Not that I didn't hold certain opinions on items of interest to us political junkies...I had thought about issues such as reinserting the word Royal for our worthy and esteemed Navy and Air Force, or the G8/G20 auditor general report, or the Canada Post filibuster. I just felt, though, that I didn't really have the motivation to discuss any of these things out in the public domain.
That is, until the sudden and untimely passing of Jack Layton. Like most Canadians, I was shocked and stunned to see how unwell he looked on July 25. I don't subscribe to most of his political views, but I always felt that Jack was a good guy who believed passionately in his beliefs and sincerely was fighting for a better Canada. Therefore, I hoped and prayed that Jack would get better. Quite frankly, the country is well served by two parties with distinct ideological perspectives. Then...the saddening news came out on Monday of his passing. To pass away at 61 is too young, and understandably, the grief was felt right across the country, and particularly, with NDP and/or other left-leaning supporters.
But..as last week passed, certain aspects of the outpouring of emotion over Jack's funeral started bothering me intensely. Unlike Barbara Kay's and Ezra Levant's positions, I had no problem with the Prime Minister offering a State Funeral for Jack Layton. While there is no precedent in Canadian history, it was the right thing to do in response to public opinion. As the week passed, the frenzy over his letter to Canadians (which was an interesting mix of 2 Timothy 4 + 1 Corinthians 13 + a political ad + a partisan directive), plus a movement to grant him the title of Right Honourable, plus lighting up the CN Tower in orange, and the lighting up Niagara Falls orange....well, now we were now deep into the "Dianification of Jack Layton." Now...I don't have that much of a problem with Jack's Letter (although truth be told, I do agree with some aspects of Christie Blatchford's column even if her column was ill-timed and poorly worded), but the rush to a National Canonization of Jack really started me thinking about exactly what was Jack's Legacy, at least on the federal scene?
The more I think about this, the more I have come to believe that this question has to be answered in two aspects - the political and the legislative.
The Political
- There is no doubt that what Jack was able to accomplish in moving his party from 2003 to 2011 was incredible. Even in his speech to the country, the Prime Minister made reference of how Jack Layton should be proud for what he and the NDP accomplished in forming the official opposition with 103 seats on May 2.
- Withdrawing from the arrangement between Harper and Gilles Duceppe in September 2004 (or for those who are inclined to believe differently, the "coalition" manifesto that would have supplanted Martin as PM and appointed Harper)
- Propping up the Paul Martin government in May 2005 for extra social spending (this is also legislative)
- Helping defeat the Martin government in November 2005 to trigger an election - we all know how that turned out.
- Formalizing a coalition agreement with the Liberals, propped up by the Bloc Quebecois in November 2008 - we all know how that turned out.
- Not voting non-confidence in October 2009 when Michael Ignatieff decided that he was going to bring down the government.
- Helping defeat the Harper government in March 2011 - in the end, that worked out pretty good for the Conservatives.
The Legislative
- The extra social spending from the May 2005 non-confidence vote.
- The behind the scenes work that Jack Layton worked on the Residential Schools Apology to First Nations, which the Prime Minister acknowledged in June 2008 and again in the October 2008 English Language Debate.
Wait a second...why so light on the legislative? Simple...for the most part, the Layton NDP essentially opposed the Harper government for the most part. While the BQ and the Liberals propped up the Harper minority, that pretty much gave the NDP political cover to oppose the Tories without risk... or responsibility
My Analysis
There is no doubt that Jack came across as a genuine guy and sincerely wanted a better Canada and struck a tone that attracted those that are (or feel) disenfranchised. He also was a great retail politician, and a master of the soundbite (I often think the best exchanges on this front were between him and Harper). So...words such as loving, hopeful and optimistic have those qualities of enlightening and inspiring. But to be critical (and I don't wish to be mean here, but simply factual), the author of those words also launched the worst political smear in the last decade when he verbatimly accused Paul Martin, in May 2004 of personally killing the homeless due to his budget cuts in the 1990s. Now...Paul Martin is not my guy (not in the least), but for one (who is running to become the CEO of Canada) to accuse a Prime Minister of having blood on his hands...is pretty undignified (I will qualify this, though, with Layton expressing regret about his comments in April 2011 - nearly seven years later according to my googling). Or...when you consider that prominent political blogger, calgary grit, had his followers declare the best attack ad of 2008 was the NDP French language ad attacking Harper (http://calgarygrit.blogspot.com/2008/10/election-08-ad-watch-here-come-our.html). Ah..yes...the NDP using attack ads that help drive down voter turnout, etc, etc.
But wait a second...two really extreme examples do not define a man or a party, correct? I mean...isn't that overly simplistic? EXACTLY - but here's the flip side to that - the complexity of this world that we live in also lends it self to parties and people finding pragmatic solutions on issues for better governance. And...during his time in Ottawa, Jack Layton and the NDP did little (in comparison to the Liberals and the Tories) to advance any legislative agenda because they did not have to contend with the most dangerous aspects of governance - which is responsibility. As long as they didn't have to prop up the government, they had political safety to oppose and remain ideologically consistent.
In 2008, Barack Obama became the 43rd President of the United States riding on a mandate and promises to end the recession and undue certain things that the Bush Administration had done. Well...2 1/2 years later, the US debt ceiling has been raised to a ridiculous level without the US economy making a healthy return. But...what riles a good chunk of his supporters also includes a failure to shut down the detainee facility at Guantanamo Bay. All of a sudden, "Yes We Can" doesn't feel so inspiring after all.
I guess what I am saying is that inspiration is something we all seek as part of the human condition, but if it is not molded by responsibility (legislatively, politically, or personally, etc), then there is something missing in that inspiration is molded by pragmatic leadership. I guess it becomes inspiration by example.
Think about this for a second...if Jack Layton were Prime Minister and he passed away after having to:
- Backtrack on promises to curtail the Alberta Oil Sands lest there be a renewed sense of Western Separation (the son of NEP?)
- Backtrack on promises to strengthen Medicare, but allow Quebec to maintain the highest level of private health clinics per capita lest his Quebec caucus get restless?
- Backtrack on promises to expand social programs (think back to how well that worked out for Bob Rae in the early 1990's as the NDP premier of Ontario?
- Backtrack on his position that 50%+1 is a reasonable interpretation of the Clarity Act for Quebec to separate from Canada? (I realize that is a stretch with the mess that the PQ is in Quebec, but you get the idea).
I don't doubt that Jack wanted to do politics differently, and that he should be commended for. I also don't doubt that he desired a better Canada, and for that there are lots of Canadians that will draw inspiration from him - however, I also believe that that kind of inspiration is rooted in ideals and not so much in the pragmatic realities of governance. No doubt that Jack had some of those traits as a municipal politician in Toronto (and he did some good work there), but if you were to apply Jack Layton to the test of "Nation-Builder", that would be limited to his successes as a politican and not so much as a legislator. At the end of the day, how Jack Layton changed Canada, for the good or better (depending on your point of view) may not be as much as his fans and supporters think.
