so as the thread topic says ... is the STATE funeral for jack layton justified?
yes jack layton was a good person and the leader of the opposition, and yes he fought cancer for a while and sadly died. but is this enough to spend tens of thousands of tax payers dollars for a funeral of a man who was only the opposition leader for a couple months? if you look at the last state funeral that was held back in 2000 it was for Pierre Elliot Trudeau, held the seat of prime minister for 15 years (edit: as to whether he was great or not is up for debate). state funerals arent something for ordinary people, and i feel as though even though layton was the opposition leader his achievement was no greater than any other and not so extra ordinary. now some of you may play the cancer card, but lots of people get cancer and that issue should have been irrelevant in deciding whether he deserves the state funeral and whether tax payers should waste money on it. i also find it ironic that someone who scrutinized the wasteful spending of tax payers money is now having such a grand funeral.

... any ways thats what i think and imo he shouldn't have gotten a state funeral and its such a waste of money and even though what i said may sound cruel that's the fact.

what do others think of this?

p.s. here is a link to an article i read about this http://ar.deportes.yahoo.com /blogs/canada-politics/cost-jack-layton-state-funeral-questioned-thousands-pay-203429851.html

I agree with everything you just said, except for Trudeau being a great man.

Originally Posted by DutchRudder

I agree with everything you just said, except for Trudeau being a great man.

This. /12 chars

81% of Canadians support a state funeral for Jack (see http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca /sunne...7-155522.html). I think that speaks more loudly than any loudmouth columnist at the Toronto Sun.

As for Trudeau, there are few politicians more despised by much of Western Canada than him. Seeing Trudeau idolized was an extremely painful event for many Western Canadians, although I still think a state funeral for PM Trudeau was worthwhile.

Jack may not have been Prime minister, but he was loved and supported by Canadians in every province. The enormous personal support he had from Canadians from all walks of life, all political parties, and all regions of the country is more than sufficient justification for a state funeral.

is it justified u care so much he has a state funeral?

Originally Posted by Chevalier

... any ways thats what i think and imo he shouldn't have gotten a state funeral and its such a waste of money and even though what i said may sound cruel that's the fact.

what do others think of this?

It's not a waste of money. He was an important figure, and I fully support giving the guy a state funeral. It's a pretty big deal when such a charismatic Canadian suddenly passes away. He might not be important to you, but to many people, the guy was a role model. Heck, I once met the guy in real life and we exchanged a few words. He was the real deal.

In the grand scheme of things, I don't see why you think it's such a big waste of money. We suspended parliament for 2 months, spent nearly a billion dollars last year on G-20, spend money everyday fighting a war in Afghanistan, and suddenly we get stingy over Layton's funeral? If anything, this funeral will bring Canadians (of all colours) together.

As macsci mentioned, the ruling conservatives have wasted millions on useless things for the G20 summit, so I don't see how having a state funeral for a loved, respected and self-less Canadian politican can be called "unjustified."
State funerals don't happen every day, and people like Jack don't come around every day. He deserves the honour and I think it would have been out of the question not to offer him the honour after the outpouring of grief we have seen nationwide.

I typed out a fairly long response but I accidentally refreshed the page and lost it all so I'll just say this:

If Canadians (the state) feel he deserved one, then it was completely justified and there are much bigger wastes of money than honouring a man who most people, myself included, saw in a positive light.

Also, I have to say that this is a great political move by Stephen Harper.

A great man is now dead, after a long painful struggle with cancer. This was our chance not as mere tax payers but as humanity to bid him farewell. I'm not sure if financial justification should be your primary concern.

To paraphrase Anne-Marie Mediwake from CBC, during the coverage she reported how many parents she spoke with emphasized that they wanted to bring their children to the funeral, not just to acknowledge that Layton died but why he died.

I see it a little differently. I think that it was important to recognize what he was fighting for. He fought for every person, and he did so with grace, and compassion. Even his service represented so much diversity and so much dignity. While I supported the NDP because of their political offerings to people and families such as my own, I never knew much about Jack Layton himself. However, today, after watching nearly the entire funeral when I sat down for "a few minutes", I was moved by how much I learned.

I have immense respect for the man, I feel that even in passing, he had much to offer. He acknowledged something I believe all Canadians need to hear: "That Canada is great, but can be better." He gave importance to voices and minorities are disadvantaged, prejudiced against and unheard of, such as the Indigenous Peoples, the Muslims and the gay and lesbian community to name a few. It was profound to see his impact and to learn from his life for a few short hours this evening. I do feel that that service has changed me and made me reflect on Canadian issues, but also deeper issues of humanity and the struggles we must continue to fight. Moreover, I feel today that I have learned more about being a good person who does not define themselves but wealth or votes of popularity, but goodness, charity, compassion and patience.

So I believe it was justified, because too often, patriotism is confused with blind support. However, we as Canadians need to acknowledge that it is instead a love and dedication to a country, but also a commitment to changing it for better horizons. Patriotism and support are not just about waving a flag for what your country presently represents, but helping it represent more, and many better things.

It was saddening that we lost a great leader to cancer, but I feel that funeral would be justified even if it were any other disease. He left a mark on humanity and a mark on an entire nation of peace and optimism, when too often we focus on war, segregation and unnecessary judgment, even today. He was inspiring and motivating, pushing our country toward the better. If those are not great qualities of a human being to honour, I do not know what are.

Yes, he was imperfect and I will not paint him a saint, but to pay tribute to somebody who unified so many and left such an astounding impression is necessary. If we spend money on weapons, we can spend on peace.

You raise an interesting question; it was certainly over the top and absurd, but it was certainly justified... despite it being only one person, and while not many people have funeral services on this kind of scale, it meant a lot to people, which is why it was such a big deal.


I doubt Harper would have such a big attendance...

Originally Posted by RememberTwce

I typed out a fairly long response but I accidentally refreshed the page and lost it all so I'll just say this:

If Canadians (the state) feel he deserved one, then it was completely justified and there are much bigger wastes of money than honouring a man who most people, myself included, saw in a positive light.

Also, I have to say that this is a great political move by Stephen Harper.

i agree with you on this, especially the fact about it being a great political move by harper. not only is he appeasing those who loved and followed layton, but also getting them onto his side in some ways. i also feel as though it is a good move for the NDP's too in having their leader commemorated like this which shows Canadians that they are just as big and great as the other parties.

I think it's justified in the sense that it was actually a refreshing change to see so many people actively involved in politics, partially thanks to Layton. I mean, politics got boring for a while. Whether it was incompetent leaders or scandal after scandal, people became less and less attracted to politics and more and more distanced from their government. Then, along came Jack Layton. He brought this new energy to Canadian politics that had not been felt since the Trudeau days! While I may not have agreed with the man's policies, he was the best politician that we have had in many, many years, one that actually seemed to understand what the people wanted, and was totally deserving of the state funeral and praise that he received. As an article I read earlier stated, Layton was the greatest Prime Minister that never was. As for Trudeau, his social beliefs and policies were incredible and what a country should strive for. His economic policies, on the other hand, were atrocious and only served to make Ontario and Quebec wealthy at the cost of the West. Since he formed the foundation for the future of Canada, however, he too was definitely deserving of a state funeral.

TL;DR: Layton is a boss. Trudeau... Not so much.

i don't believe it was a waste either.

Originally Posted by macsci

In the grand scheme of things, I don't see why you think it's such a big waste of money. We suspended parliament for 2 months, spent nearly a billion dollars last year on G-20, spend money everyday fighting a war in Afghanistan, and suddenly we get stingy over Layton's funeral? If anything, this funeral will bring Canadians (of all colours) together.

Just because its a smaller waste of money doesn't mean it isn't a waste of money

Spending taxpayer money on anything other than what benefits everyone is a misuse of said money