What can I say about Jack that we all don’t all ready know… 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 Indeed
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Accidental Deliberations: Reason for hope
In keeping with Jack Layton’s message of hope and optimism – expressed in his last letter as well as so many other times throughout his political career – let’s take a moment to note that as much as the NDP will miss his leadership, it will also enjoy …
Continue readingCrazy Bitches R Us: Jack Layton
Even in his death he has left a message of hope. Jack and his party really stood up for our people. Pat Martin, Charlie Angus, Jean Crowder have all been champions of clean water, justice for families of missing and murdered aboriginal women, residential school survivors, equal eduction opportunities and
Continue readingCrazy Bitches R Us: Jack Layton
Even in his death he has left a message of hope.
Jack and his party really stood up for our people. Pat Martin, Charlie Angus, Jean Crowder have all been champions of clean water, justice for families of missing and murdered aboriginal women, resident…
Crazy Bitches R Us: Jack Layton
Even in his death he has left a message of hope. Jack and his party really stood up for our people. Pat Martin, Charlie Angus, Jean Crowder have all been champions of clean water, justice for families of missing and murdered aboriginal women, residential school survivors, equal eduction opportunities and
Continue reading350 or bust: Jack Layton: Let Us Be Loving, Hopeful, and Optimistic. And We’ll Change The World
A letter to Canadians from Jack Layton, leader of the NDP and the leader of the Official Opposition in the Canadian Parliament. It is dated August 20, two days before his death today from cancer. Former Governor-General Michaëlle Jean said in a postin…
Continue readingDriving The Porcelain Bus: A letter to Canadians from the Honourable Jack Layton
A letter to Canadians from the Honourable Jack Layton August 20, 2011Toronto, OntarioDear 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, inspiri…
Continue readingWill the NDP opposition crumble now that Jack is no longer with us?
I awoke today thinking it was going to be a beautiful Monday, with plenty of free coffee at work, a hearty lunch after twelve and no crises to deal with during my shift. Boy was I wrong. I realized it was a chilly temperature for August as soon as I …
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: Jack Layton – In His Own Words
August 20, 2011
Toronto, Ontario
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. You…
Continue readingliberal catnip: Rest In Peace, Mr Layton
NDP leader Jack Layton lost his battle with cancer this morning. My condolences to his family and friends.
Here is a letter he wrote to Canadians on August 20, 2011:
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
Although I didn’t always agree with the compromises he made with the Conservatives, there is no doubt that he was a passionate, tireless fighter leading a party that desperately needed to have its voice heard throughout the country to provide a strong counter-balance to the damaging rightward shift Canada has taken in recent years. He lent his energetic presence to the issues that matter to me: poverty, homelessness, the environment, maintaining universal health care, womens’ issues and speaking out against war and torture. This is certainly a loss for the left.
The world is a bit more quiet today without Mr Layton in it.
liberal catnip: Rest In Peace, Mr Layton
NDP leader Jack Layton lost his battle with cancer this morning. My condolences to his family and friends. Here is a letter he wrote to Canadians on August 20, 2011: Dear Friends, Tens of thousands of Canadians have written to me in recent weeks to wish me well. I want
Continue readingRest In Peace, Mr Layton
NDP leader Jack Layton lost his battle with cancer this morning. My condolences to his family and friends. Here is a letter he wrote to Canadians on August 20, 2011: Dear Friends, Tens of thousands of Canadians have written to me in recent weeks to wish me well. I want
Continue readingOh no
The NDP loses a beloved leader who took his party to new heights, the “Little Guy” loses a tenacious and constant defender, and Canada loses a politician of extremely rare integrity: Jack Layton, who earlier this year led his party to an unexpected victory over the Liberals to become the official opposition party for the […]
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Jack Layton’s Final Words To All Of Us
Despite the fact that we are still reeling from the news of Jack’s sudden passing, he left something for all of us to cherish and to remember him by. Even as he realized his time here was coming to an end, he had the grace and generosity of spirit to …
Continue readingbastard.logic: RIP Jack Layton: His Death Is Only The Beginning
by matttbastard In the end, we should have known it was fanciful, even selfish, to expect Jack Layton to make it back to Parliament in the Fall. The man who, weeks ago, stood before a stunned nation to announce he was … Continue reading →
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Layton’s Legacy
As far as Jack Layton’s political legacy goes, Shakespeare got it wrong. The good he did will not be interred with his bones. Jack Layton was a man of good will who sought to do good in politics. You’ll hear lots of that in the days ahead f…
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Jack Layton’s Legacy
Jack Layton has died from cancer. I believe his legacy will inspire optimism and integrity in Canadian politics. What are your thoughts? Share the Love: Twitter del.icio.us email RSS Facebook Google Bookmarks Digg LinkedIn StumbleUpon Technorati Yahoo! Buzz April 28, 2011 — A Compendium of My Prime Minister Layton Posts (2)March 25, 2011 — Contempt, […]
Continue readingJack Layton RIP
Just turned on the PC for the day and found out about Jack. He was a fighter for the left. He was the conscience of a country.Jack Layton’s last letter to Canadians:Dear Friends, Tens of thousands of Canadians have written to me in recent weeks to wish…
Continue readingA BCer in Toronto: Goodbye, Jack
Anyone who saw Jack Layton’s final public press conference, where the energizer bunny of Canadian politics looked so frail and weak, knew he was in the fight of his life. Over his long career though, many had learned the perils of betting against Ja…
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