Layton and Chow at a Toronto child care centre while on the campaign trail during the last general election

He’s intense, driven and powerfully engaging. She’s lively, cheerful, polite and always upbeat. New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton and Olivia Chow – MP for Trinity-Spadina – are Canada’s most prominent political couple, thrust even further into the spotlight after recent developments nearly saw the party in a historic power-sharing coalition with the Liberals. 

{As told to FREDERICK ROCQUE}

‘WE wake up about 7:00 am – 7:30 am and that’s standard. This does not change. The early start helps us meet our busy schedule through the day. Before we get to the office we catch up on all the news. Then I work out in the gym and we’re ready for breakfast. 

For me exercise and a fitness workout is part of the morning ritual. Not for Jack. Jack exercises in the afternoons usually between 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm (45 minutes of cardio on a bike). This helps keep his heart rate to about 130. I do cardio on one day and weights on the next day. 

We have coffee, breakfast (fruit salad, yogurt, and cereal). Sometimes we have breakfast at home and sometimes in the office. Then we head for the office. Mostly we bike it to work. Sometimes if it’s snowing we’ll take a cab to the office.

What I do depends on the kind of day in store. I take care of the emails, calls, meeting requests. Then there could be press conferences and events and so on. No day is typical so there isn’t a set pattern. Most weekdays I’m at meetings or events, especially if they’re in Toronto. In the evenings usually there are community events. I help some of the non-profit organizations to raise funds. I conduct auctions (as an auctioneer) and I raise funds for different organizations. That’s usually where the evening goes.

Community service and public life have been the driving force in both our lives. The inspiration is our central core belief that the more you give, the more you have. It’s a kind of way of life. Both Jack and I come from a background where the belief and philosophy is to ‘love your neighbour’. That’s what this is all about. That’s how we live the kind of life we live. Whether there are barriers or setbacks in our personal and political lives, it’s part of what life is all about. That’s our philosophy. That’s how we’re able to move forward. I don’t measure success in that dimension anyway. 

My favourite part of the day is usually either sunrise or sunset. Sunrise is full of hope. Even sunset is beautiful with the shining lights and the warm glow. 

There’s a warm glow at home too, where we live with my mom (Ho Sze Chow). She’s a wonderful woman. I don’t take care of her. Actually, she takes care of us and our household. It’s a wonderful relationship. When I’m home she’s always there, especially when I have breakfast. That’s a huge meal. It’s not just cereal - it’s bread, eggs, konji (only for breakfast in Toronto). If we’re in Ottawa, breakfast is cereals, etc., but no konji. Sometimes it’s dumplings, and sometimes it’s noodles. In the morning, we see each other. In the night when I come home I find out, well, she could be asleep so she won’t be able to tuck me into bed (laughs) but Jack might. Yeah, we do manage to spend time with her. 

We take the train together so we spend a lot of time with each other. This afternoon (December 10), we took the train from Ottawa to Toronto so we spent time together in the train, even though we worked right through the trip. I read, or make phone calls. Jack does the same. 

We don’t usually work on a Sunday night, but If we travel we take our favourite movie and watch it on our laptop. That would be our Sunday night date. We have one laptop and we have a splitter for our ear phones so we can watch the same movie. Then we have our meal together on the train so we combine travelling, movie and dinner and that’s our dinner and a date. Some people go to a movie house. We watch it on our laptop. It’s the same thing. It’s all a state of mind!

It’s important to build time into our busy schedules to be together and relax, often the best way to do that is to get away, even just for the weekend. Exercise is also extremely important to us, a 90-minute workout every day keeps us energized and focused. We also try to eat healthy whenever and wherever we can.

We’re concerned about the state of Canada’s environment. Canada has the boreal forests, the Arctic and fresh water lakes, so it is blessed with huge resources and minerals. We could either be a shining example, and we can be proud of our environmental record or we can be very shameful. At this point, we should be ashamed. Can we change it around? Yes, it’s not too late. But in 20 years it will be. So it will be in our generation that we could make a difference.

And what can we do the change it around? Well, we should implement the Bali Protocol – which is beyond Kyoto accord – and establish a cap in trade program to make polluters pay for solutions such as retrofits, investing in green technologies and stop the oilsands expansion.  

One of our main goals is to make poverty history. Canada has one of the worst records in investing in children. UNICEF tonight (December 10, 2008) reported that Canada stands dead last in early childhood education. It has missed nine out of the 10 benchmarks for investment in early childhood education and child care. So what does this report from the international UN agency tell you? It tells you Canada has not really invested in children – in our children’s future. In fact, we are failing our children. We spend barely a third of the recommended spending on early childhood education. Let’s put it this way. You have a child who’s a student - your child gets just 10 per cent out of a 100 at an important exam. You’ll be pretty mad at your kid. That’s what UNICEF says Canada is doing with early childhood education and child care. So is it critical? Absolutely. Is it urgent? Yes, and will Canada be able to fulfill its dreams. Absolutely, but we’ll have to change the way we’ve been doing our politics. The old way no longer works. I just hope Canadians can put away their cautious nature, and take action!

UNICEF says Canada needs to spend at least one per cent of its GDP on early childhood education and care. But we don’t even do that. And we need to do that, and more.

Our dream for the future is to make poverty history and help provide a brighter future for our children.

On a lighter side, life is full of surprises. And your readers would be surprised to know that Jack is very good at Monopoly. He can buy out everybody. I’m not good at Monopoly. I’m too nice. I can’t aggressively go out and get things. I would go bankrupt! 

Oh yes, we do have our personal trademarks – Jack’s moustache and my flower-power bicycles. Quite recently we were at the annual Parliamentary Press Gallery dinner, and Richard Brennan of the Toronto Star shaved off his moustache for the occasion - something he hasn’t done for 35 years. We were shocked. He looked very handsome and much younger. So there was a bit of a chat about whether Jack should shave off his moustache too. I’m beginning to get tempted about this. I just say I’m tempted, I didn’t say there’s a decision yet. There has to be a cause and a whole lot of money involved…that will be perfect. 

About the flowers on my bicycles – the ones in Ottawa and Toronto both have flowers. And there are good reasons: 

a) Those car drivers will know what they’re hitting, it will slow them down and bring a smile to their faces because a lot of the drivers are very aggressive, and seldom do they see flowers on the road. So, hopefully, it will brighten up their day, especially in the middle of the winter. Funny thing is that some people come and try to smell the plastic flowers! 

b) Also, no self-respecting thief will steal a bike with flowers. They used to get stolen all the time. So many of my bikes have been stolen, it’s not funny. I think at least 15 of my bikes have been stolen – and these include tandem bikes and other kinds of bikes. Truth is, I have not lost a bike since I put flowers on them. So I’m keeping my flowers!

With our normally hectic schedules, our after work activities focus on just one thing - sleep!

Though there’s no typical day for us, we manage to call it a day by about 11:30 or 12:00. So, come midnight, we watch the news and then we’re off to bed!

« Quote, unquote »

WHAT WE ARE READING:

Jack: Through Black Spruce, Joseph Boyden.

Olivia: Three Day Road, Joseph Boyden.

WHAT WE ARE WATCHING:

Sharkwater – Filmmaker Rob Stewart’s underwater adventure. It documents a beautiful and dangerous life journey into the balance of life on earth.

WHAT SINGLE FACT ABOUT US READERS MIGHT BE SURPRISED TO KNOW: 

Jack: That I do not own a car and usually ride my bike to work.

Olivia: That I’m a good Thai / Sushi chef