加拿大前财长突然逝世（在线收听）

 OTTAWA, April 10 (Xinhua) -- Jim Flaherty, who stepped down as one of Canada's longest-serving finance ministers in March and who served during one of the country's most challenging economic times, died suddenly on Thursday at the age of 64.

"Today is a very sad day for me," Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper told his federal caucus Thursday afternoon about the death of Flaherty, who served as his only finance minister from 2006 until March 18.

The Peace Tower flag here on Parliament Hill was lowered to half-mast in tribute to Flaherty, and in what is believed to be an unprecedented move, the sitting of the House of Commons was suspended until Friday morning.

A former finance minister in Canada's largest province, Ontario, Flaherty became the first federal finance minister to attempt to create, though not accomplished under his watch, a national securities regulator, whose absence has left Canada alone among member countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development without such a national regulator.

An immensely likeable politician, Flaherty was also not shy to express his opinion even if it meant appearing at odds with his boss, the prime minister, over the federal Conservatives' 2011 election promise to introduce income splitting for couples with children under the age of 18.

The plan was seen to benefit families where one parent has a high income and the other parent may have little or no income.

The day after delivering this year's -- and his 10th -- federal budget in February, Flaherty acknowledged the promise needed to be thought through more carefully.

Flaherty's health became an issue over the past year after he revealed in early 2013 that he had suffered from a rare and painful autoimmune skin disorder, bullous pemphigoid, though he said last month it was "not related in any way" to his decision to leave his post as finance minister.