tinydancer
Diamond Member
In this day and age of political hacks who always disappoint the electorate, every once in a while along comes a man or a woman who truly can be respected and held in high esteem for his or her dedication to the country as a public servant.
In recent years, I've been blessed in Canada to have witnessed good men and women of various political affiliations who actually can be considered worthy of high regard.
I guess what defines these three men I'll mention in my OP is that they all had the ability to put country, citizens and policy above politics.
Paul Martin who is still with us has to be one man I admire so greatly despite being on opposite ends of the political spectrum. Liberal.
Jack Layton who bless his soul left us a few years ago was just remarkable in his dedication to all the people of Canada. New Democrat Party.
And Jim Flaherty. One of my own kind. A Conservative with a heart. He just died suddenly.
Flaherty left us too soon.
RIP dear sir and condolences to his beautiful wife and his family.
To tributes from his friends and foes. No one was his enemy. A rarity in politics.
Our Finance Minister with a heart.
Leader of the Opposition Thomas Mulcair teared up unabashedly on the news of Jim's death outside the House of Commons.
Justin Trudeau, leader of the Liberal Party of Canada
“Jim was a dedicated parliamentarian with a strong social conscience and fundamentally committed to the ideal of public service.
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.” — Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau
Colleagues at G20 spring meeting pay tribute to Jim Flaherty in Washington
On Thursday, the elite in global finance paid tribute Flaherty at the G20 spring meeting in Washington, Carney was among them.
Mark Carney talking about Flaherty with the international finance ministers at the G20
Carney made reference to Flaherty’s famous pugnacious streak and his preference for conservative monetary policy.
“He led, he cajoled, he urged members around the table to pursue the right policies in order to really deliver strong, sustainable and balanced growth and he wouldn’t settle for anything less,” Carney said.
“He believed in fixing the banks. He believed in sound money … And (he was) a strong believer in balanced budgets.”
Carney added in French: He gave more than he took, and won more often than he lost.
Colleagues at G20 spring meeting pay tribute to Jim Flaherty in Washington | canada.com
The group Canadians With Disabilities used the word "champion" to describe Flaherty who had a son with a learning disability, and instituted a Registered Disability Savings Plan.
Flaherty wept unabashedly at a news conference when he announced the initiative.
Fond memories, tributes pour in for Jim Flaherty - Politics - CBC News
Internationally recognized and remembered for his dedication to social justice. And yes, he was Conservative.
Internationally recognized
Kevin O’Leary, an entrepreneur and co-host of CBC’s The Lang & O’Leary Exchange, pointed out the impact Flaherty had internationally.
"His management of the financial crisis and his policies in that 36-month period were observed globally and as a result he built a unique brand for himself and the country," O'Leary said.
O'Leary said it was sad Flaherty did not have the opportunity to step into the private sector, as he would have been ideal in a leadership role.
"He could have moved into some interesting positions internationally. They love him in Britain, They love him in Switzerland," O'Leary said.
Chisholm Pothier, director of communications at the finance department, travelled internationally with Flaherty during the financial crisis and saw first-hand his stature on the world stage in meetings with the EU and IMF.
"In those meetings, people looked to Canada, they looked to Canada as an example of how to handle it. They looked to Canada with envy," Pothier said.
"It wasn’t necessarily that we had these natural attributes... it was that we had largely, I think, good fiscal and monetary leadership and Jim Flaherty played such a huge role in that," he added.
Pothier said Flaherty's dedication to social justice is often overlooked.
“Every single budget he introduced had significant measures for people with disabilities, most significantly the disabilities savings fund," he said.
Jim Flaherty remembered as 'great Canadian' by business community - Business - CBC News
In recent years, I've been blessed in Canada to have witnessed good men and women of various political affiliations who actually can be considered worthy of high regard.
I guess what defines these three men I'll mention in my OP is that they all had the ability to put country, citizens and policy above politics.
Paul Martin who is still with us has to be one man I admire so greatly despite being on opposite ends of the political spectrum. Liberal.
Jack Layton who bless his soul left us a few years ago was just remarkable in his dedication to all the people of Canada. New Democrat Party.
And Jim Flaherty. One of my own kind. A Conservative with a heart. He just died suddenly.
Flaherty left us too soon.
RIP dear sir and condolences to his beautiful wife and his family.
To tributes from his friends and foes. No one was his enemy. A rarity in politics.
Our Finance Minister with a heart.
Leader of the Opposition Thomas Mulcair teared up unabashedly on the news of Jim's death outside the House of Commons.
Justin Trudeau, leader of the Liberal Party of Canada
“Jim was a dedicated parliamentarian with a strong social conscience and fundamentally committed to the ideal of public service.
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.” — Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau
Colleagues at G20 spring meeting pay tribute to Jim Flaherty in Washington
On Thursday, the elite in global finance paid tribute Flaherty at the G20 spring meeting in Washington, Carney was among them.
Mark Carney talking about Flaherty with the international finance ministers at the G20
Carney made reference to Flaherty’s famous pugnacious streak and his preference for conservative monetary policy.
“He led, he cajoled, he urged members around the table to pursue the right policies in order to really deliver strong, sustainable and balanced growth and he wouldn’t settle for anything less,” Carney said.
“He believed in fixing the banks. He believed in sound money … And (he was) a strong believer in balanced budgets.”
Carney added in French: He gave more than he took, and won more often than he lost.
Colleagues at G20 spring meeting pay tribute to Jim Flaherty in Washington | canada.com
The group Canadians With Disabilities used the word "champion" to describe Flaherty who had a son with a learning disability, and instituted a Registered Disability Savings Plan.
Flaherty wept unabashedly at a news conference when he announced the initiative.
Fond memories, tributes pour in for Jim Flaherty - Politics - CBC News
Internationally recognized and remembered for his dedication to social justice. And yes, he was Conservative.
Internationally recognized
Kevin O’Leary, an entrepreneur and co-host of CBC’s The Lang & O’Leary Exchange, pointed out the impact Flaherty had internationally.
"His management of the financial crisis and his policies in that 36-month period were observed globally and as a result he built a unique brand for himself and the country," O'Leary said.
O'Leary said it was sad Flaherty did not have the opportunity to step into the private sector, as he would have been ideal in a leadership role.
"He could have moved into some interesting positions internationally. They love him in Britain, They love him in Switzerland," O'Leary said.
Chisholm Pothier, director of communications at the finance department, travelled internationally with Flaherty during the financial crisis and saw first-hand his stature on the world stage in meetings with the EU and IMF.
"In those meetings, people looked to Canada, they looked to Canada as an example of how to handle it. They looked to Canada with envy," Pothier said.
"It wasn’t necessarily that we had these natural attributes... it was that we had largely, I think, good fiscal and monetary leadership and Jim Flaherty played such a huge role in that," he added.
Pothier said Flaherty's dedication to social justice is often overlooked.
“Every single budget he introduced had significant measures for people with disabilities, most significantly the disabilities savings fund," he said.
Jim Flaherty remembered as 'great Canadian' by business community - Business - CBC News
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