February 8, 2012

Is Layton singing his swan song?

Politicos and pundits imagine revamping the leader of the NDP now that he’s propping up the Conservatives

Jack Layton’s recent decision to abstain from the Liberal non-confidence vote against the Conservatives has some supporters up in arms. Is Layton abandoning the left, or is he doing the dirty work that nobody else wants to do? We asked the experts.


Peter C. Newman - Veteran journalist

I fear that Layton is in a trap. Obviously he can’t go on supporting the Conservatives, unless he gains some truly progressive legislation as a reward, but even that gambit has its limits. Neither can he duplicate the truly remarkable partnership between Pierre Trudeau and David Lewis, which really was more of an informal coalition. So his only choice is to hang in and wait to see which way the Liberals turn.

Garth Turner - Politico and two-time MP

When Stephen Harper sat down at a piano in Ottawa and pretended to be Ringo Starr it was heralded as a political success, even though he basically sucked.Why? Because in this mediadriven age of leadership-charged politics, image is all and everything.… Now, to Jack.The schmuck’s in serious trouble. His image has blurred to nothingness. He railed against the government until the very moment when he realized it was in his best interest not to. And in that instant, he became irrelevant. Not to the country, since he prevented an early election. But to his NDP base. No more rolled-sleeves pugilist. No more angry, righteous little guy. Just a pol. Stick a fork in him. Done.

Bob Rae - Liberal MP

The NDP’s position is tricky because they’ve made such a point of being “the real opposition.” In many ways, the Harper government is “the house that Jack built” because of their decision to bring down the Martin government despite evidence of a progressive agenda.Too many tactics, not enough strategy. I expect the manoeuvring will continue, but the big picture is that the Harper government is intensely right wing and is not really interested in dancing with Jack.

Ralph Benmergui - Senior advisor, Green Party of Canada

I really like Jack and have nothing but respect for him, but I think it’s really about being absorbed into the power structures of Ottawa. He’s brought the party from seven seats to 37 seats — fantastic job, but where does the NDP go from here? We need a party of conscience. During the last election, Jack stood up and said, “I am applying for the job of prime minister of Canada.”Well, we're applying for his old job. The Green Party is applying for the job of conscience of the country.

This article appears in the November 2009 issue of Post City Magazines

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