loses battle to cancer
By Arti Panday
A passionate politician, a dedicated Canadian, and a hopeful citizen are just a few ways to describe New Democratic Party leader, Jack Layton who has, over the years, become a trusted friend of the common man.
On Monday, August 22, 2011 at 4:45am, 61-year-old Layton passed away peacefully at his home, surrounded by his family members.
Less than a month after announcing his leave of absence due to a second, more serious, bout of cancer, Layton lost the battle to which he presented such a brave front.
"Your support and well wishes are so appreciated. Thank you. I will fight this and beat it," Layton posted on Twitter shortly after his announcement. It was the last public statement he made.
Dating back nearly two centuries, it seems politics was in Layton's blood.
Tracing his political background to his great-grand uncle, William Henry Steeves, a Father of Canadian Confederation who served as a Liberal leader, Layton certainly had a place in politics reserved for him.
The passion of his great-grandfather Philip Layton who helped found the Montreal Association for the Blind and the political backgrounds of his grandfather Gilbert Layton (former cabinet minister in the Union Nationale), and father Robert Layton (chairman of the Conservative caucus) also add to Layton's political history.
After such a deep-rooted history in politics, there was no doubt Jack Layton would have strong views and an inclination to government.
Layton worked diligently in the most recent federal election and led the NDP to become the official opposition, surpassing the Liberals in the heated race.
"The NDP had great leaders and in spite of their best efforts, none of those gentlemen was able to make the NDP a genuinely national party, Jack did," said former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.
Born in Montreal in 1950, Layton was raised nearby in Hudson, Quebec where he attended school.
Layton's passion for politics dates back to his high school where he was president of the Hudson High School student council. He also became prime minister of the Quebec Youth Parliament.
In 1972, Layton relocated to Toronto from Montreal with his wife at the time, Sally Halford.
During the course of their marriage Layton and Halford had two children, Sarah and Michael. His son Michael also had an inclination to politics and is now serving as a Toronto City Councillor.
Layton and Halford eventually separated after 14 years of marriage.
Elected to Toronto City Council in 1982, his political career officially began. Layton dove right into politics, presenting his views and creating a strong left-wing persona for himself.
In 1985 he met, then school board trustee, Olivia Chow. They were a perfect match and got married three years later in 1988.
In 2003, the power couple became NDP MPs for downtown Toronto ridings, bringing their political passion to the city they love.
The Opposition Leader will lie in state in two places dear to his political heart: Toronto City Hall and the House of Commons.
His state funeral, for invited dignitaries and ordinary Canadians, will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, August 27, 2011 at the 2,800-seat Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto.
Port-of-Spain – Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar on Sunday night declared a limited State of Emergency in "hot spots" across the country.
The move took effect after midnight Sunday.
Persad-Bissessar said there was a need to implement strict conditions because of the crime spree over the weekend where 11 persons were killed in just over 48 hours.
"The current crime spree dictates that more must be done and stronger action has to be employed now. The situation cannot continue like this without a response commensurate with the wanton acts of violence and lawlessness; it must be a response as well that will halt the current spike in gang activity and crime in general in the shortest possible time," she said.
The Prime Minister, who was recuperating at her home since last Wednesday suffering from a bout of dengue, held emergency meetings at her home on Sunday. The first meeting was with the National Security Council consisting of commanding officer of the Army Colonel Anthony Phillips Spencer, Chief Defence of Staff Brigadier Kenrick Maharaj, Deputy Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams, Brigadier Colonel Albert Griffith, and Deputy Commissioner of Police Mervyn Richardson, and Commissioner of Prisons John Rougier and selected members of the Cabinet including Attorney General Anand
Ramlogan, Minister of National Security John Sandy, and Minister of Legal Affairs Prakash Ramadhar. After that meeting she met with members of Cabinet for over an hour.
Persad-Bissessar said that the State of Emergency was agreed to by the Cabinet and National Security Council because: "The limited State of Emergency, pursuant to Section 8:1 of our Constitution, and Section 8:2, will take effect from midnight [Sunday night]. The limited State of Emergency will allow us to achieve a number of things in relation to crime reduction which would not be prudent for me to disclose in advance of the action taken. We are aware that such a decision will have an impact on the daily lives of innocent, law abiding citizens in these areas but I feel confident that they will recognise and appreciate the need to protect them and bring the current crime surge affecting them under control".
The Prime Minister expressed confidence that the State of Emergency would be successful in the government's war against crime.
"I say we have the will to tackle the crime problem in Trinidad and Tobago. We have the commitment to place every resource at our disposal towards waging and winning this war on crime. We will succeed. The nation must not be held to ransom by marauding groups of thugs bent on creating havoc on our society. We will hunt them down search them out and we will bring them to justice," she said.
She said the limited State of Emergency in hot spots across Trinidad and Tobago is merely part of a larger aggressive response by the government.
The Prime Minister said that the measures implemented were provided for in the Constitution, as the government was not only mindful of the rights of citizens to freedom, but also it was important for citizens "to be protected and to enjoy a life of peace and tranquility".
She added: "Whilst it is true that our Constitution gives us rights and freedom it is that very Constitution which provided, as the framers in their wisdom decided, to include provision that would allow for the measure that we are taking today. This measure is not extra constitutional—it is indeed within the body of our Constitution," she said.
She added that an "Emergency Powers Curfew" Order will also be put into place, to enable for curfews within the designated areas for certain time periods.
The Prime Minister explained that the limited State of Emergency: "Would allow for the members of the Defence Force and for persons from the military to have certain powers which allow for powers of search and seizure for powers of arrest, which they do not at present have. What this would do, amongst many other things, is to augment the manpower of the police service. We have 5,000 members of the Defence Force, able bodied men who are trained, who can assist at this time in the greatest battle that we are facing in the war against crime. This is part of this battle, this is part of the war, and this is one of the mechanisms that we are using, this is one of the mechanisms. There are others which we discussed which I prefer not to disclose at this time".
Persad-Bissessar said that she would meet with Leader of the Opposition Dr. Keith Rowley to not only discuss the State of Emergency, but also would be seeking the Opposition's cooperation in the defeated Capital Punishment (Death Penalty) Bill, among others, as well as the establishment of a gun court.
The Prime Minister said the Ministry of National Security John Sandy had measures to implement which would not allow the migration of criminals from the "hot spots", but she did not want to elaborate on those measures.
The areas deemed hot spots are: The City of Port-of-Spain - St. James East; St. James West; Woodbrook. Northern Port-of-Spain: Belmont East; Belmont North & West. Southern Port-of-Spain: East Dry River; St. Ann's River South; St. Ann's River Central; St. Ann's River North; Belmont South.
The City of San Fernando: Cocoyea/Tarouba; Les Efforts East/Cipero; Les Efforts West/La Romain; Marabella East; Marabella South/Vistabella; Marabella West; Mon Repos/Navet; Pleasantville; Spring Vale/Paradise.
The Borough of Arima: Calvary; Arima North East; Arima West; Arima Central; Malabar; Tumpuna; O'Meara.
The Borough of Chaguanas: Charlieville; Edinburgh/Longdonville; Enterprise North; Enterprise South; Cunupia; Montrose; Felicity/Endeavour; Munroe Road/Caroni Savannah.
The San Juan/Laventille Regional Corporation: Maracas Bay/Santa Cruz/La Fillette; Febeau/Bourg Mulatresse; Morvant/Upper Malick; San Juan West/Caledonia; St. Ann's/Cascade/Mon Repos West; St. Barb's Chinapoo; Beetham/Picton; Success/Trou Macaque;
Aranguez/Warner Village; Barataria; Petit Bourg/Champ Fleurs/Mt. Lambert; San Juan East.
The Diego Martin Regional Corporation: Chaguaramas/Glencoe; Goodwood/La Puerta; Covinge/Richplain; Diamond Vale; Morne Coco/Alyce Glen; Petit Valley/Cocorite; St. Lucien/Cameron Hill; Belle Vue/Bossiere #1; Moka/Bossiere #2.