FPA Luncheon with Canadian Finance Minister James Flaherty

JamesFlaherty - Honoree
Minister of Finance, Canada

Jim Flaherty was appointed Minister of Finance in 2006. He is a third-term Member of Parliament for Whitby-Oshawa in Ontario and also serves as Minister Responsible for the Greater Toronto Area. As Minister of Finance, he is an ex-officio member of all Cabinet committees.

In addition to his other posts, he is a governor of the World Bank and of the International Monetary Fund. Jim Flaherty recently received Euromoney Magazine’s Finance Minister of the Year award. Euromoney credited him with enhancing Canada’s reputation for sound fiscal policy while taking full account of social justice and overseeing a strong regulatory regime that has kept the financial sector out of chaos.

Canada's banking system continues to be ranked as the most sound in the world, according to the 2012-13 edition of the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report.

For more than ten years prior to assuming his current responsibilities, he was a Member of the Provincial Parliament for Whitby-Ajax in Ontario. He served during this time as Deputy Premier, Minister of Finance, Attorney General, and Minister of Labour. Before his election to public office, he practiced law for over twenty years and was a founding partner of the firm Flaherty Dow Elliott.

Jim Flaherty received a Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude from Princeton University and a law degree from the Osgoode Hall Law School of York University. He was called to the Bar in Ontario with honors.