Jack Layton Dead

[kiki_eng]

CBC Obituary

I don't really have any comment on this right now, it just feels significant and worth passing on.

ETA: The Star has a slide show of Layton.

I was thinking about trying to provide some context for this, especially for people who don't follow Canadian politics, so, here goes: This is a man who led the NDP (social-democrat/centre-left party) to the greatest number of seats that it has ever held federally. The election that happened in early May of this year, for all that the Prime Minister didn't change, was one that saw a huge change in the country's political landscape. This is an historically significant event in Canadian Politics. I got a phone call about this. I am making tea.

ETA2: merrily has written a post about Jack Layton that I recommend reading.

ETA3: Layton wrote a kind of goodbye letter on the 20th.

Comments

[calvinahobbes]

Thanks for contextualizing this for me a bit. I honestly had never heard about him before :o(

[kiki_eng]

I would have been really surprised if you had heard of him. I'm trying to explain a little more and all I'm really coming up with is "none of this is standard".

His death is being treated with some of the highest honours that this country has, honours that do not traditionally fall to him.

(commodorified brought chalk to Nathan Philips Square in Toronto. She wrote down some of his final words and left chalk and it kind of exploded. She posted pictures here and a later photo here, from before it rained today. I think that captures something of the effect that his death is having.)

[calvinahobbes]

Wow, that is amazing. I got lost in flickr photo stream, and I totally teared up. That is an amazing outpouring of love and grief and hope. (And what an incredible idea. I love how it spiraled. Just, wow!)