We have just witnessed an extraordinary outpouring of grief for Jack Layton, leader of the New Democratic Party, the official opposition in the Canadian federal government. No doubt this phenomenon is a tribute to the appeal of his personality and an expression of pain for the tragedy of his early death, so soon after his unprecedented electoral triumph.
Jeff Dvorkin, in his blog Now the Details, enumerated additional elements to explain the phenomenon:
- Layton was only 61.
- He just ran the most effective campaign in Canadian political history.
- He wiped out the separatist vote in Quebec, pulling it almost entirely to the NDP through a combination of his own charm and the idea of social justice – still a major draw in French Canada.
- He pushed the Liberal Party into third place.
- He made the NDP the Official Opposition in Ottawa for the first time in Canadian history.
- He died before he could realize his political ambitions for himself and the party.
Here are some other points:
- By mourning Jack Layton, Canadians are honouring a man who represented the human and political opposite of Prime Minister Stephan Harper and of Rob Ford, the mayor of Toronto.
- It seems that a large number of Canadians from coast to coast – surprisingly – shared his passion for social justice and care for the poor as he did, a passion that is rare in Ottawa at the moment.
- Jack Layton was not the type of politician for whom Americans would grieve the way Canadians do.
Many go as far as to say that this is a Turning Point.
Eric Koch’s book, The Weimar Triangle, is available at Indigo-Chapters and in your local bookstore. 
You say “a large number of Canadians from coast to coast – surprisingly – shared his passion for social justice and care for the poor” — but why “surprisingly”?? Don’t first-past-the-post elections often result in “leaders” whose values are sharply at odds with those of the majority of the citizenry?
I hope I deserve the reprimand.
But Rob Ford has about a 70% approval rating, despite being every bit as stupid and offensive as he promised to be during the campaign. And the Ontario Tories have a lead in the polls despite a platform that a conservative sceptic like Margaret Wente described as gossamer and fairy dust (she could accurately have said Ford-like lies) and a leader who is a jackass. So I think ‘surprisingly’ applies.
I do not believe it is valid or fair to relate partisan observations of other politicians and their public personas (whatever my personal biases) with the reaction for Jack. The qualities to attract affection and to inspire are not the only qualities of political leadership that lead to good public policies. Perhaps the best example in Canada was Mackenzie King.
What Jack achieved, and the classic Greek personal tragedy that played out before the world (BBC coverage was impressive), should be left to stand on its own and inspire all, regardless of their politics. Both Mr. Ford and Mr. Hudak attended the funeral. Observing them both within earshot entering and leaving the Hall, and seeing the close-ups of PM Harper in the press coverage, I saw no evidence of anything other than sharing in a collective catharsis for a successful fellow politician snatched from this earth before given the opportunity to perform in the role he had won…. except perhaps a touch of envy.
Mike Sky
Fair point. We should recognize the human qualities, and thus the capacity for human sympathies, in those we disagree with. Do unto others, after all…