do not believe that the policies he proposed would be best for Canada, but he was a good guy, through and through. I’m taking this (a little) harder than I had thought I would; his final letter was positively inspirational.
Like a few others in this thread, I never cared much for the NDP.
But like many others, I think Canada is poorer for Jack Layton’s passing. I did have to admire him: the way he connected with people, the enthusiasm he displayed, and the passion he had for his cause. He was a rather refreshing breeze blowing through Canadian politics. And he probably would have been a great guy to sit and have a beer with, and shoot the breeze.
Not much I can add to what’s been said. It is just a shame that he never had the chance to go on from the last election and build a party that could govern. I met one of the newly elected Quebec NDP and she was a truly impressive lady.
I think I’ll go to the state funeral on Saturday. This has affected me more than I expected; perhaps because of all the NDPers in my family.
Edit: when I say “go to the state funeral”, I’m aware that that will probably end up meaning, “watch the whole thing on giant video screens in Nathan Phillips Square”…
This is my favorite editorial cartoon thus far, though the one from the Toronto Star is beautiful as well.
This is not just a loss for Canadians, it’s a loss for the world. I shouldn’t be surprised by now, but there was nothing at all on the news in the States about it. Trying to explain who he was to people is tough; it’s pretty pathetic when I’m the local “expert” on Canadian politics. “He’s like… well, the House Minority Leader. Sorta. But not really.”
I talked to my aunt yesterday. She’d been glued to the TV all day, watching the news about Jack. I can’t express how unusual that is for her; she almost never watches TV. I think this was a great shock for her as well.
After all, her life has paralleled the rise of the NDP and its predecessor, the CCF. Her father would have met many of the founders of the NDP. I remember my mom, her sister, talking about people like Tommy Douglas and Sinclair Lewis; and I remember finding saved newspapers about the founding convention of the ‘New Party’ when I was a kid.
My mom’s family came through the Great Depression and the starvation out west; they would have known in their bones where the Regina Manifesto came from. I’m not sure that Grandpa would have agreed with the NDP’s drift towards the centre, but he would have been fascinated by the last election, and I would have loved to talk to him about small-g green issues.
What sad news. I am not well-informed of Canadian politics, but he sounded like a real good’un. 10 minutes ago I wasn’t aware of his existence, and now already I miss him. Sigh.
I have to say that my respect for Prime Minister Stephen Harper has grown tremendously this past week. The state funeral was an appropriate honour, even if it was not specifically called for by protocol.
