Canada’s internationally respected Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is resigning that post and leaving the cabinet. He will return to the private sector, he said. Mr. Flaherty released a statement late Tuesday saying he feels fulfilled. Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a statement of his own, saying he had accepted Flaherty’s decision “with great reluctance.” Flaherty said the decision to leave politics is unrelated to his health, but is instead simply “the right decision for me and my family at this time.” Flaherty, the member for Whitby-Oshawa has suffered for some time from a painful skin disease. It is apparently not fatal but is very uncomfortable. Flaherty’s replacement will be named Wednesday.
