Layton Announcement
July 25, 2011 - 1:41pm
NDP Leader Jack Layton is scheduled to make what is being billed as a major announcement at 2 p.m. ET Monday in downtown Toronto, the party says.
News of the announcement immediately triggered speculation in Ottawa over whether it has anything to do with the NDP leader's health.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2011/07/25/layton-ndp.html
Oh yes, you beat me to it! Thanks for posting...you babble folks are always on it. Anyway, the announcement's causing quite a stir ...
He has a new cancer taking temporary leave of absence from the party. He recommends Nicole Turmel as interim leader.
Best wishes Jack for a full and speedy recovery.
He certainly sounds different than in the past.
I think what surprised me was that it is "temporary", i'm just not sure thats realistic, this is his second round of cancer... and that he "named" an interim leader, I do think Nicole is a great choice (bilingual and a woman) but i think that might have hit Thomas Mulcair slightly by surprise, thoughts?
I wish him all the best, as my MP, Good luck Jack! keep'on fighting!
He also looked far less healthy than during the campaign. I may disagree with his politics but I sincerely hope he beats this.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
He sounded and looked terrible. It's not clear whether the prostate cancer metstatized or whether this is a genuinely new cancer. He looked healthy when he was in Saint John during the campaign.
(1) I hope Jack recovers quickly.
(2) If you subscribe to the view that Jack has privately designated Mulcair as his preferred successor, you might be apt to paint the recommendation of Turmel (or, equivalently, any non-Mulcair MP) as keeping Mulcair's leadership options open—because if he is not able to return to the leadership for whatever reason, there's going to have to be a leadership race to replace him. As it might be considered unseemly for an interim leader of the party to themselves be a candidate to be the next permanent leader, why not recommend somebody else as interim?
(3) If Turmel (or any of the NDP's other female MPs) is named interim leader, would this make her the first female Official Opposition leader in Canadian federal history?
I think what surprised me was that it is "temporary", i'm just not sure thats realistic, this is his second round of cancer... and that he "named" an interim leader, I do think Nicole is a great choice (bilingual and a woman) but i think that might have hit Thomas Mulcair slightly by surprise, thoughts?
Given her age (born in 1943) she is not likely to attempt a run at the leadership if he is unable to return in a timely fashion. She has lead before in many positions within the labour movement and will do an excellent job. It also means that no contender gets to be interim leader with all the coverage and cache that implies.
(1) I hope Jack recovers quickly.
(2) If you subscribe to the view that Jack has privately designated Mulcair as his preferred successor, you might be apt to paint the recommendation of Turmel (or, equivalently, any non-Mulcair MP) as keeping Mulcair's leadership options open—because if he is not able to return to the leadership for whatever reason, there's going to have to be a leadership race to replace him. As it might be considered unseemly for an interim leader of the party to themselves be a candidate to be the next permanent leader, why not recommend somebody else as interim?
(3) If Turmel (or any of the NDP's other female MPs) is named interim leader, would this make her the first female Official Opposition leader in Canadian federal history?
Just got a correction... Deborah Grey was acting Leader of the Opposition for six months in 2000
Wow I was shocked to see Layton's changed voice...
I don't think it would have been appropriate to choose a deputy to fill in as an interm. You would be choosing one over the other, which could spawn drama. I also think that the whole "mulcair wants to be leader" was created by right-wing spinmasters.
Best wishes to Jack for a steady and complete recovery.
Hang in there, Jack. Get well soon!
(2) If you subscribe to the view that Jack has privately designated Mulcair as his preferred successor, you might be apt to paint the recommendation of Turmel (or, equivalently, any non-Mulcair MP) as keeping Mulcair's leadership options open—because if he is not able to return to the leadership for whatever reason, there's going to have to be a leadership race to replace him. As it might be considered unseemly for an interim leader of the party to themselves be a candidate to be the next permanent leader, why not recommend somebody else as interim?
Makes perfect sense to me.
Send Jack a get well soon message.
Already done so. Thanks, Catchfire.
.
all one can do is to wish Jack a speedy recovery.
speaking for myself..these past few days have been so sad..Oslo , amy winehouse, and now this..LOVE LOVE LOVE...remember to LOVE.
I hope he is able to overcome cancer, and am thankful for his work. Ecological health, Medicare, ...
Rain of blessings Jack...from our faimly.
Best wishes to Jack, Olivia, and family, as they fight together.
Best wishes to Jack from this side of the border as well.
Is it not somewhat unusual to appoint an interim leader who has only been in the House for a couple of months? I realize Nycole Turmel is a strong MP, bilingual etc., but she just got elected in May and doesn't have a lot of Parliamentary experience.
Would someone more experienced such as Mulcair not be a more logical choice?
Jack may have looked and sounded weak, but his eyes were still lively - which is a good sign. It is probably good to pick an interim leader with no leadership aspirations and one which would not create divisions in the party.
Turmel did not know that she was even going to be an MP a few months ago - I think that she must be weirded out over this.
It must be very rough on Olivia!
Is it not somewhat unusual to appoint an interim leader who has only been in the House for a couple of months? I realize Nycole Turmel is a strong MP, bilingual etc., but she just got elected in May and doesn't have a lot of Parliamentary experience.
Would someone more experienced such as Mulcair not be a more logical choice?
Perhaps her lower-profile was seen as a good thing by Jack because it might be less threatening both to Mulcair and others.
It also gives the chance to showcase the NDP team as a whole and avoid the pitfalls that come with resting the weight of the entire party on too few people.
My apologies if this seems like promotion of my pet theories... but I cannot help but see a connection:
As with my friend here in small town BC who had a previous cancer and this week found out that he has lung cancer, our beloved Jack might have been exposed to Fukushima's cancer causing radiation. We will know if this is true if in the next few years a surge in cancers becomes evident. Lung cancers would be the main site, due to hot particles being breathed in.
Has anyone heard any details yet? Is it a 2nd cancer?
He said it was unrelated to the prostate cancer. And he mentioned achiness and stiffness, which could indicate leukemia or (God help him)bone cancer..
He'd have the better chances with leukemia, but I actually have a friend who survived bone cancer and has been back to work for several years.
"Temporary" is the surprise.
And maybe Jack knows this, and is just meaning to ease a transition for the party, but even if he makes a full recovery in seven weeks and returns to lead, his health is going to be a huge issue in 2015. I think, for his own recovery and the party's good, he'll be making this permanent within a year.
Godspeed Jack and Olivia and family. I take Jack at his word and it is a new cancer. He needs to focus on his health and recovery - he is all about hope and optimism and for that I will give hope and optimism. Go Jack!
Am I the only one who found Evan Solomon's asking Brian Topp about specific details of Laytons health that Topp clearly did not feel appropriate to disclose, and asking those questions more than once, irritating?
I just feel so sad for Jack and for the people around him (ie: Olivia, his mother and mother in law, siblings, kids, grand-kids) - its just such a shame to have to someone have to deal with so much adversity in terms of their health, while at the same time having a job that involves such massive responsibility. Some of said that its especially sad to have this happen right after leading the party to such a triumph...I would argue better to have this happen after a big triumph than after a big defeat!
Realistically, no one person is ever indispensible and no one lasts forever. If the NDP had gone from 37 to -say - 50 seats in this election, he probably would have retired anyways. If in the end the party ends up having to pick a new permanent leader, that person will have several years in which to make their mark and I think that the NDP has an embarrassment of riches in terms of potential successors compared to the grade z cast of characters that are talked about as new Liberal leaders etc...
I'm not sure there's much bench strength to the Conservatives either. Heck, just on the basis of where voters line up on the political spectrum compared to their age, I think the Greens have a stronger future at this point than the Liberals or Conservatives.
If Jack beats this, he will become Prime Minister.
Wow, this news came as a shock. How devastating to have great results and continued remission re: prostate only to discover another cancer? Putting myself in his and Olivia's shoes, I felt like I was sucker punched hearing it.
I hope he makes a speedy and FULL recovery. But he sounded so different, so frail. I'm worried that this next battle will be far more daunting than his original treatment for prostate cancer. I hope I'm wrong. Very sad news.
If he does decide to retire, which I suppose will depend on how treatment goes, probably better to make it sooner rather than later. Preempt the Liberal contest in 2013.
The NDP brand has become Jack Layton, so it'll be a tough time for the party.
They should hopefully use this time now to get more of their mps into the limelight. There is alot of talent there and it needs to stay focused. Its also a time when they can build the party as a brand that is broad, pragmatic, and ethical enough to attract all progressive canadians.
well I think that Jack had the wind knocked out of his sails - new cancer diagnosis. I want Jack to focus on his treatment and getting better. In term leader is just fine with this NDP member. And I agree, Solomon's line of questioning was just so rude and insensitive.
And Jack will survive this latest bout and go on to be the PM!
am i the only one who found it abit sick that people are talking about the future of the NDP and political implications than the sadness of Jack having cancer? i just found it so inappropriate and cold hearted, i am sorry i know this ia political forum and thats what people should talk about, but cant we just wait a day at least and just , i dont know i am sorry i offended anyone, i just feel sick.
i just think politics dont really matter right now, or if the NDP will ever form the government, or if Jack will become PM in 2015 if he beats this , its all so trivial and inconsiderate, i just want to give my thoughts to Jack and his family...its such a shock. I saw him really healthy just a day before the May 2 elec,tion..life can be so cruel so quickly..
He seems in worse shape than Chuck Cadman during the '05 Commons vote. Just saying. (Though one's mileage may vary.)
am i the only one who found it abit sick that people are talking about the future of the NDP and political implications than the sadness of Jack having cancer? i just found it so inappropriate and cold hearted, i am sorry i know this ia political forum and thats what people should talk about, but cant we just wait a day at least and just , i dont know i am sorry i offended anyone, i just feel sick.
i just think politics dont really matter right now, or if the NDP will ever form the government, or if Jack will become PM in 2015 if he beats this , its all so trivial and inconsiderate, i just want to give my thoughts to Jack and his family...its such a shock. I saw him really healthy just a day before the May 2 elec,tion..life can be so cruel so quickly..
I totally agree.
"Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living" - Mother Jones
Jack = Fighter
Send Jack a get well soon message.
Thanks for that link. I wrote my own email, with some difficulty, then wrote a new message in your link. I just don't know what to say. Jack has been a staunch friend of our union, besides all his other qualities. We owe him a lot, and right now that means wholehearted support for his struggle to beat this enemy. Strong and steadfast unto victory, Jack - we stand by your side.
am i the only one who found it abit sick that people are talking about the future of the NDP and political implications than the sadness of Jack having cancer? i just found it so inappropriate and cold hearted, i am sorry i know this ia political forum and thats what people should talk about, but cant we just wait a day at least and just , i dont know i am sorry i offended anyone, i just feel sick.
i just think politics dont really matter right now, or if the NDP will ever form the government, or if Jack will become PM in 2015 if he beats this , its all so trivial and inconsiderate, i just want to give my thoughts to Jack and his family...its such a shock. I saw him really healthy just a day before the May 2 elec,tion..life can be so cruel so quickly..
People say that all the time here when we discuss any tragedy illness or death of someone.
Personally, I find it disheartening that many people in the news media etc sound as though they are already writing Jack's obituary. I appreciated the sense of determination he conveyed through his statement and I'm trying to keep a positive outlook too, based on that. I'm also thinking of Jack's family, friends and his close colleagues like the staff and the MPs who must all be very disheartened at this news.
Anyone else catch Evan Solomon on the National tonight making the pronouncement that people did not support the NDP because of their policies but because of Jack Layton's personal charm and that without him they are nothing? No qualification or nuance; just a flat-out absolute statement - the party IS Jack Layton - that he pounded away at without saying anything else at all.
I find Solomon's comment very redundant. In this day and age of leader focused politics you could say the same thing about every party and every leader. Do people vote Tory because of their policies or because they like Harper? Did people ever vote Liberal because of Liberal policies or because of Trudeau? Back in the 90s it was said that the ONLY reason anyone voted BQ was Bouchard's personality - but then Duceppe turned out to be just as popular if not more so.
I know some people think its in bad taste to talk about political implications at all at a time like this. But, knowing Jack, I'll bet he is probably still thinking more about what all of this means politically than he is thinking about what it means for him personally. One thing about him is that he really puts the future of his party ahead of what might be good for himself personally.
Some commentators have been much better. Tim Powers the Tory (who actually seems like a nice enough guy) made the point that the NDP has made huge strides under Layton not just because people like his personality - but because he hired the right people and was really smart about modernizing the party organizationally and culturally - those changes will long outlive him. ...and let's not for get that there are now 103 MPs for the next four years and beyond!
Very sad news indeed. Best wishes.
"Temporary" is the surprise.
And maybe Jack knows this, and is just meaning to ease a transition for the party
I was thinking as much when he made the announcement.
This is sort of true through, Layton polls higher than his party.
Nycole Turmel has to outshine Bob Rae and continue building the brand in Jack's absence. We've all seen Jack bounce back and I'm confident he'll return.
"Temporary" is the surprise.
And maybe Jack knows this, and is just meaning to ease a transition for the party, but even if he makes a full recovery in seven weeks and returns to lead, his health is going to be a huge issue in 2015. I think, for his own recovery and the party's good, he'll be making this permanent within a year.
Jeff makes a good point - even if Jack comes through on his prediction and returns as Leader in September, there will always be questions about his long-term health condition and cancer recurring if he runs again in 2015. I'm somewhat optimistic he can get through this latest setback and return this fall, but unless there is some miraculous medical turnaround where the docs can say for certain that all the cancer is gone for good, I think it's a safe bet that 2011 was Jack Layton's last general election campaign as leader.
That said, my thoughts are with Jack first and foremost for a speedy recovery and for Olivia and the family. We have 4 years to figure out the politics and leadership transition if needed at a later date. Turmel is a solid choice for interim leader and I think she'll confound the skeptics and be strong in the House and in general. We have 103 strong MPs who will be standing up to Harper for the next 4 years and presenting a positive alternative, hopefully with Jack for a long time, but if he does leave, we'll have a number of strong choices for the next permanent leader.
I found much of the media coverage today amateurish and trite, and the political analysis really very shallow, with some notable exceptions that really distinguished themselves ... and not from usual quarters.
But the worst was Evan Solomon by far. It's as though he and the producers had written the story-lines they were looking for, and kept pushing their guests to get them to say something that would confirm the story-lines they had been trying to develop. And of course, the story-lines were unbelievably shallow and sensational. Also, I was very annoyed to hear the Liberal spin about Nycole Turmel show up on the National's At Issue panel completely uncritically.
I agree with Stockholm that Tim Powers was more thoughtful than many of the other commentators today, and in fact Joan Crockatt was a breath of fresh air on Solomon's show. Also, if you haven't read Chris Selley from the National Post, it's worth a look, as is Tim Harper's column for the Star. (Interesting that both Tim Harper and Don Martin had Layton as a prof at Ryerson, back in the day.) The editorials from all the quality english dailies were actually very good.
But the commentary on Nycole Turmel is really moronic, because they've settled on this idiotic line that she is a three-month old rookie MP, and thus knows nothing about "politics", whereas every business man who ever walked Bay Street (or prof from Harvard) is assumed to be instantly qualified to be Prime Minister. As though running a national union wasn't political. Or that all politics occurs only in Parliament. Or that Layton, who has been right every time while the media has been wrong every time, would make such a decision without any thought going into it.
For the time being, I'm inclined to take him at his word on the question of his health and his future, particularly given how good his judgement has been in the past.
But most of all, I just want him to get better for all our sakes.
very good post re Nycole Turmel, who I don't really know, but must be good to get the nod
Jack looks ill, he's lost weight, but frail? Hell no. You can still see the energy in his eyes and expression. He's always been a force to be reckoned with, and if anyone can bounce back from what is obviously a very serious health issue, he can.
Nycole Turmel is the most logical choice. She has extensive political experience, but as a relative newcomer and moderate MP she's not likely to divide the party when it needs internal solidarity more than ever before. She's caucus chair - a challenging job at the best of times - and has superb mediation and conflict resolution skills, and is bilingual (especially important given the need to keep the NDP presence in Quebec strong).
Perhaps most importantly, her interim leadership allows others in the party to run for the leadership, should a convention become necessary. If either Libby Davies or Thomas Mulchair were recommended, they would be accused to having an unfair advantage if they chose to run for the leadership. Additionally, there's good reason behind keeping Libby (at the left end of the NDP spectrum) and Mulchair (on the right) in their current positions. They were chosen as co-deputies because between them they represent both ends of the party. If one were recommended over the other, there would be internal division at a time when it would be most deterimental to the party.
My thoughts are with Jack, Olivia and their family. They've got a tough battle ahead.
Nycole Turmel has to outshine Bob Rae and continue building the brand in Jack's absence.
She is an accomplished woman with a long history of leading a large national union. Anyone in the union movement knows that people like her are extremely political animals or they could never have risen to the top of their union.
My wife has met her at various union conferences and she was telling me how great she was in keeping the "good old boys" in line when they tried to patronize her. She will do very well.
Bob Rae is a political hack with nothing going for him.
Bob Rae is a political hack with nothing going for him.
Except the media.
Just heard Susan Delacourt on CBC radio say we'll be hearing a lot more from Rae now. I can hardly wait.
I turned the CBC off a few years back and rarely tune into their propogandists and when I do I almost always end up turning it off again.
It is a state media oultet not a public broadcaster.
Delacourt is a Liberal hack, who did not need much of an excuse to ignore the NDP in favour of the Liberals anyway.
I understand. The media is still full of Liberal hacks, and Layton's absence is going to make that apparent, by restoring their comfort zone of passing over the NDP and heading straight to the Liberals for comment. Turmel is a competent choice but she will seem invisible to them, especially to journalists outside Quebec.
@ Stockholm
Regarding Solomon on the National. Yes, they hed two other commentators, an interview and several straight news pieces on Layton which were all more balanced without avoiding the difficult points (Like Bob Rae and the Liberals perhaps benefitting from this).
What I found inaccurate and amateurish about Solomon was that he said nothing but this one extreme point, and he just repeated it and repeated it - that the NDP is finished without Layton because he is the only reason why people would vote for them.
Recall when Jack was dismissed as a used car salesman politician? Or that the NDP would go nowhere under his leadership? Or that we'd never overtake the Liberals and we'd have to merge with them?
Now the same people who said those things are saying the NDP will have a tough time surviving without him. Funny.
Gawd. He is the worst monstrosity on CBC--worse than Murphy and even worse than O'Leary, who's more of a cartoon than a real journalist. I cannot believe the airplay Solomon gets--it depresses me to think that, based on the way he's climbed the CBC ladder, I can expect a lifetime worth of his hackery. I've never seen anyone more gleeful reporting on a cancer victim. What a disgrace.
Solomon's comportment as a "journalist" is consistant with one who has just realized that media hacks who play their cards right may just end up in the Senate, or even better yet, as GG's. Couldn't you just see him, all decked out at Rideau Hall, in front of a mirror with his big smile, giving himself an Order of Canada.
He'd make an absolutely crackerjack model for toothpaste ads though. Ya gotta give him that, ... just crackerjack!
Yes, fortunately I don't get to see Solomon (who didn't go to J-school, not that that is what makes a journalist) or O'Leary (who is not a journalist) that often because we don't have cable.
On the other hand, the public isn't alway that stupid, and over-the-top rants like that can sometimes come back to haunt people - particulary when he insults an entire political movement and one of the best-liked politician in the country who happens to be fighting for his life.
And dismissing Layton's work and causes as just a popularity contest is nothing if not insulting.
Do you think that if they switched Solomon for Ben Mulroney anyone would notice?
At least Ben Mulroney comes from a family background that involves public service.
We shouldn't sully this thread with our observartions about certain media half wits and propagandists. But feel free to start a specific thread, it's overdue.
Best wishes to Jack.
Solomon's comportment as a "journalist" is consistant with one who has just realized that media hacks who play their cards right may just end up in the Senate, or even better yet, as GG's. Couldn't you just see him, all decked out at Rideau Hall, in front of a mirror with his big smile, giving himself an Order of Canada.
He is the poster child for how a news organization manufactures consent within its ranks. I am sure no CBC fresh young reporter has any delusions as to what it takes to get promoted. They don't need to be told what the preferred message is they can see it plain as day.
We shouldn't sully this thread with our observartions about certain media half wits and propagandists. But feel free to start a specific thread, it's overdue.
Best wishes to Jack.
good point
I wish Jack and his family the best. I hope he makes a full recovery.
Like others, I am not interested in political implications right now-- there is no political emergency requiring that. I think we should support and let the interim leader do her job and hold off on speculation about the future.
I fear that his condition and the type of cancer must be very bad for him to be as private about it as he is now in contrast to previous
I have to admit I'm abit worried for him and Olivia too. Cancer can be beaten though, I know, and if anyone can do it Jack can. A positive attitude and willigness to fight always helps. Is there somewhere we can send our best wishes to him directly?
it's good reading these posts - our hearts are in the right place!
Duceppe comments:
"Dans une rare entrevue depuis son retrait de la vie politique, Gilles Duceppe souhaite «la meilleure des chances» à Jack Layton. «Je suis très triste de ça, je n'ai pas tous les détails, mais il a combattu un premier cancer, et puis ça... Je ne peux qu'être triste. Ma conjointe a eu le cancer et je sais combien c'est difficile de passer à travers ça», a dit l'ancien no 1 du Bloc québécois.
«Nous étions adversaires en politique, mais ça n'empêche pas d'être des humains. Nous avions un excellent rapport. Nous ne nous entendions pas sur l'avenir du Québec, bien sûr, sur toute la question du libre-échange. Il y avait des différences là dès le départ. Mais je pense que nous avions en commun le souci d'aider les gens. Ça, il l'a toujours eu. C'est quelqu'un d'ouvert. Je lui souhaite la meilleure des chances, au-delà de la politique», a-t-il ajouté."
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/actualites/quebec-canada/politique-canadienne/...
Duceppe is such a class act.
I still feel gutted by this news.
Yes Solomon is showing his colours more lately. On Friday he was full on about the Muslims releasing studies and trying to get his panelists to say bad things about Muslims, reporting that the New York Times was reporting that it was a Muslim terror organisation, before they reported it was a Norweigian Aryan. And then today he was arguing Israeli talking points with the Palestinian spokesperson who ade him look biased.
Positive thoughts can do a lot of good things. ONWARD JACK!!!
I have to admit I'm abit worried for him and Olivia too. Cancer can be beaten though, I know, and if anyone can do it Jack can. A positive attitude and willigness to fight always helps. Is there somewhere we can send our best wishes to him directly?
http://www.ndp.ca/get-well-jack
Apparently he's reading every one.
Excellent. Thank you.
One possibility is that he has started treatment already. He said he heard the news last week. If he has started treatment then it is pausible that he looks the way he does in part becuase of the treatment rather than just the illness. We can hope for that and that the treatment will help him beat the cancer.
Nycole Turmel has to outshine Bob Rae and continue building the brand in Jack's absence.
She is an accomplished woman with a long history of leading a large national union. Anyone in the union movement knows that people like her are extremely political animals or they could never have risen to the top of their union.
My wife has met her at various union conferences and she was telling me how great she was in keeping the "good old boys" in line when they tried to patronize her. She will do very well.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/former-union-head-nycole-turmel-is-no-stranger-to-leadership/article2109487/
Ms. Turmel started her involvement with PSAC during the 1980 strike by federal clerks as one of 50,000 workers who took to the streets to fight for better wages.
She quickly moved up the ranks of the union, and was acting president in the late 1990s when Ottawa announced its plans to settle a long-standing pay equity dispute with its female workers. The $3-billion settlement was one of the high points in Ms. Turmel's PSAC career, which ended in 2006.
After a failed bid in municipal politics in Gatineau, Que., Ms. Turmel was part of the "orange wave" that swept Quebec in the last federal election, beating the incumbent in the traditional Liberal stronghold of Hull-Aylmer by 23,000 votes.
Current PSAC president John Gordon said that Ms. Turmel is an energetic leader and a quick study, and that she will have no problems consulting with her colleagues before putting out NDP policies to the public. The key, he said, will be to get the caucus working together.
"She is a rookie MP, but she is not a rookie when it comes to dealing with major issues and political issues," Mr. Gordon said. "A leader has to come from somewhere, and there have been lots of leaders who were not MPs when they were elected, such as Jack Layton."
I'm pretty sure its true that Jack will put a lot of energy into thinking about the various possibilities in how leadership is to play out now. Even people of the most positive bent dont want to spend all their time thinking about their health and how they are going to get better.
I'm inclined to think that even if Jack pulls out of this with flying colours, chances are that it will be time for him to step down. It's up to him, but I think its at least a very likely scenario.
He has an excellent household for support.
All the best Jack.
He had my support when he became leader in 2003, and my best wishes now, and (hopefully) when he becomes P.M. in 2015!!!
Whatever happens, this much is certain: he's all but a shoe-in for Canadian Newsmaker Of The Year 2011,
He did start treatment again, last week, so it's no surprise that he looked crappy. I just keep sending good energy each night, and wish I could do more for him. I know we would all take a shot of chemo for Jack! Go jack!
One possibility is that he has started treatment already. He said he heard the news last week. If he has started treatment then it is pausible that he looks the way he does in part becuase of the treatment rather than just the illness. We can hope for that and that the treatment will help him beat the cancer.
Sweet lord, it's Day 3 of the story and that idiot Evan Solomon *still* doesn't have any new questions on it. He does not have a frikkin' clue what he's talking about.
Jack for PM in 2015! And yeah, like you David, I voted for him as leader in 2003.
Jack Layton has become one of Canada's true Statesmen.
His earnest and passionate commitment to making Canada a better place serves all of us.
I wish that we had even a few more like him in our Parliament. My hope is that all MP's and office seekers look to him as a measure to match, hard though it may be.
As life has thrown up such great challenges, he just kept rising above and beyond with a vitality that amazes me.
I trust I will see him PM in 2015!
Sweet lord, it's Day 3 of the story and that idiot Evan Solomon *still* doesn't have any new questions on it. He does not have a frikkin' clue what he's talking about.
Forget him; once parliament gets back, the NDP caucus, regardless of whether or not Jack is back by then, will demonstrate what an idiot he is. The important thing, the only thing really, is to wish Jack strength and courage.
Inside the fight of Jack Layton's life
He was not unmoved by the situation he now found himself in, but he was not shaken from the focus that sometimes seems to be all-encompassing. "He was upset and I could tell that there were tears," McGrath says. "But again, he's just very determined." Here Jack Layton began the latest fight of his life: confronting it, McGrath says, as if it were a political campaign. "He's the same with his health situation as he is with the party. It's like, ‘I want the team together, I want to plan, it won't be acceptable if it's not this and that and the other thing.'
I find Solomon's comment very redundant. In this day and age of leader focused politics you could say the same thing about every party and every leader. Do people vote Tory because of their policies or because they like Harper? Did people ever vote Liberal because of Liberal policies or because of Trudeau? Back in the 90s it was said that the ONLY reason anyone voted BQ was Bouchard's personality - but then Duceppe turned out to be just as popular if not more so.
Errr. I sorta think Harper has a lock on 1/3 of the electorate that's ideologically conservative. The extra 10% might have been swayed by personality or they may have been blue liberals all along fearing the NDP. Regardless, I think each party has a contigent of partisans, who support the party no matter what, some ideological voters who'll vote for whatever party most closely matches their ideology that has a chance of winning, and other "swing voters" more affected by personal charm.