Politics
Former NDP leader Ed Broadbent will become the second opposition leader in Canadian history — and the first who did not die while still in office — to be given a state funeral.
Broadbent will be only the second opposition leader to receive the honour
Peter Zimonjic · CBC News
· Posted: Jan 15, 2024 11:31 AM EST | Last Updated: January 15
Longtime New Democratic Party leader Ed Broadbent, who moved the party further to the left and up in the polls, died Jan. 11, 2024 at the age of 87. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press)Former NDP leader Ed Broadbent will become the second opposition leader in Canadian history — and the first who did not die while still in office — to be given a state funeral.
“Canada is better off because of Ed Broadbent’s selfless service,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a media statement Tuesday. “An advocate for equality and a champion for justice, his commitment to helping others never wavered.”
Trudeau said the Jan. 28 state funeral will give Canadians a chance to pay tribute to Broadbent’s legacy. The funeral will be held in Ottawa.
Broadbent served as an MP for 24 years, 14 of them as leader of the federal New Democrats.
A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) called Broadbent a “much-loved national figure” and said he was being honoured for “shaping the country’s political landscape.”
State funerals are usually limited to current and former governors general, prime ministers and cabinet ministers, but a sitting prime minister can order one for any eminent Canadian.
Broadbent died on Jan. 11 at the age of 87. The PMO said details of his funeral will be released at a later date.
Former prime minister Stephen Harper offered Jack Layton’s family a state funeral after the NDP leader died at age 61 in August 2011 following a battle with cancer.
Layton, who also served as a Toronto city councillor, lay in state in both Toronto and Ottawa before his state funeral took place at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto on Aug. 27, 2011.
Watch: At Issue | Ed Broadbent’s legacy:
At Issue | Ed Broadbent’s legacyAt Issue this week: The legacy of former NDP leader Ed Broadbent, who died Thursday at 87. New documents show the federal government was warned two years ago that high immigration levels could affect housing costs. Plus, Saskatchewan’s carbon tax showdown.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Peter Zimonjic is a senior writer for CBC News. He has worked as a reporter and columnist in London, England, for the Daily Mail, Sunday Times and Daily Telegraph and in Canada for Sun Media and the Ottawa Citizen. He is the author of Into The Darkness: An Account of 7/7, published by Random House.