Last updated on October 29th, 2020 at 11:52 am
After spending five days out at the cottage and writing up a decent amount of blog material, I had no idea of which one I’d choose as today’s post. Then, as I regained access to the 3G network and got on Twitter, I got some news that no one in the car really expected—at 4:45 am, Jack Layton had passed away.
For anyone out of the know, Layton was arguably one of the most charismatic political leaders Canada’s seen in a VERY long time. He inspired some of the most unlikely people to vote for a party which had never seen much power in Canadian politics, elevating them to the position of the official opposition to the government. He took strong stances on things that affected ALL Canadians, such as public pensions, AIDS and universal health care.
In short, Jack was a force to be reckoned with. With his passing, it’s uncertain what we’ll see next in Canada’s political future, but with the letter he left behind to all Canadians, I hope that it continues to give us the fuel we need to make the right choices for ourselves, the people we care about, and the entire nation we’re all proud to call home.
So long, Jack. You did good.
–Casey E. Palmer
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