Speculation that Flaherty has outlived his incompetence and deceit.

Today’s Calgary Herald has Don Martin speculating that Flaherty has outlived his incompetence and deceit as Canada’s Finance Minister.

Gee, wasn’t it Don Martin of the Calgary Herald who prematurely let Flaherty off the hook when he wrote about 2 years ago that “Flaherty has finally put the income trusts issue behind him.” Now we have Don Martin citing the income trust issue as the number one reason for Flaherty to get reassigned to a, (ahem) "less demanding" portfolio, as follows:

The key portfolio trades, nominated by experienced Tories with reasonable apprehensions of being semi-right, are as follows:

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty: he’s done reasonably well in this recession year, but the income trust tax reversal, the near-death experience from his 2008 fiscal update and his exuberant plunge into deficit spending have tainted his three-year ministerial resume. With next year’s budget about to flatline fresh spending, Flaherty’s MPP spouse Christine Elliott poised to tackle the federal-endorsed harmonized sales tax in Ontario and the nasty business of using deep cuts to exit the deficit, a fresh face is required. Best Flaherty fit: transport and (his deficit-financed) infrastructure.