Jack Layton Passes – Legacy?
It was sad news to hear that Jack Layton had passed away. It came as no surprise to those who watched him address the news groups saying that he was temporarily leaving as leader of the NDP to concentrate on fighting the resurgence of cancer in his body. I did not hold out too much hope that he would recover. He was an amiable enough fellow with the charm to touch others as well as the strength to lead them. He will be missed.
His Legacy? He left the NDP as the official opposition in the federal parliament. That alone is a major feat of accomplishment for a party that always ended up no better than third. The vast number of seats came from Quebec and was at the expense of the Bloc.
I always looked at Quebec politics as something from the left, a movement more reminiscent of the French Revolution than of the signing of the Magna Carta. Something that is willing only to tear down the powers that be, to build a new regime of repressive freedoms through unruly masses. OK, that is probably a lot darker than the reality but it is the spirit behind it.
On hearing the election results my first thought was, “finally a conservative majority government.” Thirty years ago I would have looked upon it as a left leaning Liberal win. Yes, party politics have slidden that far to the left where the old left is now the new right. Has the Quebec populous done the same thing in this past election. Knowing that they could never gain enough power to change Canada the way they want, have they come together to hijack their political cousins? Have the seperatists, knowing they can’t separate the country, made a play to gain enough power that would help them separate powers away from the federal and put it in the hands of the provinces?
The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel. Surprise! She was a card carrying member of two separatist parties: one federal and the other provincial. Is this only the tip of a French iceberg? How many others were elected in Quebec who are closet separatists? This is the question I asked myself that night when the results came across my television screen. That is why the news that Turmel was a card carrying separatist came as no surprise to me. I expected it. Was Jack making Turmel the interim leader of the NDP a political play to disqualify her from becoming the new leader? That I may never know.
While Jack was alive there was hope that he could have lead the party down a path that could have made the country a stronger player in the world. A country that could take care of its own people as well. With him gone a new leader will have to be chosen. Canada can only hope (and I suggest we pray) that the NDP will once again pick a stellar light to guide their party through this night of sadness, and through the future days of economic uncertainty.