Jack Layton was a great fellow. He was kindly, he was successful, he had a keen mind. He was much loved by his supporters and much admired by his political adversaries. That much we know.
It’s not possible to know what he thinks about things that happened after he died, however.
For example, it’s impossible to know what Layton would feel about the willingness of those in his party — some, not all, but enough — to exploit his name for partisan advantage. He’s been gone a year, so we’ll never really know what he thinks about what has been done after the fact.
What has been done in Jack Layton’s name by New Democrats — again, not all of them, but enough of them — is pretty … well, you decide for yourself.
Take Dan Harris, for example (please). For now, he’s the NDP MP for Scarborough-Southwest. In last year’s Ontario provincial election, Harris recorded a robocall for Bruce Budd, a Toronto-area candidate for the provincial NDP. In the recorded message received by voters, Harris said:
“This has been a difficult time for New Democrats everywhere with the incredible loss of our leader, Jack Layton. We shared sadness but we also shared a sense of renewed commitment, inspiration and hope. It’s up to us now! In just a few short weeks, we have an opportunity to meet Jack’s challenge. This is our chance to move forward in Ontario! Bruce Budd is your provincial NDP candidate here in Scarborough Southwest. Please join me in supporting Bruce!”
Harris’ robocall then went on to peddle — wait for it — NDP lawn signs. Presumably acceptance of a lawn sign was a way to express “commitment, inspiration and hope” and “meet Jack’s challenge.”
Comments (32)
