Federal finance minister and Ford-family pal Jim Flaherty resigns from Harper’s cabinet

Federal finance minister and Ford-family pal Jim Flaherty resigns from Harper’s cabinet

(Image: Rocco Rossi)

Several news outlets are reporting that federal finance minister Jim Flaherty, MP for Whitby-Oshawa, is resigning his post in Stephen Harper‘s cabinet to return to the private sector—a decision he says he arrived at with his family earlier this year.

Flaherty is a friend of the Ford family who notably came to Rob Ford’s rescue, federal cash in hand, when the mayor’s coveted Scarborough subway extension plan was short on funds. Flaherty was one of the few who didn’t join calls for the mayor to step down or take a leave of absence in the aftermath of his crack confession in November.

Although Flaherty has recently suffered from a serious skin condition, he told the media today that his decision to step down was unrelated to his health. According to the Globe, he’s saying that he believes he achieved his goal as finance minister, which was to maneuver Canada towards a balanced budget.