R.I.P. Jack Layton

I never met the man, and only occasionally voted for his party, but with the death of the Honourable Jack Layton, who only recently led his party in an historic campaign to become the official opposition in the House, we Canadians have lost a man who epitomized honour, passion, grace and determination.

How many politicians can you say that about?

His own letter to Canadians released today after his death captures what he was all about. It ends with this:

My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.