Much has been written about Jack Layton, the man, the politician and his life. He was, no doubt, a wonderful man about which we will have much to remember. His recent exploits changed the face of Canadian voting. But that's not what I want to post today.
Canada is a strange country in a political sense. Once ruled by the mighty Liberal Party, almost continuously from the mid 1930's to the late 1950's when a western interloper, John Diefenbaker, swept Parliament with his vision of Canada. I would venture to say that he was one of the few Prime Ministers with a larger view. Pierre Trudeau was another. What was common to all these parties was that they had a strong sense of free market philosophy that was enveloped by a curious sense of socialist safety net that included the Canada Pension Plan, Unemployment Insurance (as it was then known) and, most famously, national health insurance. This social safety net is the "third rail" of Canadian politics; touch it and (at least politically) you die.
How did this come about? In the 1930's this came about by the Liberals thieving, almost wholly, the party platform of the CCF, a strongly socialist party. Since the socialists (who evolved into the current NDP) rarely had power (and never had power federally) they become the conscience of the Canadian electorate. They were almost always based in the western provinces where fringe and other lunatic parties (such as Social Credit) almost always flourish. Our modern Conservative party is similarly based in the west and was, similarly, a fringe party until they merged with the Progressive Conservatives (a curious name for a conservative party). Western Canada was also a curious place for socialist parties to flourish. In Winnipeg the immigrant Jews from Eastern Europe who were exposed to communism came to Canada and had to settle for socialism (although the Canadian Communist Party was based in Winnipeg). The CCF, Canada's first national socialist party to mount a national election campaign was similarly based in Winnipeg. What Canadians did not want were socialists in power. Apparently, what Canadians wanted were social democratic ideas and ideals watched over by Liberal centrists such as MacKenzie King and Louis St. Laurent. Trudeau was a socialist long before joining the Liberal party.
Whenever there was a social democratic platform idea that would appeal to voters generally, the Liberal party purloined it. You can trace most social safety net legislation right back to the CCF and the NDP. They have been a steady resource for the Liberals and even the Conservatives who have, in name at least, ceased to be "progressive". Historically, the Liberal party was the recipient of social democratic ideas that helped it identify with the man in the street. However, as the NDP started to move more to the political center the Liberal party, bereft of any new ideas, became largely irrelevant. And so the NDP became Canada's "conscience in chief"--Her Majesty's Loyal Oppositiion. It was Jack Layton's brilliant strategy that brought that about.
It is tragic that he died too soon. He was a man of great civility who could have made an enormous difference in Canada's politics. While the Conservatives had a field day in mounting attach ads against the Liberals it would have had a great deal of trouble in doing so against Jack Layton. It would have most certainly backfired. So, we may have missed the chance to see more civility creep into Canadian politics. It will be interesting to see where the new leader takes the NDP but one thing is sure, they will sorely miss Jack Layton. As will we all.
Bernie.
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