New Democrat constituency offices have opened their doors to Canadians wishing to sign books of condolence for Jack Layton in advance of his state funeral in Toronto this weekend.
Layton will be honoured with a rare state funeral traditionally reserved for current and former governors general, currrent and former prime ministers and current members of cabinet.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper extended the honour to Layton’s wife, Olivia Chow, and she accepted.
The service is expected to be open to the public and will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday at Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall.
Until then, Layton’s NDP colleagues are inviting Canadians to honour their charismatic leader at their local offices where books of condolence will be available for them to sign.
Anyone who can’t make it in person is invited to go to www.ndp.ca and leave a message in the NDP’s online condolence book.
Many Liberal MPs have also opened books of condolence at their constituency offices and all of them are welcoming people wishing to pay tribute to Layton and his family into their offices.
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Within moments of hearing that Layton had died from cancer on Monday morning, thousands of Canadians started posting comments and memories of the 61-year-old man who many knew as Jack.
Here are some of messages Canadians have left on Global News’ memorial page for Layton.
“I sit here with a profound feeling of sadness after hearing of Jack Layton’s passing. The Layton family and indeed Canada has suffered a devastating loss. My condolences go to the family and friends of a great man who I believe would have one day been a great leader of our country.” -Kelly
“Canada lost a great man today. As a country we need to stand together and continue the fight he started. He did not give up and neither can we. You will be missed by many but forgotten by none. RIP Jack Layton.” – Adele Peszat
“Thank you for making a difference in this world….” –Lisa Downey
“Regardless of your political stripe, you can’t deny that Jack Layton was a man who loved our country. Government needs more people like him. He will be greatly missed.” – Keely
People also gathered in person on Monday to remember and mourn Layton.
On Parliament Hill the Peace Tower’s flag was at half-mast and a memorial sprung up around the Centennial Flame. On Monday night, thousands showed up on the Hill for a candlelight vigil.
In Toronto, residents gathered at 4 p.m. on Monday at Nathan Philips Square in front of Toronto City Hall to say goodbye to the late Toronto MP and former city councilor. Many laid flowers and wrote memorial messages in chalk on the walls around city hall. According to a Tweet by Toronto’s Mayor Rob Ford, a book of condolences for Layton is available for signing in the rotunda at Toronto City Hall.
Other memorials were held in Sudbury, Ont., Guelph, Ont., Montreal, Vancouver, Victoria on Monday night.
For those Canadians who want to donate in memory of Jack Layton, the NDP released this statement:
“Jack Layton’s family has asked that in lieu of flowers, and to continue the work of making Canada a better place, donations be made to the Broadbent Institute, in memoriam.Canadians can also go to http://www.ndp.ca and click on Express your Condolences to leave a message about Jack Layton and what he meant to them. ”
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