Yesterday, Canadians were shocked by the news that Jack Layton, leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada and the official opposition, passed away from cancer. As a member of ‘Laytontown’, I have no doubt that the loss of his indomitable and optimistic presence is deeply felt by every resident of the riding, regardless of political conviction.

I remember the election in 2004, when the winds of change had finally brought him to be the Member of Parliament for our riding. I was still young then and, as far as I could remember, many people were fed up with the previous Liberal MP who didn’t seem to be doing anything for us. Since then, it has felt as though our riding could vote nothing but NDP.

While I didn’t have a good understanding of political ideology when I was young, I did know that Jack had beliefs that were very similar to the ones we were taught in school. Our neighbourhood believed in the beauty of diversity and the value of respect for all. In grade five, I remember having trouble sleeping at night, troubled by the fact that other people didn’t have the rights and comforts that we enjoyed, and that we were ruining ourselves by ruining the environment. Jack Layton’s vision for the future seemed to fit with the values that we grew up with and we firmly believed that Jack was someone who could represent us well and bring about that ideal future of equality, sustainability, and hope.

At the same time, it seemed as though Jack really understood the character of the riding. Although it is part of the largest city in Canada, the neighbourhood in which I grew up had the good qualities of a small town – you knew who your neighbours were and you would help each other at the best and worst of times. It was always a comfort to know that, no matter what happened, your neighbours were there for you, even if they weren’t family or even close friends. In that sense, Jack was always there for us, despite his busy career as leader of the NDP. He attended every one of our Canada Day celebrations in the local park and I once had the fortune of shaking his hand at a local charity auction. He gave my friends and I great praise for being volunteers at a community event and chatted with the attendees like they were old friends. At the same event, the organizers informed him of another upcoming event, and he pulled out his Blackberry and noted it down in his calendar. He said that, although he may not be able to attend the entire event, he would try to come. Later in the year, one of the staff, who is a close friend, said that Jack did attend a portion of the event as promised.

Jack Layton was truly a great man who gave us reason to believe that the world could be changed for the better. He was an optimist, a leader with integrity, a fighter, and an affable politician (something that is almost an oxymoron) who fought valiantly against all odds to try to make Canada, and the world, a better place. His passion and commitment to his work will always be remembered and appreciated.

Rest in peace, Jack Layton, you will be missed.

Read Jack Layton’s final letter to Canadians here.

This week on the web: Students chalk up the streets of Queen’s Park to express their dissent of the recent tuition hike (thanks McGuinty, you’re a pal), the archaeologists of U of T’s Tayinat Archaeological Project discover the gates of an ancient citadel, and some good ol’ ramblings of U of T students brought to you by Tumblr. (more…)

He seems nice.

If you haven’t already heard, Michael Ignatieff is coming to U of T. Starting July 1, he will be a senior resident at Massey College for a one year term. Those of you in Law, Political Science, the Munk School of Global Affairs or the School of Public Policy and Governance may have a chance to take one of his classes.

Although I’m not in any of those faculties, I am excited. He is a scholar-turned-politician-turned-scholar. He’s got tons of experience in and out of the classroom, which means that classes are probably going to be very, very interesting. Think about it: we’re having a world-class professor come teach us – he’s taught at Harvard and Cambridge! No one can say no to stellar faculty. I hope that he not only lectures, but also facilitates discussion and encourages debate between his students.

That being said, I imagine him as being a hard marker. I definitely would not want him to mark my paper.

What do you think? Are you Law/Poli Sci/Global Affairs/Public Policy students excited?

In case you didn’t know, this will be the 4th election in 7 years. By now, I’m sure a lot of people are frustrated with having to vote, knowing that it’s probable that very little will change. This is one of the major reasons why voter turnout was at a historic low at the last election. I distinctly remembering the low morale during that time and the cynicism at our own elections, especially when we could compare all of our candidates and their attack ads with all of the positive campaigning that was going on in the States. It might have been the only time in my life I wished I was American.

In any case, you could ask, well, what does this have to do with student life? Well, Rick Mercer makes a fair point in this rant:

And when he mentions that point about the senior homes (at 1:10), here’s one of the pictures of Elections Campaign Day 3 on the CBC website:

So on May 2nd, vote!

It has been a week since the UTSU elections. Let’s take a look at my predictions and see how they compare with the unofficial results.

‘Winner’: Unite For Action (UFA)

Wow! Really? Who would’ve guessed?

Sarcasm aside, the UFA executive candidates took home an average of 80% of votes. I really hoped VP Internal candidate Nathaniel Tang would have drawn more votes but alas, he ended with just 22% of the vote. Obviously, the uncontested candidates had no trouble ‘winning’ their positions.

Why did this happen? There could be a few reasons:

• Only one slate was up for election;
• Part of the student population was boycotting the election;
• Few eligible voters were aware there even was an election.

Obviously with just one slate, there can only be one winner. No matter how one votes, at the end of the day someone has to be sitting in that position, and, for the nth year in a row it is the incumbent slate. Does this count as winning, or does it count as ‘winning’?

Voter Turnout: Virtually Non-existent

Voter turnout was a meager 5.45%. Wait. What? Approximately 3,000 people voted. That’s about the size of a high school. Needless to say, for a school of around  55,000 people that’s just sad.

Part of the reason why so few votes were submitted had to do with a group of students encouraging others to boycott the election. I realize that boycotting an election is meant to make a statement and promote awareness, but without the appropriate media coverage it is simply a joke. (more…)

UTTV asks students what they would do if they were the UTSU president and how they feel about the fact that there is only one slate running. It seems that the general attitude toward the election isn’t a good one — not a surprise.

The interviewer also points out that the line at Second Cup is longer than the one at the voting station.

Before I begin, I must clarify that as a guest blogger my opinions do not reflect the opinions of the blog. Everything said here is my opinion alone. Now, with that cleared up, let’s start!

1. Predictions

It should come as no surprise when Unite For Action comes out with a clean win. Why? Because:

1. They are the only slate running
2. They are full of incumbents
3. It doesn’t matter how you vote, UFA will inevitably have the “majority” because they have no competition.

I will be the first one to say that I really do hope that Nathaniel Tang, the incumbent running against Corey Scott for VP Internal, gets a spot on the executive board. Unfortunately, unless the tides turn, I don’t see that happening. Sorry Nathaniel. I really do love your 5 pillars. They make sense. They have a purpose. Much better than the rather confusing “let’s bring more life into our services because I want to be able to cook food for you guys and extend it to other faculties” — an answer Corey gave us in the recent debate.

Having said that, this should not deter anyone from voting, or at least finding out why they are the only real slate running in the executive positions. When you think about it, the issues that our university faces will not change. We will always want lower tuition. We will forever want affordable public transit. We will always want an “SU that listens to YOU” (you can thank me later for that catchphrase). The difference is who is leading these initiatives and how they plan on doing it. This is where our voting becomes important. It doesn’t matter how many votes they do get when a certain number of them are spoiled. I know that Students First (the “banned” slate, according to many people) candidates are boycotting the election, and I am sure that many of their followers are doing the same. However, all that achieves is a cover on The Varsity and an even lower voter turnout. (more…)