Ottawa

‘He said he believed in them’

A Torontonian remembers her time with Jack Layton.

Not only did Layton accept, but he spent two hours that summer afternoon on a walking tour of the neighbourhood, listening to them talk about problems with community housing, schools, a lack of recreational facilities and, ultimately, a lack of jobs.

“No one was doing anything for them,” Davis said, “but he did. He told them they had to get involved in order to change their lives and that they were as good and intelligent as anybody else. He said he believed in them and that they could improve their lives if they would believe in themselves.”

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