On Parliament Hill

I want to express my profound sadness over the passing of my colleague Jim Flaherty.

This was truly a sad occasion for Canadians as he was an honourable statesman, public servant, husband and a father.

My prayers go out to his wife Christine and his three sons, John, Galen and Quinn.

He was an adept steward of the economy who fought for lower taxes for all Canadians and carefully navigated Canada through the global economic crisis. He will be remembered as the finance minister who made pragmatic decisions yet still showed compassion for those who are less fortunate.

He believed that all Canadians must benefit from lower taxes, whether it was through the Children’s Fitness Tax Credit, the Registered Disability Savings Plan or through reduced taxes for businesses of all sizes.

With the onset of the economic crisis, he maintained a steady hand on the tiller and implemented sound economic policies that helped Canada navigate the downturn. Despite many of our trading partners who faced a serious crisis, Canada emerged from the recession in a strong position.

As a testament to Canada’s resiliency during Mr. Flaherty’s term, Forbes Magazine and Bloomberg Business Week ranked Canada as the first and second best place to do business in the world respectively.

His experience and his tenacity made him not only a brilliant finance minister, it also earned him the respect from people of all political stripes. Although I appreciate his efforts to maintain a strong economy, I was especially touched by the compassion he had for those who are less fortunate. After all, he and his family experienced many of the same struggles that countless other Canadians face every day.

Having a son with a disability, Mr. Flaherty had a great deal of sympathy for other Canadian families who face these same challenges. To ease their financial burden, Mr. Flaherty introduced the Registered Disability Savings Plan which helped families with a disabled child parents save for the future.

He became a champion on the national scene for the disabled and the less fortunate. Despite his stature on the world stage, he remained a humble family man who experienced the same personal challenges as you and I.