Jack Layton must pull together many young MPs.
Photograph by: Ben Nelms, Reuters, Postmedia News
By Mark Kennedy - NDP leader Jack Layton, propelled into official Opposition status with the help of a wave of rookie Quebec MPs, says he will fight for regional interests but won't ever abandon the broader objective of working as a national party.
In a wide-ranging discussion with Postmedia News, Layton spoke about issues stemming from the election, what the results mean for the next Parliament and for the future of his party.
He also spoke about the state of his personal health after more than a year of battling cancer.
Since the unprecedented election results, Layton has been keeping a steady work pace in preparation for the opening of the new Parliament, expected May 30 or June 6. "We've got our work cut out for us, that's for sure," he said.
Among the most pressing challenges he has is quickly pulling together the 103-member caucus into a cohesive team that is disciplined, gains respect from the electorate and ultimately is regarded as a government-inwaiting before the next election, likely in 2015.
Moreover, Layton's task is to ensure his party does not become -either in reality or perception -beholden to the political base it now has in Quebec.
Of the 103 NDP seats won in the May 2 vote, 59 are from Quebec -and all but one of those from the province are rookies.
Layton said he can accomplish this task.
"In our last caucus, twothirds of our caucus were from Ontario. And yet we worked as a national party across the board on the issues. And I think people respected that. Our view is that we are all Canadians and the goal here is to work together."
Throughout the interview, Layton was relaxed and eager to talk. Here are the highlights:
On whether the NDP surge ? ? was a protest vote:
"I think people were looking for change. On the other hand, they were attracted to what we were saying. They felt that we were tuning into the kinds of things that their families were concerned about. And that's really what governments should do. I suspect it's a mix of both."
On the NDP election ma-? ? chine:
He says the party carefully built a strong ground machine, with candidates knocking on doors and the national party launching ads. "We built that team carefully, and those capacities carefully. We had an ability to match the spending of the big parties during the campaign, which hadn't really happened before."
On exercising discipline in ? ? his new caucus:
Layton acknowledged NDP MPs will be under more "scrutiny" now that they are the official Opposition.
"I think there is a very significant responsibility and we take it very seriously," he said. "I would say that we have been preparing for this and that our caucus has a good reputation of the caucuses on Parliament Hill for hard work, for well-informed work, for working as a team. We'll bring that same set of concepts and approach to the new caucus."
??On Ruth Ellen Brosseau:
The 27-year-old worked at the Carleton University pub, vacationed in Las Vegas during the campaign and never set foot in the riding she won. Since then, she has refused to speak to the national media.
"This is someone who wasn't particularly expecting to win," Layton said. "In speaking with her, this is one determined single mom who feels that she has a lot to contribute and is looking forward to serving her community . I think she's got the makings of an excellent MP."
??On his personal health:
In February 2010, Layton announced he had prostate cancer and was undergoing treatment. Then, just before the campaign, he underwent hip surgery.
Rumours have persisted about his personal health. Layton said that "since the campaign" he had a PSA test to check on the prostate cancer and "it is still virtually undetectable.
"Cancer is cancer," he added. "Anyone living with cancer knows that that can change."