Death and state funeral of Jack Layton
Thousands of people lined the procession route and the event was covered nationwide by Canada's major media outlets.
[3] Following the 2011 federal election, Layton announced on July 25, 2011, that he would be taking a temporary leave from his post to fight an unspecified, newly diagnosed cancer.
Layton recommended that NDP caucus chair Nycole Turmel serve as interim leader during his leave of absence.
The United States Ambassador to Canada David Jacobson said, "I just received the sad news that Jack Layton has passed away.
"[12] Spontaneous remembrance gatherings were held in communities across the country, including Ottawa,[13] Toronto,[14] Vancouver,[15] Montreal,[16] Halifax,[17] St. John's,[18] Calgary,[19] Edmonton,[20] Quebec City,[21] Sherbrooke,[22] Victoria,[14] Surrey,[23] Winnipeg,[24] Brantford,[25] Sarnia,[26] Guelph,[14] Sudbury,[14] and Corner Brook.
On the evening following Layton's funeral, the CN Tower and the Niagara Falls were lit in orange (the colour of the NDP) in his honour from sunset to sunrise.
[30] During a visit to Parliament Hill, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom David Cameron, paid tribute to Layton, stating that: "I offer sincere condolences to Olivia and his family.
Elections Canada warned the NDP that it was skirting the law, forcing the party to make changes on its website regarding the donations.
In the letter, he expressed his wishes regarding the NDP's leadership in the event of his death, and addressed various segments of the Canadian population.
And we'll change the world.In the week before the funeral, Layton's body was laid in state at Parliament Hill at the House of Commons foyer and was open to the public from 12:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday and 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday then at Toronto City Hall on Friday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.[37][38] Four Parliamentary security officers were assigned to flank the casket in Ottawa.
[39] Layton called Brent Hawkes, of the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto, days before stepping aside as the leader of the NDP, to arrange meetings regarding the procedures of his funeral.
[40] The honorary pallbearers were former NDP leaders/MPs Ed Broadbent, Audrey McLaughlin, and Alexa McDonough; Greg Selinger, Premier of Manitoba, and Darrell Dexter, Premier of Nova Scotia; former Manitoba premier and Ambassador of Canada to the United States Gary Doer, and Roy Romanow, former premier of Saskatchewan; Brad Lavigne, Layton's principal secretary while Leader of the Opposition, Bob Gallagher, former chief of staff to Layton, and Jamey Heath, former research and communications director for the NDP; Marilyn Churley, Tim Flannery, Ken Neumann (National Director for Canada, United Steelworkers), Winnie Ng, Joy MacPhail, and Charles Taylor.
The choir from the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto sang the processional as the coffin was carried in, followed by a performance of "O Canada" by singer Joy Klopp and pianist Diane Leah.
[47][48][49] CP24's Ann Rohmer and Stephen LeDrew anchored live from Nathan Phillips Square on August 26, the day of public visitations at Toronto City Hall.
The ceremony was screened live in adjacent Pecaut Square and St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Toronto to accommodate overflow crowds not able to be seated in Roy Thomson Hall, as well as in Montreal, Vancouver, Victoria, Quebec City, Saskatoon and other communities.
The unusually widespread show of public emotion from government, the media, and large numbers of private citizens drew some critical comment.
National Post columnist Barbara Kay drew a link between the deaths of Layton and Diana, Princess of Wales, suggesting Harper did not want to come across as detached, as Queen Elizabeth II did.
"[52] Toronto Sun columnist Mike Strobel argued that the grief was over the top, celebrating Layton as a martyr greater in death than life.
[54] Several activist groups accompanied their condolences of Layton's death by drawing attention to their causes, and a columnist suggested that this posturing could cause cynicism about their public declarations of sympathies.
