Jack Layton has passed away.

[storm rider]

When he announced that he was stepping down he looked like a wraith.....this hit him hard and fast and I personally thought he would win the fight.....it is sad that he did not....I am not a leftist with regards to politics...my leanings are right wing but I have to salute how he took a party from obscurity to being the opposition whilst decimating both the Bloc and the Liberals in the last election.

RIP Jack Layton

SR

 

[Miss*Bijou]

wow that's very sad. I'm sure his family must be struggling right now. I don't know what else to say, it's just very sad. And so quick. I can't even imagine how surreal it must be to a person and their loved ones, to have all of this happen within a month or so. Scary.

(On another note, I never realized he was from Hudson, Quebec. I always wondered why his French was so good and he sounded like and spoke French the same way my anglo friends did - which I liked. Aaah. Now it all makes sense.)

 

[chilli]

A great man, a sad day for Canadians and Canada.

Wish the 2 main parties had a leader half as good as him.

 

[wolverine]

Sadly, I wasn't really surprised. When Jack announced his latest bout with cancer, he literally looked like a dead man walking. I never agreed with much of the NDP's policies, but Jack Layton would have been a great PM regardless of his political stripes.

A classy move by Harper...Layton is getting a state funeral:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2011/08/22/pol-layton-funeral-plans.html

 

[wolverine]

The relationship between Jack Layton and Stephen Harper proves that people can be quite passionate in their disagreement about public policy and remain respectful and friendly.

Outside of Parliament, they were good friends from all accounts.

 

[Sonny]

Jack Layton, a man committed to his lofty ideals without losing pragmatism, a honest and decent being in the dishonest and vain arena of politics.

No dirty tricks in his campaign, hard swipes at his rivals but no smears, policy over all. I've never voted NDP, but I would've wagered Jack to be our Prime Minister after the next election.

His shoes will be very difficult to fill. His dedication to the well-being of others is inspirational for many young folks looking to make this country and world of ours a better place.

Here's wishing you a speedy rebirth, Jack, to a next life situation that generously supports your continuum of service to humanity.

 

[supernewbie]

RIP Mr. Layton. IMMO, he is the only politician who showed the toughness of a canadian.

 

[Miss*Bijou]

Layton's early Toronto battles remembered
Fought for AIDS awareness, promoted cycling as city councillor



Those who work in and around Toronto's city hall took time on Monday to remember the causes Jack Layton championed during his early days in politics as a councillor.

Layton, the federal NDP leader, died of cancer Monday morning. He was 61.

Layton's death has triggered memories about his work during his early days in politics before his rise to the NDP leadership vaulted him onto the national stage.

One cause Layton started was the White Ribbon Campaign, a coalition of men vowing to end violence against women. The movement was started in response to the 1991 Montreal Massacre.

Its first office was in the Layton home. The campaign is now active in more than 60 countries.

"[He] offered to put up his home as some equity to generate some funds to keep the campaign going," said Todd Minerson, the executive director of Toronto's White Ribbon Campaign.

Former city councillor Joe Pantalone said Layton's work on another issue — AIDS awareness — was well ahead of its time.

"When the issue of AIDS was new in the world, Toronto was one of the leaders because Jack Layton championed it," said Pantalone.

Gay marriage was another issue Layton fought for.

"He whipped the vote at the federal level around gay marriage, saying it is an undeniable human right," said author Jane Farrow.


An early cycling advocate

Toronto cyclists rang their bells as they rode past Toronto's city hall on Monday, a tribute to Jack Layton's work to promote city cycling long before it was fashionable.

In the 1980s Layton helped develop the city's metal ring-and-post bike locks. They now number 16,000 and are a mainstay on sidewalks throughout the city. Layton also pushed to allow cyclists to carry their bikes aboard TTC vehicles.

"We have him to thank for the early days of bike advocacy in Toronto," said urban cycling co-ordinator Yvonne Bambrick.

Andrea Bowker co-chaired the city's cycling committee with Layton more than a decade ago and remembers Layton's early advocacy work.

"Jack was there at the start, he politicized cycling," said Bowker. "He rode his bike to work like it was a normal thing to do. He set an example. Everything he did, everything he talked about. That's what he lived."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2011/08/23/layton-city-legacy-issues.html


http://www.flickr.com/photos/martinreis/sets/72157627368174045/detail

 

[Devils_Advocate]

I honestly can't think of another politician in Canadian history who has been embraced by so many and even by those with differing political points of views.

He is already missed and Canada and Canadian politics as a whole has lost a something vary rare.

I would have been proud to see him one day as our Prime Minister and as our representative to the world.

 

[Miss*Bijou]

I thought these were touching.. Jack Layton's son and daughter..

 

[HankQuinlan]

What he provided to our political landscape was a sorely lacking optimism -- something that always appeals to the general public, whether they recognize it as that or not.

Kudos to Harper for realizing that a State Funeral was appropriate; that was a smart political move on his part. Unlike those dipshit columnists at the National Post, who unwisely failed to judge the public mood with their negative appraisals prior to the funeral.

Our political loss as a country is the lack of credible opposition voice to keep the government honest. I don't see a potential replacement for that, and that makes me sad.