Mr. Speaker, three years ago today, we lost a great Canadian, the Hon. Jim Flaherty.
Born in Quebec and a lawyer by training, Mr. Flaherty worked for 20 years as a member of Parliament and minister both at Queen's Park and here in the House of Commons. When he was the finance minister, he made his mark by lowering taxes and creating the well-known TFSA.
He also had to deal with the worst global financial crisis since the 1920s, but, under his watch, Canada recovered more quickly and emerged stronger than any other country in the world.
On top of all that, he was a devoted husband and father, and he was committed to helping sick children.
His sudden death was like a hit on Canada. In his eulogy, Prime Minister Harper said:
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, to sacrifice himself.
That was the essence of the man: a strong Canadian, a strong family man, with strong values. We miss Jim.