Flaherty state funeral set for Wednesday

Canada’s third state funeral for someone who wasn’t a prime minister, governor general or sitting cabinet minister will be held Wednesday afternoon at 3:00 for former finance minister Jim Flaherty.

Though Flaherty left cabinet last month, a prime minister can order a state funeral for “eminent Canadians.”

It’s been done just twice previously — for Jack Layton in 2011 and Thomas D’Arcy McGee in 1868.
The state funeral will be held at St. James Cathedral in Toronto. A visitation for Flaherty will be held at the Abilities Centre in Whitby on Tuesday.

His family asks in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Abilities Centre.

Flaherty died of a heart attack late last week in Ottawa.