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A Message from Jack Layton

THANK YOU NDP MEMBERS!!!!!

I am humbled and enormously honoured by your tremendous support for me in the leadership vote. For the first time, the leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada has a mandate from the entire membership to take us forward.

I’d like to thank each and every member who gave me their support. For those who supported other candidates, I congratulate you for your participation in the democratic process and I look forward to working with you to build our party as we move towards the next election.

It’s a true honour to succeed Alexa McDonough as leader. Alexa’s passionate commitment to the cause of social democracy has given hope to the millions of Canadians who seek a progressive alternative to the corporate agenda.

I want to pay a special tribute to Bev, Pierre, Joe, Lorne and Bill. This was a campaign about substance, with goodwill and mutual respect on all sides. It was a campaign we can all be proud of as NDP members.

I do not have the words or the space here to fully express my gratitude to the thousands of people in every province and territory who worked on my campaign. Your commitment, dedication and endless energy were a constant source of inspiration of Olivia and me on the campaign trail. We will need the passion and energy from supporters of all candidates to make the next election a historic victory for the New Democratic Party of Canada.

And the campaign starts right away. My personal priority is to mobilize party activists and work with the peace movement to put every ounce of energy we have to oppose war with Iraq. By tapping into the groundswell of public opposition to this war, we can stop Jean Chretien and George Bush in their tracks and build support for a peaceful resolution to the conflict. We will take the same approach on other issues like implementing the Romanow report, fighting for a Kyoto action plan with teeth, and forcing the Liberals to focus on real priorities like affordable housing instead of more military weapons systems.

These campaigns will put the NDP where we need to be: at the centre of debate on the issues that matter to Canadians. By being more visible, we will attract more voter support, recruit exciting candidates, and raise the money we need to make the next election the fight of our lives. I can’t wait to get started and I know you feel the same. Let’s get moving!

Jack Layton, Leader, New Democratic Party of Canada