The Winnipeg Free Press
Canada Wire, Tuesday, July 6, 2004, p. a5

Layton's chief of staff quits over policy rift

By Paul Samyn

OTTAWA - Post-election cracks in Jack Layton's office emerged yesterday as Donne Flanagan announced he is resigning as chief of staff because of major differences with the NDP leader.

Flanagan -- a former key aide to Premier Gary Doer -- was hired by Layton in hopes of duplicating the success of the Manitoba NDP. He said the end of the election was the right time for him to exit.

"The tight relationship I needed to serve the leader as chief of staff never really gelled," Flanagan said in an interview.

"I think Jack understands that I came from a different point of view than some of the decisions made over the past weeks and months. We respectfully differed. For someone to be his chief of staff in the longer term, you need someone much closer to the leader in thinking and I think both he and I are relatively content with this."

Flanagan, who helped direct the NDP campaign from its Ottawa war room and was frequently its public face in the media, said Layton's promise to end the Clarity Act was one of their flashpoints.

"There wasn't just one thing but his comments on the Clarity Act were a surprise," said Flanagan, who began working for Layton a year ago.

Layton's controversial commitment to repeal the Chrtien-era law, which was hailed for dealing Quebec separatism a near fatal blow, caused Manitoba NDP MPs to break ranks with their leader early in the campaign.

Layton thanked Flanagan for his work in a release that suggested his departure was in keeping with a plan to pursue other opportunities after serving for a year.

However, one NDP insider said Flanagan's move is a sign of a larger sense of frustration among Western and rural party members with Layton's leadership.

"He is seen as too Ontario-centric,"' the party source said. "He was good on urban issues but not rural or Western. And his views on the gun registry hurt the party in Saskatchewan where we lost all our seats."

Flanagan will be replaced on an interim basis by Dick Proctor, who lost his Saskatchewan seat last Monday. Proctor previously served as Ed Broadbent's chief of staff when he was NDP leader.

Alan Whitehorn, a Royal Military College political scientist, said Flanagan's move is consistent with the high turnover rate for senior political staff.

While many New Democrats may be disappointed the party's near doubling of its popular vote only netted 19 seats in the House of Commons, Whitehorn said Layton's leadership is on solid footing.

"My sense of the party is that they are quite happy with the magnitude of the growth from the time Jack Layton took over the leadership of the party," said Whitehorn, who had exclusive access to the NDP campaign as part of an academic election study.

Prior to joining Layton, Flanagan, a former CBC journalist and editor of the Inner City Voice, had been by Doer's side since 1997, serving as his communications director and key campaign strategist.

Flanagan supported Winnipeg MP Bill Blaikie in the 2003 leadership race but Layton was delighted to bring him on board as his right-hand man.

paul.samyn@freepress.mb.ca

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