I'm sure not fighting for these values. Layton was a Commie Lib. I will let God judge him personally, but I have no problem with others here taking a harder line.
Posted on 08/22/2011 9:39:09 AM PDT by fanfan
OTTAWA - Jack Layton, the leader of the official Opposition, died early Monday morning, his family said.
Layton, 61, had been battling cancer for more than a year and, a month ago, announced he was temporarily stepping aside from his job to fight the disease.
Layton's immediate family -- his wife, MP Olivia Chow, and his children, Sarah and Michael -- issued a statement at about 8:30 a.m. Monday morning.
"We deeply regret to inform you that The Honourable Jack Layton, leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada, passed away at 4:45 am today, Monday, Aug. 22. He passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by family and loved ones. Details of Mr. Layton's funeral arrangements will be forthcoming."
Earlier this year, Layton led the New Democratic Party to its best electoral showing in the party's history.
Quebec MP Nycole Turmel had temporarily assumed leadership duties when Layton stepped aside last month.
Layton was born July 18, 1950 in Montreal and was raised in Hudson, Que. His father, Robert Layton, was a Progressive Conservative cabinet member and his grandfather, Gilbert Layton, was a Quebec cabinet minister.
Layton studied political science at McGill University before moving to Toronto in 1970 to continue his studies. He obtained his PhD in political science from York University and then became a professor at Ryerson University.
His political career began when he became a city councillor in Toronto in
1982 and served as acting deputy mayor and as a member of the Toronto Port Authority. He opposed the building of the SkyDome (now Rogers Centre) and also opposed Toronto's bid for the 1996 Summer Olympics.
He ran for mayor in 1991, but lost to June Rowlands. He became head of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities before moving into federal politics.
Layton took over for Alexa McDonough to become leader of the New Democrats in 2003, and was elected MP for the Toronto-Danforth riding in June 2004.
Since then, Layton has been the face of the party, and led them to new heights of success in the most recent election when the NDP ascended to the ranks of official opposition for the first time.
Layton married his high school sweetheart, Sally Halford, in 1969 when he was 19. They had two children together but the marriage ended in 1983.
He married Olivia Chow in 1988. Shortly after the wedding, Chow joined Layton on Toronto council. She also became an NDP MP in 2006. He became a grandfather in the summer of 2009.
Layton has had a public struggle with cancer since announcing on Feb. 5, 2010, that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
His father had also had prostate cancer 17 years earlier and recovered from it. His wife, Chow, also battled thyroid cancer.
Layton vowed to defeat it.
"Like my dad, I am a fighter and I am going to beat this," Layton told reporters.
But last month, Layton called a press conference in Toronto to announce he was battling a new cancer and would be stepping down temporarily from the NDP leadership to focus on his health.
Thank you, Hieronymus! :)
“...In Canada, the choice is left and more left...”
Not much different from here in a lot of respects.
So, what’s up with Proud Americans in Canada? Vacationing? Ex-pat? Visiting relatives? Hunting? You guys live there or what?
“...lacking in charity to wish him in Hell...”
I don’t have a lot of charity when it comes to polticians and people who espouse an ideology that destroys peoples’ lives. Sorry, it’s just the way it is. My attitude rumples some folks’ feathers, I know. But then again, murder for utopian dreams rumples mine. Doesn’t matter to me if he’s just a “little bit socialist” or full fledged commie nuthouse. It ends up the same, as history has proven.
Felt the same way about Teddy Kennedy when he kicked. I’ll say the say about Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro when they choke off too.
Layton was a flaming socialist, but for him it wasn’t just political manouvering - he was a true believer. The most recent election result, where Layton took his socialist NDP to offical opposition status for the first time in their history, demonstrates that people will vote for someone who is charming and sincere in their beliefs, even if they don’t necessarily agree with all of those beliefs. He’s the leftist version of Ronald Reagan, another politician with a winning smile and firmly held beliefs. The NDP must be shaken to its core. Much of the NDP’s recent success was due to Layton’s personal popularity and there doesn’t seem to be an obvious replacement.
Thank you, Buckeye. :)
I'm sure not fighting for these values. Layton was a Commie Lib. I will let God judge him personally, but I have no problem with others here taking a harder line.
What a lowlife degenerate comment to make. You might be on the right side, but you’re part of the problem.
have you noticed that no one has released the type of cancer he had this time?
Yes, that is very curious. I have done a bit of surfing to find out that information, but haven't been able to.
“...Layton was a flaming socialist, but for him it wasn’t just political manouvering - he was a true believer. ...”
Which makes him and others like him all the more dangerous. Gas chambers and camps were full of innocent people who were put there by “true believers”. Socialism kills. Always has, always will. They may not get around to it immediately, but it has to happen eventually.
Not gonna cry for the guy. His kicking the bucket means some Canadian kids might have a better future.
He’s preparing a suite in hell for Chavez’ upcoming arrival.
You are seriously comparing the leader of the Official Opposition in the Canadian Parliament with Hitler, Stalin, Mao and Lenin? Control yourself, you delusional hate filled ass. This is the kind of mindless spittle flecked spew we expect from the DU, not Freep.
“...lowlife degenerate comment to make...”
Maybe so, but it still stands. Socialists ARE lowlife degenerates.
Ex-pat on my part. I’ve been up here for over 17 of the last 19 years.
Well, you certainly do make good points about the evils of socialism, and I appreciate that you stick to your convictions. That is an excellent quality in a person.
As for living here, well, I married a Canadian man and after we lived in Denver for ten years, he got a job offer with the federal government. He’s from Quebec and he wanted our children to appreciate the culture and language. Both our children are fluently bilingual, which is a good thing as they live near Ottawa and will be able to get jobs. We live in an English part of Gatineau and the kids who can speak only English are at a disadvantage.
Interesting, my husband couldn’t speak a word of English when we met; when we lived in the States, though he had a college degree, all he could do was work as a file clerk. He got an MBA in Denver and eventually was writing briefs for the FCC. Now he works for the CRTC, the Canadian equivalent of the FCC.
Sorry for getting so off-topic!
Back on topic, Jack Layton was responsible for this massive “orange wave”, particularly in Quebec. We lost a great Liberal member of Parliament, Marcel Proulx, to the acting leader, Nycole Turmel. I work at the local newspaper and Mr. Proulx was very good.
Unfortunately, there’s no chance this riding will ever go Conservative.
The system is strange here—you can only vote for the MP, not the prime minister or senator. You don’t get three votes, like we do in the states.
“...This is the kind of mindless spittle flecked spew we expect from the DU, not Freep....”
No, actually the lunatics at DU would have AGREED with the guy’s philosophy.
I don’t.
“...You are seriously comparing the leader of the Official Opposition in the Canadian Parliament with Hitler, Stalin, Mao and Lenin?...”
Nope. HE did it himself the day he decided to be a socialist - HE put himself squarely in their company, not me.
Save your vitriol.
He was indeed very left of left, however he was a passionate patriot for Canada, a tireless advocate for his cause, and most of all he was honest about who he was and didn’t seem to stoop to the type of crap the Democrats here are known for.
If you admire nothing else about him admire that he never backed down from his cause. He took a 3rd rate party confined to the Maritimes to the official opposition. He certainty earned his respect.
I’m married to a Canuck as well. Fortunately, we live in a rural part of Renfrew County, about two hours west of Ottawa, which is the Ontario equivalent of rural Alabama. The conservative candidate here (Gallant) ran an awful campaign last time round, so she only pulled about 53% of the vote and beat her closes competitor by about 30 points.
Think before you post. This is *exactly* the mindless spittle flecked spew we get from the DU, they just choose a different target. One can disagree all one wants with Layton’s way without being a degenerate about his passing. Reread your first post and think about it.
“Save your vitriol.”
What vitriol? I’m giving you the dressing down you deserve when one of our own goes off the rails.
Hear tell it’s a beautiful country up there. Lots of wild and wilderness to get lost and live free in...never been to Canada.
“...I appreciate that you stick to your convictions....”
I’ve got no quarrel with you folks. Just saying that people that espouse that murderous philosophy get very little sympathy or compassion from me. I have dead and maimed relatives because of that ideology - many. I’m rough around the edges - yeah, a bit. Like I said. It rumples feathers, but hey, we’re all different.
“...ex-pat...”
Why ex-pat, Hieronymus, if you don’t mind my asking? You still a US citizen?
First post stands as it is. No retraction.
Maybe I’ll add “..and may God forgive him”, as we ALL hope He will each of us.
Point your cannon at the enemy, not an ally, brother. Other than that, have a great day.
LOL. There are more Proud Americans in Canada every day. We have more freedom than you do right now.
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