Toronto, Ontario
16 April 2014
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Prime Minister Stephen Harper today delivered the following eulogy at The Honourable Jim Flaherty’s State Funeral:
“Your Excellencies, Governor General David Johnston and Sharon Johnston, former Prime Ministers Turner and Mulroney, colleagues present and past from the Parliament of Canada, distinguished representatives of so many other institutions, of the diplomatic corps and Ontario, other provinces, territorial and municipal governments, acquaintances and admirers of The Honourable Jim Flaherty from across the country, dear friends.
“As I said last week, what a sad time this is in the life of our country.
“Only a few weeks ago, we had the occasion to issue political tributes to an extraordinary colleague upon the announcement of his intention to retire from public life, with the full expectation of another life ahead of him.
“Little did we know that we would be here today, with that future torn from him, and for us to deliver more profound reflections.
“This has been a traumatic event for many of us, but of course, none more so than Jim’s family, so many of whom are able to join us today.
“To all of you, including sons Quinn, John and Galen, and especially Christine, we have lost a partner in politics, but you have lost a partner in life.
“The turnout these past couple of days may be a small consolation, but it is the tip of the iceberg in an ocean of deep admiration and affection for Jim, and of much goodwill, kind thoughts and many prayers for you.
“Please take that to heart, and God bless you.
“For I say, we have all lost a remarkable figure.
“There are so many ways I could describe The Honourable Jim Flaherty.
“He was a man who was highly principled and ruthlessly pragmatic, combative but engaging, smart – very smart - and educated, while never assuming that he knew it all.
“He could be hard-headed, yet also soft-hearted.
“He could display a quick and biting temper, but far more often a deep and gentle sense of humour.
“He particularly enjoyed and delivered many jokes about his own shortness.
“He never got in the way of his own power points.
“But, short as he was, upon the world stage he often strode like a giant.
“I do not say these things to imply that Jim was a contradictory person.
“He was not in any way.
“As a human being he was the complete package.
“And I am sure these last few days he has been genuinely enjoying all of the tributes, and some of them he even believes.
“But in all seriousness, it is a fact that Jim, as fiercely partisan as he was – and he was – was also genuinely liked and respected by his opponents, liked by his enemies.
“That’s something in this business, something I envy - I can’t even get my friends to like me.
“There has been much talk about Jim’s record and legacy, especially the softer side of that record.
“Jim was not much for handouts.
“But as a true conservative, he believed in helping people who could not help themselves, or who had suffered misfortune.
“And he especially believed in a hand up for those who needed, but only lacked, opportunity, which is why he had such a particular passion for, among others, the disabled.
“I believe that no single public figure in the life of this country has done more for the disabled and their families than Jim Flaherty.
“I could point to numerous initiatives, but Jim was most proud of his role in building the Durham Abilities Centre, where we were yesterday.
“Dismissed by some at the time as a pork-barrel project, but now recognized as a tremendous regional institution and a monument to a noble and truly passionately believed cause.
“However, when all is said and done, Jim’s most important contribution to our country, without doubt, came by virtue of his long service as Minister of Finance, especially by virtue of being Minister of Finance during and after the great global recession of 2008-2009.
“Now I am going to ask you to indulge me for a few minutes to talk about that role, because we are talking about Jim making history and I had the ultimate, front-row seat.
“It began back in the fall of 2005.
“Mutual friends told me that Jim Flaherty wanted to come and see me and talk about his political future.
“I had met Jim many times, but knew him really only through the strong, positive, testimony of many others whose views I deeply respected.
“We had lunch in my office.
“Jim told me he wanted a change and was interested in federal politics, but he was a bit sheepish about the fact he had not supported my leadership campaign.
“I told him that meant nothing now, because I believed there would be a federal election soon, and that contrary to most I thought it more likely than not that we would win.
“And I also thought we badly needed someone of his abilities and experience.
“Of course, from the beginning, I had in mind Finance, but I have to tell you Jim was actually somewhat surprised and a little bit reticent about the portfolio at first.
“Though, it’s safe to say, it wasn’t long before he decided he would never let go of it.
“The relationship between a Prime Minister and his Finance Minister is always a special one.
“But this, I can tell you, was more special than most.
“Despite our very different educational backgrounds and life experiences, Jim and I were philosophically in sync on just about everything.
“But, on the specifics of the many and complex priorities that came before us, we often had, at least initially, different views.
“Now I have to tell you, we WASPs sometimes define an Irishman as someone ‘who may not know where he stands, but he is always prepared to fight for it.’
“Well, no one could ever accuse Jim Flaherty of not having an opinion, and he was certainly always prepared to fight for it.
“As we talked through budget planning meetings, our divergences always narrowed, usually vanished.
“When they didn’t, occasionally, I imposed a final decision.
“Occasionally, I decided he was probably right.
“And occasionally, I decided he was wrong but let him have his way because I just got so damn tired of arguing with him.
“Friends, by November of 2008, Jim and I had both concluded, not easily and certainly not what people would have expected, that the calamity befalling the global economic and financial system meant, among others things, that we had to run a deficit.
“That is, not merely allow a modest deficit, but deliberately engineer as large a deficit as possible as could reasonably be run, as a response to the collapsing marketplace.
“So this, Jim did.
“Canada announced one of the world’s larger stimulus packages and he engineered the money out the door far more rapidly than most.
“This people remember well.
“What they remember less well is that that is not all there was to it.
“Jim knew that in the past, even modest, short-term deficit spending had resulted in severe, long-term fiscal problems.
“So, even as he pushed stimulus spending out the door at an enormous rate, he made changes in longer-term expenditure policies that would reduce their growth path.
“And then there was what Jim did not do.
“He did not use the crisis to build new bureaucracies, to create permanent new programs, to recklessly enhance entitlements or to reverse any tax cut that had been legislated.
“He also took other actions in housing and banking to ensure even greater long-term stability in our financial system, and he put constraints on any excessive experimentations in monetary policy.
“The result is this: while at one time Canada was no better than middle of the pack, today in an uncertain world, Canada will have a balanced budget years ahead of others, with low debt and low taxes, and is recognized to be the best managed major developed economy.
“That, my friends, is Jim Flaherty’s legacy for the people of this country.
“Jim’s performance was something to see up close.
“A couple of years back in Jim’s presence, a colleague tried to put me on the spot by saying, ‘Prime Minister, I think Jim Flaherty is the best Finance Minister in the world; do you think Jim Flaherty is the best Finance Minister in the world?’
“Well, always being reluctant to shell out too much praise and not wanting at the same time to disappoint Jim, I thought about it for a moment and found a line that met both of our approvals.
“I said, ‘Colleague, Minister, I don’t know for sure in absolute terms if Jim Flaherty is the best Finance Minister in the world, but he is without a doubt the best Finance Minister per inch in the world.’
“But friends, there is a back story to all of this.
“As early as 2010, Jim said to me ‘Prime Minister, I want to step down as Finance Minister and I don’t want to run again. I’ve been in public life for 15 years now. I want to go back to the private sector, so that I can make some money and put more aside for my family. But,’ he added, ‘I won’t do it unless I think we’re out of the woods and the job of getting back into balance is done.’
“And every year after that, without any prompting from me, the call would come and Jim would say ‘Prime Minister, I’m still worried about the global economy and we’re not yet in balance. I want to do one more budget.’
“And so he did year after year, work away on the next phase of the Economic Action Plan, even as in the past couple of years it became more and more difficult for him, and sometimes hard to watch, as everyone of you could plainly see.
“Yet, let me tell you, when it mattered Jim was always up to it.
“He always came to our budget meetings prepared, ready to play the game, and always willing to mix it up in the corners.
“And in the process, year after year, he deliberately set aside his own plans and put off his goals for his family.
“Why? Why did he do that?
“Because at heart, Jim wasn’t in this, as is the stereotype, for money or for power.
“Jim was driven by conviction, of loyalty to the cause and of duty to the country.
“He believed he had taken on a responsibility for all of our families, not just his own, and he was prepared to make sacrifices ultimately - although he did not know it himself - to sacrifice himself.
“This year, when I looked at the state of the markets and the numbers in the budget, I knew that when Jim’s call came, it would be different.
“And so, a few weeks ago in my office, I accepted his resignation and I told Jim that the meeting back in my office in 2005 had been one of the best decisions of my political career, one of the most important for this government, and one of the most meaningful ever for this country.
“That he had done a great job, accomplished what he set out to do, and that I understood and appreciated the sacrifice that it had entailed.
“And I told Jim that he had truly been over these eight years, in my judgment, the best Finance Minister in the world, if not indeed, the best in our history.
“I also wished him well in his next career and I told him not to be a stranger.
“Friends, I don’t want you to misunderstand me - I do not grieve for Jim Flaherty.
“I know that for Jim, the Lord has prepared a place where he can be free from the afflictions of recent times, loved and in joy.
“No, my friends, when a good one leaves us, grief is for those who are left behind.
“So, one more word for those, and this time specifically for John, Galen and Quinn, ‘the boys,’ as your father always called you.
“Let me just say this, as I told you yesterday.
“I lost my own father almost exactly 11 years ago to the day.
“From that period, I remember almost nothing of what I said or what was said to me, so powerful were the waves of emotion.
“But once that passed and perspective took hold, I came to appreciate my father’s place in my life, probably even more fully and deeply than if he were still here.
“And it is all good.
“And it will be all good for you.
“You are no longer ‘the boys’.
“You are young men.
“Hold on to your mother, hold on to your father’s lessons, and hold to the knowledge that there are many present and beyond who are there for you and will be there for you as you continue on your own journeys.
“And, I say once again, from Laureen and my family and from all my colleagues, God bless you, the family, and farewell to our dear friend, Jim.
“On behalf of a grateful country, we thank you.”
J'ai dit ou de ce qu’on m’a dit, tellement la vague d’émotions était puissante.
« Mais quand ce fut terminé et que j’ai pu voir les choses en perspectives, j’en suis venu à apprécier la place que mon père occupe dans ma vie, probablement plus pleinement et profondément que s’il était encore ici.
« C’est une bonne chose.
« Et ce sera une bonne chose pour vous.
« Vous n’êtes dorénavant plus ‘les gars’.
« Vous êtes de jeunes hommes.
« Restez proches de votre mère, rappelez-vous les leçons de votre père, et n’oubliez pas que de nombreuses personnes, présentes ici et dans l’au-delà, sont là pour vous et demeureront là pendant que vous poursuivez votre propre cheminement.
« Et, je le dis encore une fois, de la part de Laureen, de ma famille et de tous mes collègues, Dieu vous bénisse, la famille, et adieu à notre cher ami Jim.
« Au nom d’un pays reconnaissant, nous vous remercions. »
