"Don’t let them tell you it can’t be done"

Canadians today are rightly focusing today on Jack Layton's legacy of optimism and integrity, and his inspiring, transcendent and completely heartbreaking final letter to Canadians. His letter, which I find difficult to read straight through right now, cannot be praised highly enough. Its call to justice and service, and focus on creating a better future for all Canadians, convey a forward-looking sense of what it means to be Canadian better than pretty much anything I've read in my lifetime. We could all do a lot worse than to aspire to the goals and vision of Canada toward which Layton urges us here.

We Canadians have, I think, a tendency to treat our history lightly. I hope that this letter is remembered for decades to come. Fortunately, if my Facebook feed is anything to go by, we won't be forgetting it anytime soon.

For me, what I'll remember is Layton's willingness to stake out policy positions because they were
the correct policies, even if they were unpopular. The most obvious example of this was Layton's observation that negotiations with the Taliban in Afghanistan were inevitable. For that, he was labelled by Conservative MPs and other right-wing critics as "Taliban Jack," essentially calling him a traitor. Everyone might be calling him "Smiling Jack Layton" today, but Google hits for "Taliban Jack" Layton outnumber those for "Smiling Jack" Layton by 2 to 1.

Of course, it turned out he was right, as the Conservative government eventually acknowledged, in actions if not in words.

I also admired how he balanced principle with pragmatism. When he was president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, I saw his presentation to the House of Commons Finance Committee, for which I worked as an analyst. I had read about how, as a Toronto City councillor, he would deal with anyone to advance his (concrete) policy goals, but I remember being particularly impressed at how down-to-earth, reasonable and doable his policy objectives were. They responded to a pressing need (in this case housing) that would make life demonstrably better for disadvantaged Canadians.

And he was willing to do what it took to get policies enacted. As Toronto Councillor Norm Kelly commented, "I think Jack’s strength was if he couldn’t win you over on an issue 100 per cent, he would settle for 75 or 50 to advance the issue, and he’d do it with a smile."

With that combination of commitment to social justice, willingness to compromise and understanding of what really matters to Canadians, I was very happy when Layton ran for the NDP leadership, and even happier when he won. From my outsider's perspective, he set the NDP on exactly the right course needed to be relevant to the needs of Canadians in the 21st century.

In his final letter to Canadians, Layton urges all Canadians to "consider that we can be a better, fairer, more equal country by working together. Don’t let them tell you it can’t be done." Layton's life was a testament to this spirit. Now that he's gone, it falls to the rest of us to continue his work, no matter the odds.

Three reasons not to fear the NDP

Like everyone else, the NDP’s surge caught me by surprise. At the outset of the campaign, I was predicting a Liberal minority government, with an outside chance of a Liberal majority. My sense was that Harper had only one card to play – fear of a Coalition – and this fear card would drive Canadians toward the alternative. I didn’t suspect the alternative would be the NDP.

Of course, I have no idea who will come out on top on Monday, but on the off chance that the NDP gets a sniff at government, I thought it might be useful to come up with a list of reasons why we don't necessarily have to fear the descent of a socialist horde. An NDP government (and, again, such a thing seems far, far from certain from the Saturday morning before the election) could govern poorly, sure. Inexperience could mess things up. But it would not be an unabashed disaster for Canada; life would go on as it has lo these many years.

Right on the big issues

The three biggest issues of the past several years were the Canadian mission in Afghanistan, the financial meltdown and the resulting, shall we say, economic hardships. In all three cases, the NDP had the soundest policies, and it would be nice to see this rewarded. On Afghanistan, the NDP has consistently advocated for Canada’s withdrawal from a war we have no hope of winning (with winning redefined every day) in a land we do not understand. The Harper government’s position on the war has been infinitely malleable, as has the Liberals’. At first, withdrawal was called “cut and run” and Jack Layton’s patriotism was questioned by the Conservatives (the shameful “Taliban Jack” insult). Then, it was on the table, and now I’m not sure what the Liberals or Conservatives see the end game as being.

On the financial meltdown and the recession, the NDP historically is a strong proponent of sound financial regulation, which is what saved our bacon while other countries’ financial sectors were getting trashed. And on the recession, of all the parties, the NDP is most open to the type of government stimulus spending that is necessary when private demand is in the tank.

A history of pragmatism

His time on Toronto City Council and as leader of the NDP has revealed Jack Layton to be a pragmatist. He will work with whomever he can to get something done. In a minority-government situation, this would translate into a functional minority Parliament, which would be cause for celebration in and of itself. It also means that Layton would likely focus on moving forward achievable policies, not pie-in-the-sky revolutionary changes. Canada will not become the Union of Canadian Socialist Provinces.

A more responsible party

For me, the main reason why giving the NDP some responsibility would be a good idea is that if absolute power corrupts absolutely, so does a lack of power. When you never have any responsibility, you can say anything you want, secure in the knowledge that it doesn’t really matter. The NDP's election of Layton, a man with practical governing experience, as leader was a step toward tempering ideals with experience. Placing NDP members in positions of power and influence would help the NDP to think about what their policies mean in terms of actually governing a country, and that can only be a good thing for the country as a whole.

So: right on the issues, a pragmatist at the helm, and the potential to allow a political party to mature. There’s your case for why you shouldn’t fear an NDP government.