Brad Lavigne, political pundit, Vice President, Public Affairs at Hill+Knowlton Strategies, and former federal NDP campaign director, discusses his new book, Building the Orange Wave: The Inside Story Behind the Historic Rise of Jack Layton and the NDP (Douglas & McIntyre, 2013), with Joseph Planta.

Building the Orange Wave: The Inside Story Behind the Historic Rise of Jack Layton and the NDP by Brad Lavigne (Douglas & McIntyre, 2013). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Building the Orange Wave

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, at TheCommentary.ca.

I would put my guest now Brad Lavigne’s newest book, on a list of the best Canadian political books written from the unique perspective of an insider. In Building the Orange Wave: The Inside Story Behind the Historic Rise of Jack Layton and the NDP, we have a look at how the New Democratic Party evolved in the nearly ten years that Layton was at its helm. It is a definitive account of how the party made it from fourth place to Official Opposition in the historic election of 2011, and provides marvellous insight into what Jack Layton was like, as we follow him from Toronto City Councillor, failed NDP candidate, then leader, then leader of the official opposition, only to die later in 2011. Brad Lavigne was there throughout. He was out here in British Columbia at the turn of the century working in the provincial government, noticing that the NDP needed renewal federally and that Jack Layton was the person to do it. Brad Lavigne is Vice President, Public Affairs at Hill+Knowlton Strategies in Ottawa. He was the NDP’s Campaign Director in the 2011 election campaign. He served as principal secretary and director of strategic communications for Mr. Layton, and also served as communications director and national director for the New Democratic Party. You can see him as a regular on CBC News Network on the Power & Politics broadcast. The book is published by Douglas & McIntyre. The foreword is by Olivia Chow. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Brad Lavigne; Mr. Lavigne, good morning.

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