Jim Flaherty
Last week with Jim Flaherty’s retirement as finance minister there was a lot of discussion about his accomplishments. People mention the cuts to the GST, the introduction of the Tax Free Savings Account, and the way he managed the international financial crisis in 2008. But for all the good things that he did, probably his most important accomplishment is what he didn’t do. Jim didn’t make large government programs that permanently distorted the economy. He resisted the impulse that drove the us and some European countries deep into debt. Not wrecking the economy may not sound like a great accomplishment until you realize it’s exactly what governments have done throughout history. The great depression, the recession of the early 80’s, and many other economic crisises have been made worse by a meddling government. Sometimes the best thing that can be done is as little as possible.
I’m Brad Trost, Member of Parliament for Saskatoon-Humboldt and I’m working for you. For more information, check out my website at bradtrost.ca