Today in Toronto people are coming out in droves to pay their respects to Jack Layton, the leader of the Official Opposition NDP party. as he receives a state funeral, the first time in history a leader of the Opposition has had the honour. People started paying their respects yesterday when he arrived back in the city after a ceremony in Ottawa. In the wake of Layton's death there has been an overwhelming response from the people of this country, far more than usual for a nation generally apathetic to the world of politics. It is a welcome sight for political junkies and newshouds, even if it is a little out of character.
There have been questions raised about whether it has been an over-the-top, media orchestrated response, or one actually warranted of the charismatic leader that was dubbed 'Smiling Jack'. Because any way you look at it this is an uncommon display by the people of Canada, as most politicians generally fail to garner these sort of sentiments from the public.
People came to Nathan Philips Square following Layton's death to scribble down, in chalk, on whatever piece of concrerte they could find, messages for the former Toronto city councillor. It was truly remarkable to see, and an example of a public demonstration that simply doesn't jive with Canadians views of politics and politicians. After it was washed away by a massive thunderstorm, people came back to start another memorial all over again.
Response like this do not necessary point to a political awakening or even a political resurgence in Canada, but it does go to show that politicians have not lost the ability to capture the imagination of our generally disinterested population. The people aren't completely unaware of the happenings in Ottawa, even if voter turnout might suggest otherwise.
The 2011 election saw 61.4 per cent of eligible voters head to the polls, an improvement but only slightly better than the previous election in 2008 which set an all-time low with a 58.8 per cent turnout. And in Toronto specifically, despite the fact that last year's municipal election was the most divisive and polarizing since the amalgamation of the megacity in 1998, only 53.2 per cent of voters made an appearance. It was a marked improvement over the 39 per cent in the municipal election prior, but still nothing worth writing home about.
As many have pointed after that last vote Stephen Harper and his Conservative party captured a majority parliament, but Jack Layton won the election. Seems like Layton may have won over the nation more than the polling numbers suggest.
For a politician that had more and more Canadians warming up to him, this was sort of a blow to our national psyche in a way. Layton found a way to create a rapport in an election nobody wanted, and one that had no real cause or purpose either. It was just an election, one in a long list of many crammed within a short period of time. And Layton was just a party leader, trying to rise out of third place in parliament, nothing more.
Maybe it's the fact that cancer stole him away just after he reached the height of his political career, after he elevated his party to Official Opposition status for the first time in history. Canadians didn't really get a chance to know him as a true player in Ottawa, as a potential prime minister, and like so many of our loved ones was taken by the scourge known as cancer.
Maybe it's the fact that Layton always campaigned for the people, and always tried to keep a positive attitude while on the job. Maybe, in light of all the politically motivated tragedies going on around the world, Canadians are ready to feel sad themselves and this was enough of a reason to mourn. Or maybe it's simply because Layton impacted that many people throughout his career as a politician, in both Toronto and Ottawa as well.
Whatever the reason, many Canadians will shed their cloaks of political apathy and honour Layton in a very public manner. While it may only be for one weekend before apathy returns for an undisclosed period of time, we will show that we do actually have an interest in the lives of our political leaders, and their actions do matter to us, as strange and unusual as that may seem.
