The most powerful cabinet portfolio after the Prime Minister?

[1967100]

Why do some people consider it to be the finance minister?

[guyser]

Why do some people consider it to be the finance minister?

IMO, because nothing else would get paid without it? He has the most money flowing through that Ministers office?

[August1991]

In Canada, the most important is Minister of Finance. The main four are finance, foreign affairs, immigration and defence. Treasury Board is also important.

Why? Because no major decision is taken without Finance being involved. The Minister of Finance sits on the major cabinet committees. (The PM and the Finance minister decide fiscal policy.)

This is partly due to our parliamentary system. In the UK, the Chancellor of the Exchequer is also the most important cabinet minister for domestic affairs.

In the US, the most important cabinet ministers are Secretary of Defence and Secretary of State. These are areas where the President has exceptional power.

In France, like in Russia, the President and the Prime Minister occupy the most important roles, somewhat like the relationship between our PM and the Finance minister.

----

Incidentally, it used to be thought that finance was death to a political career (in part because the finance minister usually has to say no). That is less true now. John Turner, Jean Chretien and Paul Martin went on to become leader but only Chretien was successful. Landry and Parizeau were successful leaders. We'll have to wait and see if Gordon Brown in the UK is a successful PM.

[normanchateau]

Why do some people consider it to be the finance minister?

Because he has the power to steal people's money legally or otherwise create financial chaos. Flaherty has certainly done both.

Thanks to Flaherty, our income taxes went up and our basic personal exemption went down on July 1, 2006. Link:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/stor...oliticians.html

Thanks to Flaherty, Stephen Harper's income trust promise was broken in fall.

Thanks to Flaherty, a 2007 budget was delivered which redistributed a huge multibillion dollar surplus to

dozens of special interest groups. Some provinces were winners, e.g., Quebec, some provinces were losers, e.g., British Columbia.

What this country needs is a fiscal conservative rather than a freespender like Flaherty as Finance Minister.

[Big Blue Machine]

Why do some people consider it to be the finance minister?

Because he has the power to steal people's money legally or otherwise create financial chaos. Flaherty has certainly done both.

Thanks to Flaherty, our income taxes went up and our basic personal exemption went down on July 1, 2006. Link:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/stor...oliticians.html

Thanks to Flaherty, Stephen Harper's income trust promise was broken in fall.

Thanks to Flaherty, a 2007 budget was delivered which redistributed a huge multibillion dollar surplus to

dozens of special interest groups. Some provinces were winners, e.g., Quebec, some provinces were losers, e.g., British Columbia.

What this country needs is a fiscal conservative rather than a freespender like Flaherty as Finance Minister.

May I remind you that in a minority, there is no such thing as a fiscal conservative.

[Michael Bluth]

May I remind you that in a minority, there is no such thing as a fiscal conservative.

That's a good point.

In Canada, the most important is Minister of Finance. The main four are finance, foreign affairs, immigration and defence. Treasury Board is also important.

Immigration?

[normanchateau]

Why do some people consider it to be the finance minister?

Because he has the power to steal people's money legally or otherwise create financial chaos. Flaherty has certainly done both.

Thanks to Flaherty, our income taxes went up and our basic personal exemption went down on July 1, 2006. Link:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/stor...oliticians.html

Thanks to Flaherty, Stephen Harper's income trust promise was broken in fall.

Thanks to Flaherty, a 2007 budget was delivered which redistributed a huge multibillion dollar surplus to

dozens of special interest groups. Some provinces were winners, e.g., Quebec, some provinces were losers, e.g., British Columbia.

What this country needs is a fiscal conservative rather than a freespender like Flaherty as Finance Minister.

May I remind you that in a minority, there is no such thing as a fiscal conservative.

So Flaherty raised income taxes on July 1st because he had a minority government? In your dreams perhaps.

[scribblet]

May I remind you that in a minority, there is no such thing as a fiscal conservative.

True, any minsority gov't has to govern with all other parties in mind, they have to try to appease all parties or nothing will get done. Guess the last one kept everybody happy because they voted for the broad based tax relief

[normanchateau]

May I remind you that in a minority, there is no such thing as a fiscal conservative.

True, any minsority gov't has to govern with all other parties in mind, they have to try to appease all parties or nothing will get done.

So Flaherty raised the income taxes on all Canadians on July 1, 2006, to appease all parties?

So Flaherty reduced by $200 the basic personal exemption on all Canadians on July 1, 2006. to appease all parties?

So Flaherty broke the Conservative promise on not taxing income trusts to appease all parties?

What evidence do you have that any of these Flaherty misadventures actually pleased the other parties let alone pleased Canadian voters?

[Figleaf]

Because he has the power to steal people's money legally or otherwise create financial chaos. Flaherty has certainly done both.

Thanks to Flaherty, our income taxes went up and our basic personal exemption went down on July 1, 2006. Link:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/stor...oliticians.html

Thanks to Flaherty, Stephen Harper's income trust promise was broken in fall.

Thanks to Flaherty, a 2007 budget was delivered which redistributed a huge multibillion dollar surplus to

dozens of special interest groups. Some provinces were winners, e.g., Quebec, some provinces were losers, e.g., British Columbia.

What this country needs is a fiscal conservative rather than a freespender like Flaherty as Finance Minister.

Freespender? Sounds more like a freebooter!

[Michael Bluth]

Freespender? Sounds more like a freebooter!

wtf is a freebooter?

Yay, I'm number one on your little list!

[normanchateau]

Freespender? Sounds more like a freebooter!

wtf is a freebooter?

I could be wrong but I think he means pirate.