Final farewell begins for Layton
Posted Aug 24, 2011 10:05:53 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO, Ont. – NDP Leader Jack Layton has begun his final trip to Parliament Hill, Wednesday, where he will lie in state.
The hearse carrying his casket, which was draped in a Canadian flag, left Rosa Morrison Funeral Home in Toronto at around 4 a.m., and expected in Ottawa at 10:30 a.m. accompanied by a police escort.
A state funeral will be held on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Roy Thomson Hall.
On Tuesday, the NDP released the official information for the Toronto funeral, as well as procession information to Ottawa. A viewing will be held at Toronto City Hall on Friday.
On Saturday, the casket will make the kilometre-procession from City Hall to Roy Thomson Hall with a mounted patrol. The exact route has not been released at this time.
The service is expected to last about one hour. Former leader of the NDP Ed Broadbent has been announced as one of the pallbearers. Rev. Brent Hawkes with the Metropolitan Church will be presiding.
Screens will be set up at Toronto’s Pecaut Square for the public to view the state funeral.
After the funeral, Layton’s family will spend an hour at the reception and then drive to a private internment at an unknown location in Toronto. Layton will be cremated.
The first internment will be for ceremony purposes. There will be a second internment at a later date for just the immediate family.
The NDP said, in classic Layton style, there will be unique elements to his funeral, the details of which will be released at a later date.
Some NDP MPs are going through extraordinary measures to get to Parliament Hill. Chris Charlton is coming in from Germany and Nikki Ashton is cutting her honeymoon short to fly in from Greece.
A state funeral is traditionally offered only to current and former governors general, current and former prime ministers and current members of cabinet; however, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the PM offered Layton’s wife MP Olivia Chow the option of the state funeral and she accepted.
On Monday evening, Harper confirmed the state funeral through Twitter and added that “Canadians will have an opportunity to salute Jack Layton’s contribution to public life.”
The Layton family has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the recently announced Broadbent Institute, a left-leaning think-tank. Donations can be made online by clicking here.
Layton died Monday morning at the age of 61, following the charismatic politician’s second bout with cancer.
A statement from Layton’s family issued Monday indicates the well-liked political leader passed away peacefully at his home.
“We deeply regret to inform you that The Honourable Jack Layton, leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada, passed away at 4:45 am today, Monday August 22. He passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by family and loved ones. Details of Mr. Layton’s funeral arrangements will be forthcoming.”
Layton’s death comes just shy of a month after he made a public appearance to announce he was once again battling cancer. During the Toronto press conference, the usually energetic leader looked gaunt and sick.
Speaking to the crowd Layton said although he had beaten his prostate cancer, he had been diagnosed with a second type of cancer and on the advice of his doctors, he was going to focus on treatment and recovery.
“I’m going to fight this cancer now, so that I can be back to fight for families when parliament resumes,” Layton said.
The second bout with cancer came only shortly after Layton managed to win the position of leader of the Official Opposition in the latest election.
Condolences followed Layton’s death almost immediately, with everyone from the prime minister to several former mayors of Toronto chiming in on the late politicians life.
A candlelight vigil was held on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday night.
Born in Montreal, Que., in the summer of 1950, Layton was a charismatic leader who was well liked across the country. His father was a politician by trade, serving as a Conservative cabinet minister in the Brian Mulroney government.
Layton was first elected to Toronto City Council in 1981, where he spent 20 years as a thorn in the left side of Conservative mayors. He ran for mayor of Toronto twice, and although he lost both times, he managed to become the leader of the NDP in 2003.
In the years that followed Layton would bring the NDP from something of a third party to mainstream success, winning the title of Official Opposition in the most recent election.
During his storied career Layton also taught at Ryerson University and served as chair of several committees in the city, including a stint as the chair of the Toronto Board of Health.
Layton’s first marriage to high-school sweetheart Sally Halford produced two children but ended in 1981. Layton would eventually marry Olivia Chow, another active politician in Toronto.
The two become known as a power couple across the city, fighting for social action and the rights of all Canadians. It was his brash personality and unwillingness to back down that earned Layton the reputation as a passionate and tough politician.
That reputation as a fighter would stay with Layton until, and even after, his death.
