TRIBUTE TO JACK LAYTON
LEADER OF THE NDP
AND LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION
LOVE IS BETTER THAN ANGER
HOPE IS BETTER THAN FEAR
OPTIMISM IS BETTER THAN DESPAIR
"We deeply regret to inform you that The Honourable Jack Layton, leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada, passed away at 4:45 am today, Monday, August 22. He passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by family and loved ones. Details of Mr. Layton’s funeral arrangements will be forthcoming."
(from his wife Olivia Chow and his children Sarah and Michael Layton)
Jack Layton's final letter to all Canadians, dated Saturday, Aug. 20, 2011, two days before he died:
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 don’t be discouraged that my own journey hasn’t 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: we’ve 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. Let’s continue to move forward. Let’s 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 Canada’s 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 world’s 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. Don’t let them tell you it can’t 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 we’ll change the world.
All my very best,
Jack Layton
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 don’t be discouraged that my own journey hasn’t 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: we’ve 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. Let’s continue to move forward. Let’s 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 Canada’s 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 world’s 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. Don’t let them tell you it can’t 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 we’ll change the world.
All my very best,
Jack Layton
The leader of the federal New Democratic Party became portrayed as “Smilin’ Jack” in the media, or just “Jack” on his party’s national campaign advertisements
Jack Leyton (2011) Leader of the Opposition
The NDP leader brought three gifts into politics: an overwhelming energy, an ability to think of imaginative solutions and a skill
Layton is just the second leader of the official Opposition in our history to die while holding that title. The other was Sir Wilfrid Laurier in 1919.
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And should that happen, that individual will benefit from Layton's skill as a political organizer, and his charm and determination as a leader. Consider this: In every election as leader of his party - in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2011 - Layton ended up with more votes and more MPs. Every time.
Layton and his team convinced 4.5 million Canadians to vote NDP in May. That number is remarkable enough but what is even more significant is that many of those believed that, in voting NDP, they were not simply casting a protest vote, they were actually voting for a potential governing party.
Proof? Conservatives, Liberals and any number of pollsters agree that Harper won his majority with the help, in many places, of so-called "blue Grits" who thought the possibility of Prime Minister Jack Layton was so real and scary, they held their nose and voted for Harper! Only serious contenders for government put that kind of fear in their opponent.
Of course, hundreds of thousands of other Liberals, wishing Layton was their leader, went the other way and voted New Democrat for the first time ever.
That's Layton's legacy. He has Canada taking New Democrats seriously as a potential governing party. But who will now take it to the promised land and how will they get there? Those, of course, are the difficult questions for New Democrats in the days ahead.
But they and, indeed, all of Canada must know that the next step in their journey would have been impossible without Jack Layton clearing the path ahead.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has issued the following statement following the death of Jack Layton:
"I was deeply saddened to learn this morning of the death of Jack Layton.
"When I last spoke with Jack following his announcement in July, I wished him well and he told me he'd be seeing me in the House of Commons in the Fall.
"This, sadly, will no longer come to pass.
"On behalf of all Canadians, I salute Jack's contribution to public life, a contribution that will be sorely missed.
"I know one thing: Jack gave his fight against cancer everything he had. Indeed, Jack never backed down from any fight.
"To his wife Olivia, his family, and to his colleagues and friends, Laureen and I offer our heartfelt condolences. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this most difficult time."
"I was deeply saddened to learn this morning of the death of Jack Layton.
"When I last spoke with Jack following his announcement in July, I wished him well and he told me he'd be seeing me in the House of Commons in the Fall.
"This, sadly, will no longer come to pass.
"On behalf of all Canadians, I salute Jack's contribution to public life, a contribution that will be sorely missed.
"I know one thing: Jack gave his fight against cancer everything he had. Indeed, Jack never backed down from any fight.
"To his wife Olivia, his family, and to his colleagues and friends, Laureen and I offer our heartfelt condolences. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this most difficult time."
Layton had been battling new cancer (from CBC)
Layton's death comes less than a month after he announced to the country that he was fighting a new form of cancer and was taking time off for treatment. Layton had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in late 2009 and underwent treatment for it. He continued working throughout that time and also battled a broken hip earlier this year. Layton used a cane for much of his time on the campaign trail this spring as he led the NDP to a historic victory on May 2.His party claimed 103 seats, and was propelled to official Opposition status. Layton and his party were getting used to their new roles in Parliament but he did not appear to be in good health near the end of June. He said he felt pain and stiffness, he underwent tests and they confirmed he had a new form of cancer. He did not disclose what kind of cancer.
Layton's chief of staff, Anne McGrath, said Monday that Layton's condition took a quick turn for the worse Sunday night.She spent a few hours with him Saturday and had a sense that he was losing a battle, but says his campaign slogan – don't let them tell you it can't be done – was also a personal slogan.
"It is a huge loss. It is a huge loss for me personally, but it's a huge loss also for our party and our country," she said.McGrath worked with Layton for nearly a decade. "There's no question that my heart is broken," she said.
McGrath said Layton was thinking about what it would mean for the party if he died. When they spoke on Saturday, they talked about upcoming events like the party's annual caucus retreat in September and what Parliament would be like if he weren't there.
Layton always liked to be presented with options, McGrath told Evan Solomon on CBC's Power & Politics, including a plan for what would happen if he died."He was very, very practical and he was very much wanting to know that we were going to be able to continue and we were going to be strong," she said.
After the news of Layton's death emerged shortly after 8 a.m. ET, friends, colleagues and Canadians reacted quickly and with shock, sadness and tears. The flag on the Peace Tower was lowered to half-mast
Some moustache graffitti brings a little levity to the chalk memorial wall growing outside city hall. yfrog.com
Olivia Chow kept constant vigil as Layton battled devastating cancer (from "The STAR"):
Theirs is a love story for the ages.
Jack Layton and Olivia Chow, who couldn’t stop holding hands over dinner in a Greek restaurant in his Danforth riding or leaning in to share a private joke with blushes and apologies, seemed to complete each other. She sometimes cut his meat, he bundled her in his jacket against the cold. They finished each other’s sentences and shared a passion for politics and Swedish thrillers, dinners with family and canoeing along northern rivers.
Even when they disagreed — as they did over a powerful sculpture by his artist wife that Layton found too phallic for the living room — they did so gently. Chow may have displayed it downstairs as he wished, but she still showed it to guests with a mischievous grin.
Jack Layton and Olivia Chow, who couldn’t stop holding hands over dinner in a Greek restaurant in his Danforth riding or leaning in to share a private joke with blushes and apologies, seemed to complete each other. She sometimes cut his meat, he bundled her in his jacket against the cold. They finished each other’s sentences and shared a passion for politics and Swedish thrillers, dinners with family and canoeing along northern rivers.
Even when they disagreed — as they did over a powerful sculpture by his artist wife that Layton found too phallic for the living room — they did so gently. Chow may have displayed it downstairs as he wished, but she still showed it to guests with a mischievous grin.
BIOGRAPHY
John Gilbert "Jack" Layton, PC, MP (July 18, 1950 – August 22, 2011) was a Canadian social democratic politician and the Leader of the Official Opposition of the 41st Canadian Parliament. He was the leader of the New Democratic Party from 2003 to 2011, and previously sat on Toronto City Council, serving at times during that period as acting mayor and deputy mayor of Toronto. He was the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Toronto—Danforth from 2004 until his death.
The son of a Progressive Conservative cabinet minister, Layton was raised in Hudson, Quebec. He rose to prominence in Toronto municipal politics where he was one of the most prominent left-wing voices on city and Metropolitan Toronto councils, and was also a Board member for the Toronto Port Authority. In 1991, he ran for mayor, but lost to June Rowlands. Remaining on council he rose to become head of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. In 2003, he was elected head of the NDP on the first ballot of the convention. Under his leadership, the NDP considerably increased their support, almost doubling the party's popular vote in the 2004 election, though vote splitting with the Liberals limited their gain in seats. Layton's NDP held balance of power in Paul Martin's minority government, where in May 2005 the NDP supported the Liberal budget in exchange for major amendments, in what was promoted as Canada's "First NDP budget" In November of that year, Layton worked with other opposition parties in bringing down the Liberal government over the findings of the Gomery Commission.
The NDP saw further gains in the 2006 and 2008 elections, in which the party won more seats than it had since its 1980s peak. The NDP's tally of 37 MPs under Layton in the 2008 election was just six seats short of the party's previous all-time high under Ed Broadbent. In the 2011 election, Layton led the NDP to a historic total of 103 seats and formed the Official Opposition. The success of the NDP in the election was unprecedented, making Layton the most successful leader electorally in the party's history in terms of seats won.
Layton died on August 22, 2011, aged 61, after suffering from prostate and an undisclosed type cancer. His cause of death has not been released.[5] He was married to fellow MP Olivia Chow. (from Wikipedia)
Jack Layton sings at the 2005 Gallery Dinner
Rick Mercer on his website along with reposting an interview he did with Layton during a tour of his home and lunch in Toronto for his show in 2010.
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