My father was an ardent supporter of the CCF party during its early days and until the day he died. He did not see it morph into the NDP party which abandoned many of its socialist leanings to become a left-leaning Centralist party but I think he would have understood the change of times and ideas. His admiration for J. S. Woodsworth, Tommy Douglas, Stanley Knowles and the early leaders and thinkers in the party was often expressed in our household. And I know he would have considered that Jack Layton, who died today after a valiant struggle with prostate cancer, carried on that legacy of leadership and commitment to the good of his country that was the foundation stone of the party.
 |
| Jack Layton - 18 July 1950 - 22 August 2011 A man devoted to Canada and now at rest. |
"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."
From his final letter to Canadians.
Though I abandoned my membership in the NDP as they became more and more centrist my personal admiration for Mr Layton was profound. In a day and age when I have become cynical about almost every politician, regardless of party or platform, he was the one man I felt was honest and true to his principles. He was the one politician that I believe thought of the good of my country first. It is a tragedy that he was not able to fulfill his role as leader of the Official Opposition as I truly believe he would have defended the many things my father and his generation fought to bring into being in this country.
With the rest of my fellow Canadians I say goodbye to him and thank him for a life of service and commitment - we have not seen his kind often in the past few years nor, sadly I fear, will we again.
22 agosto/ August - Maria Regina
