Hope

I forget that people read and even enjoy my blog until someone reminds me I haven’t blogged in a long time.

So here goes.

I was in Toronto last week for a conference and to visit some colleges.

Living in Victoria, the flashy skyscrapers, hustle and bustle and wealth of Bay Street have become foreign to me. 

In contrast to the opulence, Toronto is the place where social democrat Jack Layton started his political career as a City Counsellor before he went on to be the leader of the federal NDP and official opposition and who knows, had fate not intervened, probably the next prime minister.

I met Jack when he was in Edmonton on the campaign tour in 2011, a couple of months before he died.

He was short in stature, charismatic, smart, focused on restoring social programs, ensuring equitable wealth distribution, appropriately taxing corporations and helping the middle class.

Here is a photo of me (and Jack) at a memorial to him which says “Jack's Got your Back”. 

 

 

 

When he died most of the country felt that we’d lost hope.

But hope was restored this week when Rachel Notley swept Alberta to a majority NDP government. Some of the adjectives I used to describe Jack also describe Rachel.

And her victory speech was reminiscent of Jack. 

 

As Jack said: “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.”

I am optimistic!