Speaking Out: Ideas That Work for Canadians

Jeffrey J. Cormier is an assistant professor of sociology at the
University of Western Ontario in London. He is the author of The
Canadianization Movement: Emergence, Survival and Success.

New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton has written an upbeat,
forward-looking book that critiques Liberal government policies while
offering concrete ideas and practical suggestions for meeting what he
sees as challenges currently facing Canada. It is neither pure political
autobiography—although Layton does provide biographical details like
his formative years in a politically aware and active household, his
grassroots activism during the 1970s in Quebec, and his 20 years as a
Toronto city councillor—nor official NDP party platform. Rather, it is
Jack Layton connecting his personal and professional experience to
social, economic, and political issues to demonstrate an alternative
vision of how politics, broadly conceptualized, should work.

Layton untangles a myriad of individual issues packed together as the
environment, health care, First Nations, women, immigration, and Quebec.
At the same time, he sees many of these problems as interconnected: poor
air quality (environment), he points out, is linked to respiratory
problems (health care). Many of the solutions Layton proposes to
national problems are drawn directly from his years as a Toronto city
councillor. After outlining a particular problem and critiquing Liberal
government handling of the issue, Layton describes, often with some
pride, how alternative solutions were discovered and implemented because
municipal government was willing to work with local communities. This
approach reflects Layton’s fundamental core political principle:
grassroots local communities are the best sites to develop innovative
ideas for solving political, economic, and social problems. If
governments are willing to listen to and work with local communities,
then we will have efficient, open, and transparent social programs and
policies.

Layton writes in an easily accessible style for a general audience. My
only critique is that other than mentioning that large multinational
corporations are taking away Canadian sovereignty, he focuses
exclusively on domestic matters. He is completely silent on Canada’s
role internationally and on issues of foreign policy. One wonders how
effective local community initiatives would be at that level.