Jack Layton and Charlie Angus were driving down a Northern Ontario highway when the sun began to set.
MP Angus (NDP, Timmins-James Bay) was anxious to get home to Timmins and relax. But his leader Layton wanted to stop, take in the beauty of the setting sun and take a picture. Angus, in Thunder Bay Sunday for a commemoration to mark the one year anniversary of Layton’s death, said it was typical of his friend and boss to want to take a minute and enjoy something as simple as a sunset.
“Jack loved the North. He loved the North. He loved the people of the North and I just thought as a good friend of his that maybe this would be a good way to celebrate his life,” Angus said after members of the local NDP riding association planted a tree in Layton’s memory at Birch Point Park near Boulevard Lake.
The ceremony was one of many taking place throughout the country before a large gathering takes place to honour the politician Aug. 22. MP John Rafferty (NDP, Thunder Bay-Rainy River) said Layton has left his mark on Ottawa and Canada as a whole and that planting a maple tree in his memory is a fitting way to honour him.
“His life was cut short and wasn’t able to grow to full potential so planting a tree is certainly an expression I think of the love and support we had for Jack but also something that Jack would have liked,” Rafferty said. “He was an environmentalist and cared deeply about the environment we live in in Canada.”
Both Rafferty and Angus say they were shocked when their friend and leader died of cancer.
“We were all absolutely stunned when Jack got sick and when Jack died partly because he was a guy who was so on fire he was so confident,” Angus said. “He was just the kind of guy you thought would always be there.”
Still, they look forward to the future and seeing Layton’s legacy and goals come true.
“It’s been an amazing year,” Angus said. “To see all the roots that he planted that are starting to spring up.”
Layton was 61.
