Northern B.C. NDP MP Nathan Cullen's voice trembled Tuesday afternoon as he recalled federal New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton's last days, his contributions to Canada's political landscape and their friendship.
"I'm still kind of stunned and I get real depressed when I think Jack's not going to be there," Cullen said in a telephone interview. "It feels like a clich but I can't believe that a guy that strong and passionate just won't be there."
Cullen, the MP for Skeena-Bulkley Valley and who has been the environment critic in the NDP shadow cabinet, added he continues to hear Layton's voice urging him to keep striving.
"It was like 'buck up, get on with it,'" Cullen said. "He didn't let us off the hook. I was reading over his [last] letter again last night and the part that was for the caucus was very explicit - you've got even more work to do now. He had a real talent for asking for a lot and getting it."
Cullen described Layton, who succumbed to cancer early Monday morning at age 61, as both a people person who's idea of relaxation after a long day was to "go where the people are" and a skilled organizer.
"It's a rare combination, but the guy was sharp," Cullen said. "He knew that in order for us to be successful politically, we had to be good internally, in fundraising and communications."
Layton, whose party drew enough votes in the last election to form the official opposition for the first time in its history, has left the NDP in much better shape than in 2004 when the two were first elected to the House of Commons, Cullen asserted.
"Jack was a long-term strategist," Cullen said. "He saw the steps, the long-term steps to power and to changing things for the better."
Cullen said the NDP caucus will meet in a couple of weeks for an annual retreat and next steps will be the major topic. "My focus will be on giving everything we can to keep the team together and keep us focused on the work at hand," he added.
Layton 'tenacious' says Harris
Dick Harris, the Conservative MP for Cariboo-Prince George, said Layton's death came as a shock even with the well-known health troubles he was facing.
Although he rarely if ever agreed with Layton's points of view, "you had to admire the tenacity, the energy, and the passion and commitment he had to getting his message out."
Harris said he never had any direct dealings with Layton and maintained he was not worried when the NDP leader appeared in Prince George during the last election campaign as well as just before the writ was dropped.
"We had long done our numbers, we had done our homework and our pre-election campaigning and our vote identifying, so we had a really good idea of how it was going to turn out," Harris said.
That said, Harris credited Layton for the NDP's breakthrough in Quebec.
"He showed up in areas all across the country and in areas where he had a swing vote, he was able to swing that vote and I'm speaking primarily of Quebec," Harris said. "What happened there was really dramatic, and you can credit Jack 100 per cent."
Layton warms Quebec to Canada says Boone
Lois Boone, who was the NDP's candidate in Prince George-Peace River in the last federal election, also pointed to the gains in Quebec as one of Layton's biggest achievements.
"He did that by making Quebec recognize they had more to accomplish within Canada rather than operating through the Bloc," Boone said. "After the election, I had some very right-wing individuals say to me 'way to go, we've got Quebec back within Canada and operating within a parliamentary system.'"
Boone, who was a long-time provincial MLA, said Layton "spoke with people, he didn't speak to them," likened Layton to a former B.C. NDP leader who led that party to power in the early-1970s.
"I can only compare him to someone like Dave Barrett," Boone said. "Jack Layton just connected to people in a way most people had never seen."
Boone said past NDP leaders Ed Broadbent and Audrey McLaughlin also made campaign stops in northern B.C. in past elections.
