My small part

[vaneramos]

This afternoon we're going to tune the concert organ at Roy Thomson Hall in preparation for Jack Layton's state funeral on Saturday. I can't attend the event, so it's nice to have an opportunity to play a small part. For friends unfamiliar with Canadian politics, earlier this year Layton led the New Democratic Party to its historic first status as Official Opposition in the House of Commons. He marched in Toronto's Pride parade just weeks before losing his battle with prostate cancer on Monday. To officiate at his funeral he chose Brent Hawkes. Senior pastor since 1977 of the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto, Hawkes led social action to legalize same-sex marriage in Ontario in 2003, which was followed by legalization across Canada two years later. Layton and his widow Olivia Chow have not wasted the opportunity to make political gestures.