"We deeply regret to inform you that the Honourable Jack Layton, leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada, passed away at 4:45 a.m. today."
I heard that statement from Laytons family being read on the radio while driving to work Monday morning and felt a great sense of loss and sadness for a man Id met only once in person, but whom I greatly respected. It seemed like Mother Nature must have also felt the loss because for the first time in weeks the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»sky turned a bleak grey and the clouds released a mournful deluge.
In the cut-throat business of politics even a minor cold can be taken as a sign of weakness and an opportune time to attack by the opposition, which is why I was always so impressed to see photos and videos of a charismatic Layton brandishing his cane like a staff or sword while campaigning following hip surgery in March just prior to the May federal election. An election that saw the NDP win an unprecedented 102 seats under Laytons helm as the partys federal leader. But just a few short months later a frail, yet stoic Layton announced in July he was fighting a second, visibly more aggressive bout of cancer in little over a year. The announcement came just one month after moving with his family into Stornoway as leader of the Official Opposition.
Former NDP premier Mike Harcourt told me Monday Layton is gone much too soon but his legacy will continue. That legacy, said Harcourt, paved the way for what he said would be a centre-left coalition of political parties to be formed prior to the next federal election in 2015.
He had a very, very sharp mind and was a great orator in the sense of Tommy Douglas, said Harcourt of the late politician who helped form the NDP in 1961 and pioneered universal health care in Canada.
Harcourt says the fact Layton was able to bring the NDP from a political party of limited appeal to one cutting a proud swath across Canada is profoundly important. On a personal note, Harcourt says Layton was a talented musician who played the piano and guitar and loved to sing.
He was a wonderfully warm man, said Harcourt, who added hell
miss Laytons energy. He was so exciting to be around, whether he was serious or joking. He had this great energy.
Libby Davies, NDP MP for Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»East, spoke with me Monday morning from Newfoundland where she was attending a conference. The Davies who spoke to me that day sounded much more like a grieving friend than a politician offering a simple sound bite. Davies described herself as devastated to hear the news just hours earlier.
I feel a tremendous sense of loss and grief, Davies said. Its just hard to believe he wont be here anymore.
Davies says Layton was a familiar figure in Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»and she laughed as she remembered how difficult it would be to walk down the street accompanied by the affable politician.
We couldnt get half a block, remembered Davies. It was almost a sense of family, he was so approachable.
Which makes sense when you consider a recent poll. According to an Ipsos-Reid poll conducted prior to the May federal election, Layton was the political leader Canadians would most like to share a beer with. In Canada, there is no greater compliment.
So cheers to you, Jack.
Layton wrote a farewell letter to Canadians just days before he died, which ended with the advice: My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And well all change the world.
See below for the full text of Layton's letter.
Twitter: @sthomas10
Dear Friends,
Tens of thousands of Canadians have written to me in recent weeks to wish me well. I want to thank each and every one of you for your thoughtful, inspiring and often beautiful notes, cards and gifts. Your spirit and love have lit up my home, my spirit, and my determination.
Unfortunately my treatment has not worked out as I hoped. So I am giving this letter to my partner Olivia to share with you in the circumstance in which I cannot continue.
I recommend that Hull-Aylmer MP Nycole Turmel continue her work as our interim leader until a permanent successor is elected.
I recommend the party hold a leadership vote as early as possible in the New Year, on approximately the same timelines as in 2003, so that our new leader has ample time to reconsolidate our team, renew our party and our program, and move forward towards the next election.
A few additional thoughts:
To other Canadians who are on journeys to defeat cancer and to live their lives, I say this: please dont be discouraged that my own journey hasnt gone as well as I had hoped. You must not lose your own hope. Treatments and therapies have never been better in the face of this disease. You have every reason to be optimistic, determined, and focused on the future. My only other advice is to cherish every moment with those you love at every stage of your journey, as I have done this summer.
To the members of my party: weve done remarkable things together in the past eight years. It has been a privilege to lead the New Democratic Party and I am most grateful for your confidence, your support, and the endless hours of volunteer commitment you have devoted to our cause. There will be those who will try to persuade you to give up our cause. But that cause is much bigger than any one leader. Answer them by recommitting with energy and determination to our work. Remember our proud history of social justice, universal health care, public pensions and making sure no one is left behind. Lets continue to move forward. Lets demonstrate in everything we do in the four years before us that we are ready to serve our beloved Canada as its next government.
To the members of our parliamentary caucus: I have been privileged to work with each and every one of you. Our caucus meetings were always the highlight of my week. It has been my role to ask a great deal from you. And now I am going to do so again. Canadians will be closely watching you in the months to come. Colleagues, I know you will make the tens of thousands of members of our party proud of you by demonstrating the same seamless teamwork and solidarity that has earned us the confidence of millions of Canadians in the recent election.
To my fellow Quebecers: On May 2nd, you made an historic decision. You decided that the way to replace Canadas Conservative federal government with something better was by working together in partnership with progressive-minded Canadians across the country. You made the right decision then; it is still the right decision today; and it will be the right decision right through to the next election, when we will succeed, together. You have elected a superb team of New Democrats to Parliament. They are going to be doing remarkable things in the years to come to make this country better for us all.
To young Canadians: All my life I have worked to make things better. Hope and optimism have defined my political career, and I continue to be hopeful and optimistic about Canada. Young people have been a great source of inspiration for me. I have met and talked with so many of you about your dreams, your frustrations, and your ideas for change. More and more, you are engaging in politics because you want to change things for the better. Many of you have placed your trust in our party. As my time in political life draws to a close I want to share with you my belief in your power to change this country and this world. There are great challenges before you, from the overwhelming nature of climate change to the unfairness of an economy that excludes so many from our collective wealth, and the changes necessary to build a more inclusive and generous Canada. I believe in you. Your energy, your vision, your passion for justice are exactly what this country needs today. You need to be at the heart of our economy, our political life, and our plans for the present and the future.
And finally, to all Canadians: Canada is a great country, one of the hopes of the world. We can be a better one a country of greater equality, justice, and opportunity. We can build a prosperous economy and a society that shares its benefits more fairly. We can look after our seniors. We can offer better futures for our children. We can do our part to save the worlds environment. We can restore our good name in the world. We can do all of these things because we finally have a party system at the national level where there are real choices; where your vote matters; where working for change can actually bring about change. In the months and years to come, New Democrats will put a compelling new alternative to you. My colleagues in our party are an impressive, committed team. Give them a careful hearing; consider the alternatives; and consider that we can be a better, fairer, more equal country by working together. Dont let them tell you it cant be done.
My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And well change the world.
All my very best,
Jack Layton
