We at Genome Canada wish to offer our sincere condolences to the family members and friends of former finance minister Jim Flaherty. Mr. Flaherty was an exceptional leader and visionary. He had a profound understanding of the social and economic return on investment that could be yielded from scientific research investments. The Canadian Genomics Enterprise saw more than $600 million in federal dollars invested in genomics during his term as finance minister from 2006 to 2014, resulting in discoveries and innovations that are saving lives, protecting the environment and giving our traditional resource-based industries a competitive-edge globally. His influence on Canada generally, and in particular in the science and innovation realm, will be felt for decades to come.