Thoughts on the passing of Jim Flaherty

Jim Flaherty passed away yesterday afternoon. I heard the news as I came out of a committee meeting at City Hall. It was shocking, and I felt very sad.

I could hardly call him a friend, but like most MPs on the Hill I liked Jim. He was engaging and friendly, and felt he wanted the best for his country.

On many occasions I disagreed with Jim and with a good number of policies he and his government implemented. While our views of government were very different,  I think our view of the world was more similiar.

Jim was clearly an emotional man who cared deeply about life's most important things. He was a private man who worked hard to shield his family, particularly his kids, from the intrusions of public life and I admire that.

But his emotions escaped on occasion. When he announced the Disability Savings Plan, he was brought to tears as he spoke of its importance. One of his boys has a mental disability and it mattered to him. I remember watching the press event where he struggled to maintain a calm demeanor.

We saw that emotional side again when he was asked about Mayor Rob Ford, a family friend. One didn't have to be a Ford fan to admire the loyalty and concern that the Finance Minister had for his pal.

The thing is, these things should matter. So often our politics is a politics of artifice, of faux emotion, false indignation and staged spontaneity. Questions are practiced, talking points are followed and politicians are more props than real people.

Jim Flaherty was different. We saw that recently when the counter-productive proposal of income splitting was questioned by him ( and most economists). It was repudiated by colleagues as unhelpful postulation, but I think it was simply how he felt.

To me, the saddest part of his passing was that it happened as he was making the transition from political life to post-political life. Those of us who run for public office should not complain about the burdens that come with the honour of being elected. But it can be a very demanding job that can exact a heavy personal toll.

I am often asked for advice on how to get into politics; a better question might be how to get out. People who give great consideration to the decision to enter politics are often ill unprepared for their exit. Often the end comes suddenly, and is jarring. I know, it happened to me, as it happens to most.

As a case study look at the Premiers of Nova Scotia over the past half century. Gerry Regan was defeated in 1978. John Buchannan was pulled to the Senate at a low ebb of popularity. His successor Donald Cameron was defeated by my father John Savage. My father resigned because he felt another leader had a better shot at success. That leader, Russ MacLellan was defeated by Dr. John Hamm who was reduced to a minority before resigning. Rodney MacDonald was defeated by Darrell Dexter who was defeated by Stephen McNeil. Each of these people with the possible exception of Dr. Hamm left politics with less leverage than they entered. It is a harsh business.

This is why it is wonderful to see politicians who make a decision to leave on their own terms. Frank McKenna had it right. He said he would be Premier for 10 years, and he was. In 2006 he was under great pressure to re-enter politics and succeed Paul Martin as national Leader of the Liberal Party. When he announced he was staying out he uttered a line that went something like..."after successfully escaping the trap, I don't want to get caught going back for the cheese."

It seemed that Jim Flaherty had done it right as well. He had served his time, and he was leaving public life (perhaps to support his wife Christine, another public officeholder). Whatever anyone thought of his tenure, he had been a faithful leader. He had served his province and his country. He could look forward to a more stable life, a private life with his sons, a lucrative private sector career. But we never know what's next.

I disliked many of the things he did, but I liked the man. He was a happy warrior, who enjoyed the cut and thrust, but always had a smile even in the midst of the battle. Jim liked politics, and he liked people. He could look back at his day and laugh, and keep moving. He seemed to be an optimist, and he had wit. We need more of that in today's politics, and now we have less.

Jim Flaherty and his family are in my prayers. I am saddened.