I almost missed Jack's funeral. But luckily I didn't because it was a true gathering of the clan... or the Jack Nation.
And though it was of course a sad occasion because he was taken too young. It was also a chance to celebrate his life. And we sure did.
I wish I could say more, but I'm too tired. And besides somebody told me the other day that I write too much.
So here's a little video I made to give you an idea of what it was like to be there...
When it was over I was lifted by all that love, but I also felt sad and empty because now I know he's really gone. And beyond everything else it's such a horrible tragedy. Why Jack? Why now? How could this happen when we needed hope so badly?
To hear so many Canadians speak so open-heartedly of love, to see young and old take chalk in hand to write without embarrassment of hope, or hang banners from overpasses to express their grief and loss. It's astonishing.
Inevitably, we fastened on those last memorable lines about hope, optimism and love. But the letter was, at its heart, a manifesto for social democracy.
Just like I'll never forget what his son said about how the best dreams are those that are bigger than your life.
And Stephen Page's magnificent Hallelujah.
Hallelujah for Jack Layton. For bringing hope to Canada like rain to a desert.
Will this recovered hope shrivel away in the light of day? Maybe.
But tonight the CN Tower is glowing orange. Everything seems possible.
I wasn't able to pay my last respects to Jack Layton today. When I went on my lunch break the line was just too long.
But I did spend some time with the Jack Nation at City Hall, and once again it was an awesome sight.
If only he could have seen it. Watching the memorial to Jack Layton unfold at City Hall on Friday, it was hard not to think, “God, he would have loved this.”
Not just because hundreds upon hundreds of people came to praise him, but because they came pledging to carry on his crusade of caring and hope.
Outside in the square, what can only be described as a happening was under way. Scores of people milled around, reading the messages scrawled in coloured chalk on the paving stones, writing messages themselves, taking pictures of the impromptu shrine piled with flowers. The city has never seen anything quite like it.
Because if Marcus Gee was moved, you can imagine how I felt eh?
I understand that some right-wingers, like the pathetic nerd Ezra Levant, have been acting like pigs. Again.
But who really cares? They are what they are, they don't understand what's happening, and they are AFRAID.
While our people are gathering strength from tragedy, preparing to answer his call to change the world. And they should be the ones we are writing about.
I have written quite a bit about what has been happening since Jack died. About how he gave us hope and a mighty new weapon.
And no doubt I will write more about what I think it all means in the next few days.
But I leave you with a little video I put together with some pictures I took today, and some video Seb shot for me on his lunch break.
It's a little rough, because it was noisy in the square, but I think it says all I want to say tonight...
I found the sight of Jack Layton leaving the House of Commons for the last time incredibly moving.
The cannons blasting, the people clapping, the bells playing "Imagine."
And when the funeral cortege crossed the bridge into Quebec, so Jack could say a last goodbye to Quebecers, I had to turn my head away so my co-workers wouldn't think I cry easily.
And that it could change Canadian politics in ways most people cannot IMAGINE.
Because these words have fallen like rain on a desert.
My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.
And I agree with Stephen Lewis, who will deliver Jack's eulogy.
"That's what's so fascinating about the phenomenon of Jack Layton. Everybody feels that he's a friend — and a friend that they would willingly follow," Lewis observed. "Beyond the sadness and pain of his death — and it is an incomparable loss — there will lie a legacy which continues. I really feel that."
I know it's fashionable in Canada to sneer at emotion. And to regard people like me, as hopelessly idealistic or naive.
But I don't care eh? Because I was born into a bigoted world, so I never had a choice but to struggle for a better one, or a Promised Land.
And although I might not cry easily, I am proud to wear my heart on my sleeve. I feel sorry for those who can't. For why should they fear death when they are dead already?
And long before I even heard of Jack Layton, I had another hero.
And these mighty words, the night before he was murdered, compelled me to fight the bigots and the bullies...
Did you see that tiny rainbow? That's what hope means to me. My Promised Land is a kinder, gentler, fairer world.
I want to get there so much. Just like Jack did, but couldn't. So we will get there for him.
Yup. Some people and some words CAN move mountains.
The Jack Nation is born. And even in the darkness of Harperland.
I was walking my dog just before dawn this morning. There was a chill in the air I hadn't felt for months. But in the distance the sun was rising orange. So I should have known that Jack had died.
And when I found out I was so sad, not just for my MP Olivia, his family, his friends, and his party. But also for the Canada I love.
Because I admired Jack for many reasons. For standing up for the rights of women, gays and lesbians, seniors, and the poor people of this country.
I admired him for fighting so long for the human rights of homeless people.
Because believe me, like so many other humble citizens of this country, they too are mourning him today...
I admired Jack for the way he defended our precious medicare system from those who would destroy it.
I loved him for his down to earth humanity.
And for being a true friend of gay people...
But most of all I admired and loved him for the way he reached out to the French-speaking people of Quebec, and convinced them to give Canada another chance.
Because keeping our country together means everything to me.
I was watching the coverage on Radio Canada this afternoon, and reading their website, and it was deeply moving to see the tributes flowing in like a veritable torrent of grief.
Tributes like this one:
A great one, a sincere man, honest, positive, that's why we loved him. Thank you Jack.
Or this one:
Even if I'm only ten years old I think he was the best politician forever.
Because even a kid knew a good man when he saw one.
I was amazed how many of them compared him to Rene Levesque for his honesty and his humanity. Or all those who called on him, the Anglo federalist, to look after them from above.
My guess is that Quebecers just got themselves a new political saint, and that they will not easily forget him.
Just like I will never forget Jack's last message to Canadians.
His message of hope for cancer patients. His love for his country. His faith in the youth of Canada:
There are great challenges before you, from the overwhelming nature of climate change to the unfairness of an economy that excludes so many from our collective wealth, and the changes necessary to build a more inclusive and generous Canada. I believe in you. Your energy, your vision, your passion for justice are exactly what this country needs today. You need to be at the heart of our economy, our political life, and our plans for the present and the future.
And his last words:
My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.
Rest in peace my happy, brave warrior. For we will NEVER forget you.
