EDITORIAL - Jack Layton the people’s man

I owe Jack Layton an apology. While the country continues to eulogize him for his many years of selfless public life I must admit I never cared for the man. It is not from personal experience that I made this judgement but rather from an ever growing cynicism about anything political.

Jack Layton seemingly positioned himself as the spokesman for the underdog. You see when you are always in opposition with no hope of forming government it is easy to don the Robin Hood tights and advocate for the poor at the expense of the rich and I just felt that was an easy exploitation, a faux pas which was low even for politicians. Also it did not help that I believed that his policies were too generous and at a time when fiscal restraint was in order. The costs associated with his programs would put the country back into debt at level not seen since the Trudeau multiculturalism and socialism experiments. We are not as rich as we believe and I worried that someone like Jack would take advantage of the growing unrest among the common folk and open government purse strings for programs that would mortgage our children’s children future. I owe Jack Layton an apology because I did believe that the man and his accomplishments were genuine but rather equated every action and gesture as political grandstanding and opportunistic theatrics. Something happened during the recent federal election campaign that changed my mind about Jack Layton.
In my circle of friends there are several people that are involved in cancer care, a very difficult but noble calling I may add. On several occasion when the news reports showed Jack at some political photo opportunity these individuals pointed out that Jack did not have the look of a healthy cancer survivor. One nurse I spoke to was concerned that the recent hip surgery was not yet healing. She quietly whispered to me that it was likely that his cancer may have been meta-static and spread to other parts of the body and the reason his gait was not improving was because it was a manifestation of a spreading disease condition. Several weeks ago with his announcement Jack Layton confirmed what my medical colleagues had already suggested, Jack Layton was seriously sick and he knew it.
One may wonder why that knowledge would change my opinion of the man. Simply put it was evident during the campaign that an orange wave was overtaking the country and like it or not it was attributable to one man, le bon Jack. While Quebec voters are fickle and recently have shown a tendency to flock on mass to alternative political offerings it was clear that Jack had captured the people’s imagination. It was also clear that his health was failing.
There was Jack on the campaign trail inspiring and uplifting to the average Canadian at a time when his energies and time could have and likely should been allotted for his personal health and well being. They say that you only get to see the real character of a person when they are facing death. Even if Jack was an eternal optimist he must have had suspicions that his condition was failing. What he did despite this knowledge was to persevere on the campaign trail so that he could give the Canadian people and his party the opportunity to tell the establishment that the people cared once again and that it was time to take back government from the establishment that has been financed by big business and financial institutions. You see at a time when a lesser man would of thought about his personal needs and that of his family Jack Layton laid it all on the line for the best interest of his party and especially for the growing number of common folk who were in desperate need of a voice in parliament.
So I owe Jack Layton an apology because everyone of the eulogies he and his family have been offered are sincere, heartfelt and earned. He was the real deal, selfless and compassionate till the end and above all at a time when cynicism and doubt prevail as uncertainty increases and confidences wane Jack showed that he was a true Canadian hero. Jack you will be missed.

Warm regards Savas