Mourning Jack Layton
Monday, August 22, 2011 at 14:27
Politicians and activists are mourning the loss of federal opposition leader, Jack Layton.
A long-time Saskatchewan First Nations leader with ties to the NDP says he’s shocked and heartbroken by Layton’s death.
He died early this morning after a second battle with cancer.
Lawrence Joseph ran for the New Democrats in northern Saskatchewan in the most recent federal election.
Joseph says Layton’s interest in advancing First Nations’ quality of life was what prompted him to join the NDP.
Joseph says he’ll never forget the time Layton was moved to tears when he heard Joseph’s accounts of overcrowding on Saskatchewan reserves.
Meanwhile, Peter Gilmer of the Regina Anti-Poverty Ministry says Canada has lost a strong voice in the social justice movement and grassroots activism.
Gilmer says under Layton’s leadership, the NDP was pushing for a federal poverty elimination act.
Gilmer says he recalls Layton saying that activists and politicians need to move from opposition to proposition and find solutions to improve the lives of people in Canada.