Jack Layton epitomized Urban Green

Legendary NDP leader a symbol of roots and unity

Jack never forgot that justice and human rights were deeply embedded in issues of the environment. Today, too many of us act as if these are somehow separate, and so we are either environmentalists or workers for social justice. To Jack, they were a part of the same struggle for sustainable societies.

- David Suzuki


If one man represented the potential of a NDP / Green Party union in Canada, that gentleman was Jack Layton. People tell me the merger wil take a long time, or that it's a long way off, but I say "why"?

Stephen Harper is still a relatively young man and likely to be Conservative Party leader for another five to ten years. Considering that Liberals have doubled-down on charisma-less, bookish, dorky types in Dion and Ignatieff, it's likely that Justin Trudeau could take the helm of the Liberal Party of Canada for the next decade. And who do we, the NDP and the Greens, have?

Well, nobody.

Except the people...

A union of the Greens and the NDP into the Green Democratic Party of Canada will immediately vault us into equal status with the PCs and the Liberals, returning Cnada to dynamic three party politics, the Bloc having been eclipsed by the NDP in Quebec and likely to be obliterated if progressive forces in Canada are able to meld themselves into a single, green, social democratic entity.



The NDP was born out of a merger of the CCF and other progressive forces, while on the other side of the aisle, the PCs are in power because of their merger with the Reform movement.

If you are willing to accept division and defeat, then encourage environmentalists and social activists to work separately. Should you choose to work hard for a sustainable, just society, consider the profound impact of a united Green Democratic Party in Canada, and how we can change our nation and our planet, for the better.

Pass it on.


Peace 2 All,


Yuya Joe College

A Sad Day for Canada; Jack Layton's State Funeral

Jack Lauyton cycling with wife, Olivia Chow

NDP leader and Toronto activist leaves profound legacy

My international readers may not be aware of the sad occurrence in Canada this week – we lost a true hero. In Toronto tomorrow we will be having a big State Funeral for Jack Layton, a politician who represented the poor and the young. He was the Official Leader of Canada's Opposition when he died of cancer last week, and tens of thousands of people will likely come to his funeral (inside Roy Thomson Hall and outside at David Pecaud Square, just west of RTH).

His New Democratic Party elected over 100 representatives in our 2011 election, including Members of Parliament as young as 20, 21, 23... amazing!

Tomorrow we say goodbye to him, but there will be lots of music and profound speeches at his funeral. He carried proudly the populist / social democratic values of his forebears Tommy Douglas and Ed Broadbent, and his legacy lives on.

Just Google "Jack Layton of Canada" if you want to learn more about him, or visit the Jack Layton wikipedia page.

Schedule, guests and performers at Jack Layton funeral, Toronto

Remembering Jack at his Toronto funeral

State funeral for NDP Leader Jack Layton, Saturday 2 pm, Roy Thomson Hall / David Pecault Square

A procession will take Layton’s casket from Toronto City Hall to Roy Thomson Hall sometime after 11 a.m. Saturday. The funeral at Roy Thomson Hall will commence at 2 p.m. About 800 seats inside the hall will be open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. Video screens will be set up in David Pecault Square, to the west of Roy Thomson Hall, for overflow crowds.

Expected guests

A total of 1,700 seats in the hall are reserved for membes of Layton’s family (including his wife Olivia Chow, children Mike and Sarah and their partners, granddaughter Beatrice and other close relations), MPs, premiers and former NDP premiers, other politicians and invited guests. Some of the guests include:

Interim Liberal leader Bob Rae
Interim Bloc Québécois leader Louis Plamondon
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May
Former Liberal leaders Michael Ignatieff and Stephane Dion
Former Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe
Former prime ministers Paul Martin and Jean Chrétien
Former NDP leaders Alexa McDonough and Ed Broadbent


The service

Several individuals are expected to give eulogies, including Stephen Lewis, the former Ontario NDP leader famous for his activism on social justice issues, and Layton’s children, Michael and Sarah.

McDonough, Broadbent and Doer are among those expected to be pallbearers.


From what I've been able to glean from the web and other media, Saturday's funeral for Opposition Leader Jack Layton will be filled with music and poignant memories. Some highlights are sure to include:

Eulogy - To be delivered by Stephen Lewis

Officiant - Pastor Reverend Dr. Brent Hawkes will deliver a couple of specific messages Jack wanted to be read at his funeral.



Rise Up - Parachute Club singer / writer Lorraine Segato will sing her anthemic tune.




Hallelujah - Steven Page of Barenaked Ladies will perform this haunting, melancholy, yet uplifting song.





Quebecois singer Martin Deschamps met Layton several times and is planning on traveling from Montreal to Toronto to perform at Roy Thomson Hall.



The service is intended to be religiously and politically inclusive, and will have readings from Christian, Jewish, Muslim and other traditions.






On Saturday night the CN Tower will glow with orange light in honour of Jack Layton and his affiliation with the NDP (whose main colour is orange), a really kind gesture and symbolic of Toronto's love for this passionate, thoughtful man.

Jack Layton's final message to Canada

Let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world

August 20, 2011
Toronto, Ontario

Dear Friends,

Tens of thousands of Canadians have written to me in recent weeks to wish me well. I want to thank each and every one of you for your thoughtful, inspiring and often beautiful notes, cards and gifts. Your spirit and love have lit up my home, my spirit, and my determination.

Unfortunately my treatment has not worked out as I hoped. So I am giving this letter to my partner Olivia to share with you in the circumstance in which I cannot continue.

I recommend that Hull-Aylmer MP Nycole Turmel continue her work as our interim leader until a permanent successor is elected.

I recommend the party hold a leadership vote as early as possible in the New Year, on approximately the same timelines as in 2003, so that our new leader has ample time to reconsolidate our team, renew our party and our program, and move forward towards the next election.

A few additional thoughts:

To other Canadians who are on journeys to defeat cancer and to live their lives, I say this: please don’t be discouraged that my own journey hasn’t gone as well as I had hoped. You must not lose your own hope. Treatments and therapies have never been better in the face of this disease. You have every reason to be optimistic, determined, and focused on the future. My only other advice is to cherish every moment with those you love at every stage of your journey, as I have done this summer.

To the members of my party: we’ve done remarkable things together in the past eight years. It has been a privilege to lead the New Democratic Party and I am most grateful for your confidence, your support, and the endless hours of volunteer commitment you have devoted to our cause. There will be those who will try to persuade you to give up our cause. But that cause is much bigger than any one leader. Answer them by recommitting with energy and determination to our work. Remember our proud history of social justice, universal health care, public pensions and making sure no one is left behind. Let’s continue to move forward. Let’s demonstrate in everything we do in the four years before us that we are ready to serve our beloved Canada as its next government.

To the members of our parliamentary caucus: I have been privileged to work with each and every one of you. Our caucus meetings were always the highlight of my week. It has been my role to ask a great deal from you. And now I am going to do so again. Canadians will be closely watching you in the months to come. Colleagues, I know you will make the tens of thousands of members of our party proud of you by demonstrating the same seamless teamwork and solidarity that has earned us the confidence of millions of Canadians in the recent election.

To my fellow Quebecers: On May 2nd, you made an historic decision. You decided that the way to replace Canada’s Conservative federal government with something better was by working together in partnership with progressive-minded Canadians across the country. You made the right decision then; it is still the right decision today; and it will be the right decision right through to the next election, when we will succeed, together. You have elected a superb team of New Democrats to Parliament. They are going to be doing remarkable things in the years to come to make this country better for us all.


Young people have been a great source of inspiration for me

To young Canadians: All my life I have worked to make things better. Hope and optimism have defined my political career, and I continue to be hopeful and optimistic about Canada. Young people have been a great source of inspiration for me. I have met and talked with so many of you about your dreams, your frustrations, and your ideas for change. More and more, you are engaging in politics because you want to change things for the better. Many of you have placed your trust in our party. As my time in political life draws to a close I want to share with you my belief in your power to change this country and this world. There are great challenges before you, from the overwhelming nature of climate change to the unfairness of an economy that excludes so many from our collective wealth, and the changes necessary to build a more inclusive and generous Canada. I believe in you. Your energy, your vision, your passion for justice are exactly what this country needs today. You need to be at the heart of our economy, our political life, and our plans for the present and the future.


Canada is one of the hopes of the world

And finally, to all Canadians: Canada is a great country, one of the hopes of the world. We can be a better one – a country of greater equality, justice, and opportunity. We can build a prosperous economy and a society that shares its benefits more fairly. We can look after our seniors. We can offer better futures for our children. We can do our part to save the world’s environment. We can restore our good name in the world. We can do all of these things because we finally have a party system at the national level where there are real choices; where your vote matters; where working for change can actually bring about change. In the months and years to come, New Democrats will put a compelling new alternative to you. My colleagues in our party are an impressive, committed team. Give them a careful hearing; consider the alternatives; and consider that we can be a better, fairer, more equal country by working together. Don’t let them tell you it can’t be done.

My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.

All my very best,

Jack Layton

I can't believe Jack's gone...

Honourable Jack Layton, 1950-2011


It is a sad day for Canada, as Jack Layton was one of the most rooted, devoted and passionate politicians Canadians have seen in a long time. Regardless of whether you agreed with Layton's politics, his tireless efforts on behalf of regular people were to be deeply admired, and his recent breakthrough in Quebec was nothing short of revolutionary.

In the tradition of Tommy Douglas and Ed Broadbent, you served your country well, Brotherman.

We would be remiss if we did not take this opportunity to state that NOW is the time to consolidate Jack's gains made in recent months and years, and the only way to do this is for all politically progressive Canadians to demand a merger of the New Democratic Party of Canada and the Green Party of Canada.

If PEI can arrange this union at the provincial level initially, then Prince Edward Island will not only be the Birthplace of Canadian Federation, but also the inspiration for Canada's renewal.

Charlottetown Calling... to the far away towns!

Chinese Photo Sensation highlights North American egalitarianism

President Barack Obama, USA Ambassador to China Gary Locke


In Canada and the United States, we expect our politicians and public figures to be reasonably humble and to be able to perform many tasks on their own. This photo of the new USA Ambassador to China buying his own coffee at an airport Starbucks, while wearing a backpack, has sent shockwaves through China's population, with citizens asking "why can't we manufacture this type of leader?"




Each time we make a trip around Our Sun, the Earth gets a wee bit smaller.

Viva Libya VIVA!!!

Congratulations to all freedom fighters in Libya! May your days ahead be filled with wisdom and joy, compassion and enlightenment.

Let Ijtihad (independent thinking) emerge, secular government arise, and most promisingly for the Libyan people, encourage an active democracy and help constitutional rule of law prevail!

Plea to Jack Layton: UNITE the progressive Canadian forces!!!

Jack mon ami, you have created significant momentum for both progressives and federalists in Canada, with your strong showing of support from Canada's youth and Quebecois. How best to capitalize on and solidfy that momentum?

Call up Elizabeth May and ask if she is open to beginning merger negotiations, as a Green Democratic Party of Canada, with social justice and ecology as platforms, will serve to unite the various progressive folks in our beautiful, inspiring nation.

This is something your constituents want, and will elevate your place in Canadian history. If you can do this for Canadians, you will be remembered alongside Tommy Douglas, who is not only the founder of free health care for Canadians, but also a driving force behind the merger of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) with the Canadian Labour Congress to form the New Democratic Party, with Douglas elected as the NDP's first federal leader (1961 to 1971).

C'mon Jack and Liz, let's get this Party started!