Jack Layton's State Funeral

The Canadian taxpayer paid $368,326 towards the cost of the funeral for Jack Layton. Although Layton propelled the NDP to a level never seen before in Quebec during the last federal election campaign, along with the accompanying title of Official Opposition, Layton’s health condition quickly deteriorated succumbing to his cancer before he had a chance to return to the House of Commons to savour his victory.

While the government was under no obligation to offer Layton’s family a state funeral, I believe the decision was made because of Layton’s immense popularity and to avoid public criticism of the government. The fact remains that in accordance with government protocol, Jack Layton’s passing did not meet the requirements for a state funeral. In that regard, the decision could have been made for the wrong reasons, perhaps creating the issue of popularity as another qualification for a state funeral.