I blogged about the election not too long ago, and most will remember my absolute love and respect for Jack Layton. He brought his party to a new high, becoming Official Opposition, shattering a record number or seats and breaking through in a province that is notoriously hard to break.
Today, Jack Layton lost his battle with cancer at age 61. I’d be lying if I said that this doesn’t hurt. Many of us across the country are feeling it and there are so many things that will be missed. He was the kind of progressive that this country needed, and it’s hard to think that anyone would be able to fill his shoes.
This is really hard to write for me, so I’ll leave it to Jack Layton himself, in a letter he released shortly before his death.
From the letter: “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.” What an amazing man, what an effective progressive politician, what a loss for Canada. RIP, Jack Layton, you are missed.
So many of us were in tears yesterday. The candlelight vigil helped.
Canada is really going to miss him. We really needed a man like Jack.
This is a song my friend wrote for Jack.