Hearing about Jack Layton’s death from cancer driving home yesterday was like a hard punch in the head, and I nearly went off the road. My American readers may not appreciate the genuine respect and affection most Canadians had for the new Leader of the Opposition, even if they vehemently disagreed with his politics. I don’t think I have anything to add to the many, many tributes and obituaries, except this: though I was severely critical of Layton’s stance on the gun registry, he convinced me to vote for the New Democrats this spring for the first time in a federal election since ’93.
Here’s Layton at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Hamilton for the television program Make the Politician Work.
