Finance Minister Jim Flaherty

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty: The new projection nearly $3 billion better than the March budget forecast was part of Tuesday's fall economic update, which Flaherty upstaged a little by declaring he would be a candidate for re-election in two years' time, according to Times Colonist. Besides new estimates of the government's fiscal position, Flaherty's update a mid-year report card on the economy and Ottawa's books contained a few surprises, including plans for future asset sales and a costing of savings tied to the recently announced departmental spending freeze and OTTAWA - The Harper government will end seven years of deficits in 2015 with a $3.7-billion surplus, just in time for the next election a campaign in which Finance Minister Jim Flaherty now says he intends to run. Flaherty, who suffers from a serious skin condition, has said he would stay until the budget was balanced. Asked directly whether he would run in 2015 when by his accounting he will achieve that goal he responded unequivocally: "Yes." (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.