Jim Flaherty thought Stephen Harper’s approach to pensions would be a disaster

Published August 17, 2015

Who agrees with Harper on CPP? Not Harper's old Finance Minister, the late Jim Flaherty. He wasn't a fan of "some sort of voluntary new CPP method" as Harper now proposes.

New Finance Minister supports tax loophole that 86% of families won’t benefit from

Published March 20, 2014

Joe Oliver has never really been the type to paddle against the current. So it’s not super surprising that Stephen Harper’s new Finance Minister has come out in favour of family income splitting, even though the $3 billion Mad Men Giveaway has been criticized by think tanks across the ideological spectrum. For all the knocks against Oliver’s […]

What’s with all this praise for Jim Flaherty’s record?

Published March 19, 2014

EDITOR’S NOTE: This post was written and published on March 19, 2014, immediately after Jim Flaherty’s resignation. If you listen to the way some pundits are describing the close of Jim Flaherty’s long tenure as Finance Minister – how he used his “steady hand” to “steer Canada through some very challenging times” – you can […]

Jim Flaherty vs. Stephen Harper: watch the income splitting gong show

Published February 27, 2014

This is getting really awkward. First, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says his own government needs to rethink their promise of bringing in family income splitting next year. That’s because “there are some people who benefit and lots of people who don’t in that world of income splitting.” To make his point perfectly clear, Flaherty adds: […]

Family income splitting just the beginning of Tory tax troubles

Published February 18, 2014

The family split inside the Conservative Party over family income splitting is pure gold for political junkies. First, the Finance Minister publicly trash talks the key election promise of the Prime Minister, now that the implementation date is fast approaching. Senior ministers respond by doubling down on the plan to allow families with children under 18 […]

Top 5 howlers in Jim Flaherty’s budget speech

Published February 11, 2014

Here are the top 5 howlers in Jim Flaherty’s budget speech, delivered in the House of Commons on Tuesday afternoon after the 2014-15 budget was tabled. 1. Great job creator? “Since the depths of the recession Canada has led the G-7 in job creation.” It sounds good, but there’s a reason Flaherty doesn’t talk about […]