Remembering Jack

I decided to post this after all the tributes and articles writing about the late great leader for the New Democratic Party Jack Layton, who passed away last week, were posted. As a moderate, who drifted between conservative and liberal agendas, I had difficulty supporting most, if not all, of the NDP platform in the numerous federal elections I participated in as a young Canadian voter. They were too extreme, or complex to work on the federal level, I thought. Provincially, maybe, but too broad and extreme to implement or sustain on the national front.



What I did find impressive was their leader, Jack Layton, was more than willing to put forth that agenda going door to door, getting involved in community happenings, and organizing the movement. Baby steps at first, but what struck out was the honest approach, and the ability to connect English and French under the same banner, and galvanize the support of, formerly disinterested, young voters. Jack understood the future of Canada was without a voice, and they would need to run the country sooner than anticipated, so he brought them onboard with a platform that appealled to those voters: Education initiatives, environmental issues, and a stronger presence in international affairs so Canadians would be relevant among the world leaders at the negotiating table. I wasn't a big fan of Jack Layton, but everything he did was for a cause he believed to be right, and for the country he loved.



Last week, a local newspaper printed a cartoon depicting the New Democratic Party as a falling aircraft without a pilot. The cartoon, without a doubt, was of poor taste and many in my hometown wrote letters denouncing it and demanding an apology. The reaction was so great the managing editor wrote in the following paper apologizing for the lack of judgment, and the newspaper printed (only) a couple of the angry letters from the townspeople. A new cartoon appeared alongside of a respectful portrait of the late Jack Layton, but I felt it was ill-timed as it belonged in the controversial paper that previous Wednesday.

I never saw anyone from outside Quebec galvanize so much support from the whole of the country as Jack Layton did. Yes, he was born in Montreal, but his political roots took him from the shady and questionable corridors of power in Toronto to the leadership of the official opposition in Ottawa. What is more remarkable is he did all this beating the Canadian duopoly of the Conservative and Liberal parties at their game: The FPP or First Past the Post electoral system. He did it with the character, determination, honesty, and pushed for the basic Canadian issues that Canadians could believe in and support.

No matter what party the next Jack Layton is from, but if I do see that next Jack Layton I hope I can live as long to see him do some wonderful things for Canada.

RIP Jack Layton 1950 - 2011