The country awoke to news early Monday morning that Jack Layton died peacefully in his sleep succumbing to cancer. Friend and political foe alike will miss the NDP leader for his vital contribution to Canadian politics.
Layton steered the party over the last several years to its chief victory so far this spring when it achieved the status of official opposition. Layton is the man many credit for having the persuasive powers and magnetic appeal to topple 20 years of the separatist Bloc rule in Quebec. Layton tipped the balance of votes to put an end to the separatists’ grasp on the balance of power during several years of minority government, for which the entire country can be grateful.
It is most unfortunate Layton will not be able to serve out his term as leader of the official opposition and already it seems like the NDP house of cards in Quebec could fall at any moment without his strong voice at the helm. With an interim leader with ties to the Bloc, up until only months before earning her seat in the House of Commons, the NDP will have to wrangle extra hard in the coming months and years to find a new direction. The official opposition is a needed part of confederation in Canada, with the tradition going back to our roots in the British parliamentary system, and it is to the benefit of everyone to have a strong government-in-waiting should the government fall out of favour with the electorate.
One need look no further than the Twitter-sphere to see Layton’s impact, with the news feed buzzing with condolences to the family and praises for the former leader. “I was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Jack Layton. Jack’s contribution to public life will be sorely missed,” Prime Minister Stephen Harper wrote. The flags will fly at half mast at the Peace Tower and at federal buildings in Toronto, tweeted Heritage Minister James Moore.
“My thoughts and prayers are with his family,” Wildrose MLA Heather Forsyth commented. Interim Liberal leader Bob Rae wrote that he was “deeply saddened by news about Jack Layton,” adding “he is a loss to a grieving Canada.”
Layton will certainly be missed and his accomplishments will continue to shape the political dialogue in Canada for years to come.
