The cause of
death was not immediately available. Paramedics were called to Flaherty’s
Ottawa condominium shortly after noon Thursday, and he was pronounced dead not
long after, police said.
Flaherty’s
wife, Ontario Progressive Conservative MPP Christine Elliott, and the couple’s
triplet sons, John, Galen and Quinn, issued a brief statement asking for
privacy. The statement said Flaherty “passed away peacefully.”
The
House of Commons was suspended after the news of Flaherty’s death broke
Thursday afternoon. The Ontario legislature was also adjourned for the day.
The flag on
the Peace Tower at Parliament Hill was lowered to half-mast.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper said “today is a very sad
day for me, for our government and for all of our country.”
“Jim will be
sorely missed, not only by his many friends on both side of the House, I know
particularly his friends in this caucus, among whom he was held unanimously in
a combination of great respect and affection,” Harper said in a statement to
the Conservative caucus.
“But he will
also be missed by the countless thousands of Canadians that he devoted himself
to and whom he helped during his long and successful career in public life.”
Harper said
that he will speak more about Flaherty’s legacy and “the special relationship I
shared with Jim” in the days ahead. Harper appeared with his wife Laureen, who
was wiping tears from her eyes.
Former and
current MPs and MPPs of all political stripes paid tribute to Canada’s
longest-serving finance minister.
Joe Oliver,
who succeeded Flaherty in the finance post, said he was “shocked and very
saddened” to learn of Flaherty’s death.
“He was an
honourable, dedicated and exceptional man who loved Canada,” Oliver said.
NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair said he and his wife,
Catherine, “are very, very sad at the loss of a great Canadian.”
Mulcair, near
tears, made a brief statement outside the House of Commons. He
paid tribute to Flaherty, calling him an “extraordinarily dedicated public
servant.”
Liberal Leader
Justin Trudeau issued a statement, saying he learned of Flaherty's death
"with great shock and sadness."
"Jim was
a dedicated Parliamentarian with a strong social conscience and fundamentally
committed to the ideal of public service," Trudeau said. "He was a
proud Canadian and showed continued devotion and commitment to his country over
many years. This is a loss to the entire family in the House of Commons."
Green Party
Leader Elizabeth May issued a statement offering her “deepest condolences” to
Flaherty’s family.
“He was a rare
partisan, able to extend a mischievous twinkle to a rejoinder in Question
Period,” May said. “He was a dedicated public servant and a genuinely kind man.
He will be missed.”
NDP MP and
finance critic Peggy Nash tweeted: “Oh so sorry to learn news about Jim
Flaherty. Very very sad.”
Former Ontario
premier Mike Harris said Flaherty will be remembered for his political and
finance skills. However, Harris told CTV News Channel: “He was an honest, genuine good
guy…I loved him because he was an honest, good guy.”
Current
Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa tweeted that Flaherty “was a man of
great integrity. My thoughts & prayers are with Christine & family. He
was a champion for Canada. We’ll miss him.”
Flaherty
stepped down from his post as finance minister last month, citing plans to
eventually take a job in the private sector. At the time, Flaherty said
he and his family came to the decision that he would resign from cabinet, but
did not say whether he would remain an MP until the 2015 election.
He denied that
his health had anything to do with the move.
He had been
coping with a painful skin condition, Bullous Pemphigoid. The condition
required him to take powerful medications that left him appearing bloated, and
looking and sounding at times extremely fatigued.
In a statement
announcing his resignation from cabinet, Flaherty said that he was “on the road
to a full recovery.”
Flaherty was
born in Lachine, Que. on Dec. 30, 1949 and, after growing up in Quebec, went on
to earn a BA from Princeton University and a law degree from York University’s
Osgoode Hall Law School.
He helped
found law firm Flaherty Dow Elliott before jumping into provincial politics in
the early 1990s.
He lost his
first time out, but won the Whitby-Ajax riding in 1995 and held several cabinet
posts over the next decade, including labour, finance and deputy premier.
After two
unsuccessful attempts to win the leadership of the Ontario Conservatives, he
made a successful leap to the federal scene in 2006, winning in Whitby-Oshawa.
As federal
finance minister, Flaherty made tax cuts a priority, starting with a
one-per-cent cut to the GST, followed by another cut in 2008.
In 2007,
Flaherty introduced the Registered Disability Savings Plan to help Canadians
with disabilities save for retirement, and in 2008 introduced the Tax-Free
Savings Account.
He also raised
the base deduction rate, cut a point from the lowest personal tax rate and
raised the limits of the two lowest tax categories.
Flaherty
wasn’t afraid to spend, however, once the 2009 recession hit, pouring billions
of stimulus into the economy via the Economic Action Plan.
When he
stepped down last month, Flaherty thanked his constituents, his House
colleagues, his wife, who represents her husband’s former provincial riding,
and their sons.
“We live in
the greatest country in the world, and I want Canadians to know that it has
been my honour and my privilege to serve them,” Flaherty said.
About Jim Flaherty,
James Michael foundly known as Jim Flaherty (Born December 30,
1949) was Canada's federal Minister of Finance (2006–2014)
and also a former provincial Minister of Finance for Ontario (2001–2002).
From 1995 until 2005, he was the Member of Provincial Parliament for Whitby—Ajax,
and a member of the Ontario Progressive Conservative
Party caucus and unsuccessfully sought the leadership of the
provincial party on two occasions.
Flaherty
won the riding of Whitby—Oshawa in
the federal election held
January 23, 2006 as a member of the Conservative Party of Canada narrowly
beating Liberalincumbent Judi
Longfield. He was re-elected in 2008 and 2011. Flaherty's
widow, Christine Elliott, represents Whitby—Oshawa in the
Ontario legislature.
