If there was any doubt as to why Jack Layton called a surprise press conference on Monday afternoon, it evaporated as soon as he entered the meeting room at the Toronto hotel.
Thin to the point of being skeletal, make-up failing to conceal the gauntness of his too-tight skin, it was immediately clear to everyone in the room that Jack was not well, that the man who had carried the NDP to the height of its power was weaker than ever before.
Many left-leaning Canadians have had an uneven relationship with Layton over the past decade. At times he has seemed like the only voice on the national scene who has spoken for progressive values. At others he has seemed like too much of a politician, an opportunist who would leap at almost any chance to claim his share of federal power.
But on Monday, as his glinting blue eyes read a three-minute statement that touched more on his hope for our country than on his chances for recovery, it was difficult to see him as anything other than a remarkably courageous man poised to enter a final battle which he likely will not win.
Already there is debate about whether or not Layton should disclose what type of new cancer he is facing. As he hobbled from the press conference, one reporter at the back of the room shouted, “Jack, will you tell us what kind of cancer you have now?” as if he expected the 61-year-old to turn and casually announce the name of his would-be executioner.
We don’t need to ask what kind of cancer Layton has, because we already know. It is the kind that can kill you.
If this is indeed the end of Layton’s career in federal politics, commentators will spend years dissecting his legacy. It is undeniable that he has brought the NDP to new heights, and in many ways has been the strongest proponent of an agenda of deeply Canadian values first envisioned by Tommy Douglas and the fledgling NDP 50 years ago. He has staked his claim, along with Stephen Harper, as the most influential Canadian political leader in the first decade of the 21st century.
It’s impossible to say with certainty what Layton’s impact on federal politics has been, and it will likely remain so at least until the next election, when we will see if the Orange Crush was just a passing phase or a fundamental realignment of power in this country.
Layton’s departure, temporary or otherwise, is a blow to left-leaning Canadians, and comes at a time when progressive forces in Canada both hold more power than ever but are also vulnerable. By the end of the year Toronto will likely be under three levels of conservative government, and there is no progressive leader on the horizon with anything approaching the political skills of Jack Layton. He is irreplaceable.
Although he is a man of incredible determination, at least part of Layton must now be terrified by the disease he is confronting. But if he is feeling terrified, if he is feeling despair, if he is feeling anything other than optimism that he will rise too to this challenge, he hardly showed it Monday.
“Merci, et a la prochaine,” he said before he left the room.
Thank you, Jack. Until we meet again.
