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.
John Gilbert “Jack” Layton
In his letter to Canada before his untimely death, Jack Layton keeps his spirit of hope and optimism and hopes that they will carry on throughout the hearts and minds of Canadians after his death.
Whatever you may think of Jack, he changed the political landscape of Canada. Whether it is due to Jack’s own leadership or the lack thereof in the Liberals and in the BQ, the NDP won their most seats in history and became the official opposition to the conservatives as the leftist party.
Yet beyond all the hope and optimism that he brought, one has to wonder what will happen to Canada’s political scene in the following months. As monumental as Jack’s accomplishments have been, it may be shadowed by the void he left in Canada’s political system. With the Conservatives holding majority in the House of Commons, it is important that the opposition is capable of matching up against the first party and keep the first party in check. But with their iconic leader gone, it is uncertain whether or not the NDP can produce a new leader that can match Jack’s leadership and spirit without using Jack’s death as a way to propel the NDP forward. The new NDP leader would also need to continue the wave of popularity that Jack enjoyed to make sure that they maintain their position in parliament.
It is uncertain whether or not people will abandon the NDP after Jack’s death. True embracement of the NDP’s platform will be tested, particularly in young voters whose political beliefs have not yet been solidified and make up a significant portion of the NDP’s traction. The momentum built up by Jack may slowly slip away as the Liberals and other partys try to take advantage of Jack’s absence.
Will Jack Layton’s dreams and hopes for the NDP carry on in their supporters, or was his success just a coincidental chain of events with weak oppositions and a popular image that will fade inevitably with with leader? It is too soon to predict the legacy of Jack Layton and the future of the NDP and the Canadian political landscape. It is rare that a politician’s death would be such a big event in Canada; the discussion over Jack Layton and his party outside of election season was already uncommon prior to his death. For those who do believe in Jack Layton’s vision of optimism for Canada, why not vote for the platform he embodied. Lowering voter apathy and moving towards change through the democratic is a tribute worthy of the politician.
