The revelation that NDP Leader Jack Layton is again suffering from cancer has elicited an outpouring of sympathy and well wishes from the Canadian public, and appropriately so.
The parliamentary press gallery has also turned itself inside out speculating on how Mr. Layton’s illness will impact the political fortunes of the New Democrats in the short and long term.
But the uncertainly surrounding Mr. Layton’s current health status begs an even more fundamental question: Do public officials owe the public full disclosure?
In an era marked by a volatile cocktail of cynicism about politics, and when gossip flows as freely as news (via Twitter, Facebook, 24-hour news portals, etc.), the answer is: Absolutely. Unfortunately, what we have so far from the NDP is a cascade of opaque half-facts hidden behind a veil of compassion.
Here’s what we know: In February, 2010, Mr. Layton revealed publicly that he had prostate cancer. He was treated at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto, but refused to say if he had surgery, chemotherapy, radiation or a combination. (His spokesman said he did not want to unduly influence the treatment choices of others, which is a pretty lame excuse for secrecy.)
Mr. Layton’s recovery proceeded apace, but in March, 2011, he began to suffer hip pain. Tests revealed he had a fracture (the cause of which is unknown) and required surgery (details of which have not been revealed). Thus, during the spring federal election campaign, Mr. Layton added a fashionable accessory – a cane.
Then, on Monday of this week, Mr. Layton revealed that he has a “new, non-prostate cancer that will require further treatment.”
It was a bombshell, particularly because the NDP Leader looked so gaunt and spoke in a weak, raspy voice. Mr. Layton said he began suffering “stiffness and pain” again in June and, retrospectively, journalists recognized he had not been well for a while.
During the Canada Day reception at Stornoway, the residence of the leader of the Official Opposition, the normally energetic politician remained seated. He did not participate in any of the events related to the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. During the Gay Pride parade in Toronto, Mr. Layton – a life-long cyclist and runner – sat in a rickshaw and waved to the crowd instead of wading in. Then, on July 25, came his news conference.
So, back to the issue at hand: Has Mr. Layton been forthcoming enough about his health status?
Brad Lavigne, Mr. Layton’s principal secretary, said the public already knows plenty. He told The Canadian Press that he has tried to balance the need to “provide the public relevant information” with “holding back information of a private nature.”
Sorry, but the NDP has failed to get the balance right. The cameras don’t need to follow Mr. Layton into surgery, but we deserve to know a lot more than we’ve been told to date.
Saying that Mr. Layton has a “new, non-prostate cancer” is far too vague. It’s unacceptable fudging.
Does he have a second cancer that is unrelated to his prostate cancer? Or has his cancer metastasized – meaning it has moved elsewhere in the body?
These are important details. Today, men with prostate cancer have a five-year survival rate that hovers around 90 per cent. But when prostate cancer metastasizes, the survival rate drops below 10 per cent.
When prostate cancer spreads, it tends to move to the bones – the pelvis and hips in particular. Are Mr. Layton’s stiffness and hip problems cancer-related?
If he has a second, unrelated cancer, what is it? The raspy voice and rapid weight loss suggests lung cancer. Lung cancer survival rates are dismal. But hoarseness could also suggest intense treatment for any number of cancers. (A hoarse voice is a common side effect of chemotherapy and some other cancer drugs such as Avastin, a colorectal cancer treatment.)
This, of course, is all idle speculation. But that’s the point: Where there is an absence of real health information, guesswork inevitably fills the void.
