Originally Posted by liY12345

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

I'm pretty sure every single service offered by the government which is funded by taxes doesn't benefit everyone.

Originally Posted by Chevalier

... 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?

He was not just the opposition leader for a few months - he was also a political party leader for years, and a prominent Toronto politician before that, and a professor before that. The funeral wasn't for the Opposition Leader, who just happened to be Jack Layton; the funeral was for Jack Layton, emphasizing his career and his sheer dedication as a politician, the latter being hard to deny regardless of your party allegiances. In my opinion, one's titles alone should not dictate how and to what extent the individual is remembered.

Layton was greatly admired and was very much respected as a public figure, I think the state funeral was a great way for everyone to show their respects and mourn him and what he stood for.