When Prince George-Peace River MP Bob Zimmer made his maiden speech in the House of Commons, Jim Flaherty reminded Zimmer that he had big shoes to fill replacing longtime MP Jay Hill.
With Flaherty's surprise announcement Tuesday that he will be stepping down as finance minister after nine years on the job, Zimmer said whoever replaces him will also have a lot to live up to.
"I know that the Prime Minister will pick somebody else who has the acumen of Jim, but he will be missed," Zimmer said in a phone interview from Ottawa prior to multiple news outlets reporting that Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver would get the coveted gig.
Flaherty had been at the helm of the most high-profile cabinet portfolio since the Conservatives took office in 2006 and is credited with guiding the country through the worldwide economic downturn.
Cariboo-Prince George MP Dick Harris said with Flaherty at the helm, Canada emerged from the global slowdown in better shape than many other major industrialized countries.
"As far as the job he's done, I can't praise it enough," Harris said in a phone interview as he toured around his riding. "He led our country through a global recession in a very good position and as the recession began to slip by us we emerged in great shape in comparison to other G8 countries."
Harris said Flaherty will leave cabinet with his goal of having Canada on track for a balanced budget next year. Even through Flaherty won't be the one presenting next year's pre-election fiscal plan, Harris expects his colleague will appreciate the significance of the achievement.
"I'm certain that he's going to have a certain amount of self-satisfaction knowing he was primarily responsible for the economic state of Canada," he said.
Both Zimmer and Harris praised Flaherty for his willingness to listen and build consensus within the Conservative caucus when conducting pre-budget negotiations.
"He was very willing and eager to hear what he had to say and he would always lay out the parameters that he would want us to contribute to and that was a big help," Harris said.
Zimmer added that it was satisfying to see the concerns of his constituents addressed in budget documents.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper is expected to name Flaherty's replacement today and Oliver is the top choice according to Ottawa-based media.
Zimmer said he has a couple of people in mind who would make good finance ministers, but didn't want to disclose them publicly. He said the next person who holds the job needs to have "a good business acumen, understand the economy and have a full understanding of how the banks work."
Harris agreed the Prime Minister has some good candidates to choose from, but he's disappointed that former Alberta MP Ted Menzies won't get a shot at the job.
"One person that I thought would have been well-suited for the job, should he have stayed in Parliament was Ted Menzies, for whom I had a tremendous amount of respect," Harris said. "But Ted has moved on to other pastures and he's not on the menu any more."
