It was 15-years-ago today that partisans of all political faiths gathered as one at Toronto's Roy Thomson Hall for Jack Layton, the NDP leader who had led his party to a historic victory -- making the NDP the Official Opposition for the first time in its history -- only three months before. Prime Minister Harper and his wife Laureen were joined by past PMs Jean Chretien and Paul Martin and other dignitaries for the tribute. You can watch a video of Mr. Layton's state funeral -- a reminder of the importance of civility in politics -- at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG4q-_t6Q0E
Arthur Milnes is an accomplished public historian and award-winning journalist. He was research assistant on The Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney’s best-selling Memoirs and also served as a speechwriter to then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper and as a Fellow of the Queen’s Centre for the Study of Democracy under the leadership of Tom Axworthy. A resident of Kingston, Ontario, Milnes serves as the in-house historian at the 175 year-old Frontenac Club Hotel.