Jack Layton: The Message for Canada

Jack Layton’s spoke to the youth of this country as he went on to say:

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.

On Monday August 22, 2011 the Honorable Jack Layton, leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada passed away at the age of 61. He was surrounded by close family members and loved ones. Layton had recently stepped down as the federal leader of the NDP, the party he had lead to a surge in support making them the official opposition. In the speech he gave just before he stepped down, he appeared thin and his voice was frail. Despite this, Layton remained optimistic stating that he hoped to return to his job in the House of Commons come fall.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, former prime ministers and political leaders of all stripes praised Layton for his fighting spirit, and his ability to connect with people.

"I know one thing: Jack gave his fight against cancer everything he had, indeed, Jack never backed down from any fight," Harper said.

Layton was diagnosed with prostate cancer in February 2010 and had hip surgery a year later - just weeks before the federal election. A cane he used for support became a symbol of his determination to overcome his health challenges.

After leading the NDP to 103 seats and to the office of the official Opposition for the first time in the party's 50-year history, Layton's first major challenge in Parliament was to take the Conservative government to task over its fight with public sector unions.

“What allows a politician to be truly appealing on TV - and most Canadians gain their binding impression of a politician during an election campaign from TV coverage - is an underpinning, a core aspect of character that simply cannot be faked. What voters want as they watch an election campaign unroll – what they need in the narrative arc of any story – is something they can connect with,” reported John Doyle of the Globe and Mail on Tuesday August 23rd.

It was enormously powerful imagery, one that spoke through television to a key Canadian narrative. There were echoes of one strand of our history and of model Canadian values being demonstrated. Think about it. A man who has had prostate cancer and hip surgery, traipsing the country, coast to coast to coast, with that cane. In pain, but determined. There existed, in the way Canadians absorbed these images, intuitive echoes of others who have tried to traipse the country, not with a cane but with an artificial limb or, to cross Canada and then circle the world, in a wheelchair.

Certain stories are central to the development of national identity and the story of a journey, in pain, from coast to coast, is part of our identity as it evolves. We are in thrall to it. Among other things, these stories have shaped our definition of integrity. Layton’s election campaign, seen day after day on TV, connected intuitively to the stories of others that warm our hearts and remind us of our best aspects. The iconography of Layton’s campaign on TV - the cane, the limp, the smiling determination to overcome, was the entry point for Canadians to connect to the NDP leader and through him, to his party.

Jack Layton’s passing leaves a hole in the moral centre of Canadian political life. To the youth of this country, I say…Get Involved! We, as Canadian youth, need to be well informed citizens that can execute and make informed and balanced decisions to steer the future of this country. Mr, Layton…you will be missed!