This is a poster I designed for the Confederation of Canadian Unions for their Labour Day Celebration in September 2011. I took the original photo and worked in InDesign and Photoshop to create the orange-red gradient, the “posterization” effect of Jack Layton, and the text. The union and I wanted to do justice to one of the greatest progressive leaders of our time.
I met Jack Layton on several occasions. The first time was when I was the Co-Chairperson of the Ontario NDP Youth during the late 1990s. Jack Layton and partner Olivia Chow were holding a party at their house in Toronto for the youth organization. There were about forty of us there. Jack was dancing with us, telling jokes and laughing away. He was so genuine and down to earth. Everyone just loved him.
Like Tommy Douglas, he was the greatest Prime Minister we never had.
