Stephen Harper (born April 30, 1959) is the 22nd Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. He was sworn in as Prime Minister by Governor General Michaëlle Jean on February 6, 2006, at Rideau Hall. Harper has been the Member of Parliament for the riding of Calgary Southwest in Alberta since 2002, having previously served as the MP for Calgary West from 1993 to 1997. According to Canadian protocol, as Prime Minister, he is styled "The Right Honourable" for life.
As one of the founding members of the Reform Party, he ended his first stint as an MP to head the National Citizens Coalition. After the ousting of leader Stockwell Day in 2002, Harper became leader of the Canadian Alliance and returned to Parliament. In 2003, he successfully reached an agreement with Progressive Conservative leader Peter MacKay to merge the Canadian Alliance with the Progressive Conservative Party to form the Conservative Party of Canada. He was elected as the new party's first leader in March 2004. He led the Conservatives to a minority government win in the January 2006 federal election.
Background
Stephen Joseph Harper is the eldest of three sons born to Margaret and the late Joseph Harper (1927-2003), an accountant with Imperial Oil. He was born and raised in Toronto on Bessborough Drive in the community of Leaside. He attended Richview Collegiate Institute, a high school in Central Etobicoke. He graduated in 1978 as the top student of his graduating year.
Harper briefly studied at the University of Toronto before travelling to Edmonton, where he found employment in the oil and gas industry as a computer programmer in his early twenties. He later attended the University of Calgary, receiving a Master's degree in economics. His links to the University remain strong, and he has been a frequent lecturer there.
Harper married Laureen Teskey in 1993. They have two children: Benjamin, born in 1996, and Rachel, born in 1999. His children currently attend Rockcliffe Park Public School, in Ottawa.
Harper is an avid fan of ice hockey and of the Calgary Flames, and is currently writing a history book about the sport. He lives with asthma.
Harper has been called a "policy wonk" by his friends and an "ideologue" by his detractors. Observers have suggested that he has recently sought to refine his image to appear more moderate and to appeal to a wider range of the electorate. Although the public image of Mr. Harper is overwhelmingly that of a stiff and unemotional man or even smug and smarmy, many of his colleagues surprisingly report that he has a charming sense of humour and even a well liked candour. He has previously shown a talent for performing impressions of other politicians, such as: Preston Manning, Brian Mulroney, Jean Chretien, John McCallum, and even California Governor and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Political beginings
He first became involved in politics in high school, serving as a member of the school's Young Liberals Club. However, Harper's political allegiance later changed in opposition to the Trudeau Liberal government's National Energy Program, which he thought was harming Alberta's energy industry. He became chief aide to Tory MP Jim Hawkes in 1985 and served with Hawkes on several House Committees, but quickly became disillusioned with the government of Brian Mulroney and the Progressive Conservative Party. Harper was especially critical of the government's fiscal policy and inability to fully revoke the NEP until 1986. He left the PC Party in 1986.
He was then recommended to Preston Manning, the founder and leader of the Reform Party, by one of Harper's professors, noted western economist Bob Mansell. Harper impressed Manning, who invited him to participate in the party. At age 28, he gave an important speech at Reform's 1987 founding convention in Winnipeg. He became the Reform Party's Chief Policy Officer, and played a major role in drafting the 1988 election platform and creating Reform's campaign slogan, "The West wants in!"
In the 1988 federal election, Harper ran for a House of Commons seat in Calgary West as Steve Harper. Despite finishing second, he lost by a wide margin to Hawkes, his former employer. In 1989, Harper was named executive assistant to newly-elected Reform MP Deborah Grey and served as her chief advisor and speech writer until 1993.[1]
Harper remained a prominent figure in the Reform Party's national organization while serving as the party's policy chief. He encouraged the party to expand beyond its regional western base in 1990, arguing that strictly regional parties run the risk of being taken over by radical elements.[2] In 1991, he delivered a speech at the Reform Party's national convention condemning radical extremism.[3] Sometimes described as Preston Manning's "right-hand man" in this period, he nonetheless disagreed with Manning on the Reform Party's strategy for the 1992 Charlottetown Accord referendum. While Harper stood with Manning in opposing the Accord, he opposed a campaign strategy which described it as the "Mulroney deal".[4] He resigned as policy chief in October 1992 after this and other disagreements, and focused on his own campaign in Calgary West.
Harper's electoral fortunes improved in the 1993 election, in which he defeated Hawkes to win the riding of Calgary West for the Reform Party. His campaign likely benefited from a $50,000 print and television campaign organized by the National Citizens Coalition against Hawkes, although the NCC did not endorse Harper directly. [5] After the election, Harper quickly became one of the core members of the Reform caucus.
Reform MP
Harper was active on constitutional issues during his first term in parliament, and played a prominent role in drafting the Reform Party's strategy for the 1995 Quebec referendum. A long-standing opponent of centralized federalism, he stood with Preston Manning in Montreal to introduce a twenty-point plan to "decentralize and modernize" Canada in the event of a "no" victory.[6] Harper later argued that the "no" side's narrow plurality was a worst-case scenario, in that no-one had won a mandate to act.[7]
Although not associated with the radical wing of the Reform Party, Harper expressed socially conservative views on some issues. In 1994, he opposed plans by federal Justice Minister Allan Rock to introduce spousal benefits for same-sex couples. Citing the recent failure of a similar initiative in Ontario, he said, "What I hope they learn is not to get into it. There are more important social and economic issues, not to mention the unity question".[8] Harper also spoke against the possibility of the Canadian Human Rights Commission or the Supreme Court changing federal policy in these and other matters.[9]
Harper was the only Reform MP to vote for a bill establishing the Canadian gun registry at second reading stage in 1995, though he voted against it at third reading. He made his initial decision after concluding that the majority of his constituents supported the measure, but later decided that there was substantial opposition to the idea.[10]
Notwithstanding his prominent role in the party, Harper's relationship with the Reform leadership was sometimes strained. In early 1994, he criticized a party decision to establish a personal expense account for Preston Manning at a time when other Reform MPs were asked to forego various parliamentary perquisites.[11] This criticism was divisive within the party, and Harper was formally rebuked by its executive council despite receiving support from some other MPs. His relationship with Manning grew increasingly fractious after this, and he pointedly declined to express any opinion on Manning's leadership during a 1996 interview.[12]
Some journalists wrote that these events reflected a more fundamental, ideological divide between Harper and Manning. Bill Thorsell of the Globe and Mail wrote in 1995 that Harper's vision of the Reform Party was "both more principled and more pragmatic" than Manning's,[13] in that he was associated with the party's moderate wing but was also strongly committed to conservative principles. Another columnist, Kenneth Whyte, wrote that the latter quality made him a poor match with Manning, who was seen as more willing to compromise on core issues.[14] It was reported in April 1995 that some Progressive Conservatives opposed to Jean Charest's leadership wanted to remove both Charest and Manning, and unite the Reform and Progressive Conservative parties under Harper.[15]
The tensions between Harper and the Reform Party leadership culminated in late 1996, when Harper announced that he would not be a candidate in the next federal election. He also announced that he would not be a candidate in a future leadership contest.[16] Harper resigned his parliamentary seat on January 14, 1997, the same day he was appointed as a vice-president of the National Citizens Coalition (NCC), a conservative think-tank and advocacy group.[17] He later became president of the NCC.
Out of politics
In his role with NCC Harper also launched an ultimately unsuccessful legal battle against federal election laws restricting third-party advertising. In 1997, Harper served as a regular political commentator on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation newsprogram The National.
In 1998, Harper was solicited by the PC Party's influential "Blue Tory Committee" and Tory MPs Jim Jones and John Herron to seek the recently vacated leadership of the PC Party as a United Alternative candidate. Harper ultimately declined, concerned that his Reform colleagues would view him as a traitor.
After the Canadian Alliance's poor showing in the 2000 election, a disappointed Harper joined with other western conservatives in co-authoring a document titled the Alberta Agenda. The letter called on Alberta to reform publicly-funded health care, replace the Canada Pension Plan with a similar provincial plan and replace the Royal Canadian Mounted Police with a provincial police force. The document became known as the "firewall letter" because it called on the Alberta government to "build firewalls around Alberta" to prevent the federal government from redistributing the province's wealth to other parts of Canada.[18] Some saw this as an encouragement for Albertan separation.
Canadian Alliance leadership
When Stockwell Day bowed to pressure from within the Canadian Alliance and resigned from the leadership in the summer of 2001, Harper stood as a candidate in the subsequent leadership election. In the vote on March 20, 2002, Harper defeated Day on the first ballot to become leader of the Alliance. He became the Leader of the Opposition after returning to Parliament in a by-election in May 2002. Later that month, Harper stated that the Atlantic Provinces have "a culture of defeat that we have to overcome," calling it "a sad reality the traditional parties have bred in parts of Atlantic Canada." The PC-controlled Legislature of Nova Scotia unanimously approved a motion condemning the remark, and was joined by New Brunswick Premier Bernard Lord and federal Progressive Conservative leader Joe Clark. While saying that his remarks were taken out of context and that he merely meant Atlantic Canadians feel despondent because of being ignored in Ottawa, Harper later apologized for any offence the remarks might have caused.
His first 18 months as opposition leader were largely devoted towards consolidating the fractured elements of the Canadian Alliance and encouraging a union of the Canadian Alliance and the federal Progressive Conservatives. The aim of this union was to present only one right-of-centre national party in the next federal election, thus preventing the vote-splitting of the past. After reaching an agreement with Peter MacKay in October 2003, the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada officially merged in December, with the new party being named the "Conservative Party of Canada".
Conservative Party of Canada leadership
On January 12, 2004, Harper announced his resignation as Leader of the Opposition, in order to run for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada. Harper won the Conservative leadership election easily, with a first ballot majority against Belinda Stronach and Tony Clement on March 20, 2004. Harper's victory included strong showings in Ontario,Quebec, and Atlantic Canada.
2004 federal election
Harper led the Conservatives during the 2004 federal election, where it was widely believed he had a chance to defeat Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin. After an immensely damaging release by the Auditor General regarding the government's lack of oversight of the Sponsorship Program of the 1990s, and voter anger in Ontario against Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty for breaking a promise not to raise taxes, polls showed the Conservatives in a dead heat with the Liberals.
Late in the campaign, the Conservatives began to attract negative attention for controversial remarks made by MPs and candidates regarding homosexuality, official bilingualism and abortion. Additionally, the Liberal Party began airing controversial TV attack ads suggesting that the Conservatives would make Canada more like the United States. Harper was also criticized for his position supporting the American-led 2003 invasion of Iraq. The term "hidden agenda", used commonly in the 2000 election to refer to Stockwell Day, began surfacing with increasing regularity with regard to Harper's history of supporting privatized health care. Further damaging the Conservative campaign was a press release from Conservative headquarters that said that Paul Martin supported child pornography. The momentum began to swing against his party, although some polls suggested it was neck and neck right up until election day.
The Conservative Party was successful in gaining seats in Ontario, where the Reform Party and Canadian Alliance had never been able to make significant gains, but Martin was re-elected with a minority government and 135 seats. The Conservatives finished in second-place with 99 seats. While the Conservatives had improved on the 72 seats they held entering the election, the party took 29.6% of the popular vote, down from the 37.7% combined total of the Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservatives in 2000. Harper, after some personal deliberation, decided to stay on as the Party leader. Many credited him with bringing the Progressive Conservative Party and Canadian Alliance together to fight a close election in a short time.
Harper as Conservative leader and Leader of the Opposition
The Conservative Party's first policy convention was held from March 17-19, 2005, in Montreal. A more moderate party stance was demonstrated, in accordance with what many viewed as Harper's goal. Any opposition to abortion or bilingualism was dropped from the Conservative platform, though the party was still opposed to same-sex marriage. Harper received an 84% endorsement from delegates in the leadership review.
The party soon began a controversial fight fight against same-sex marriage. Harper was criticized by a group of law professors for arguing that the government could not over-ride the provincial court rulings without using the "notwithstanding clause", a provision of Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Harper and constitutional lawyer/Conservative Justice Critic Vic Toews suggest that this clause does not have to be used to enshrine the traditional definition of marriage.
Following the April 2005 release of Jean Brault's damaging testimony at the Gomery Inquiry, implicating the Liberals in the scandal, opinion polls placed the Conservatives ahead of Liberals. The Conservatives had earlier abstained from the vote on the 2005 budget to avoid forcing an election. With the collapse in Liberal support and acontroversial NDP amendment to the budget, the party exerted significant pressure on Harper to bring down the government. In May, Harper announced that the government had lost the "moral authority to govern", with the support of the Bloc Québécois. The effort failed following the decision of Conservative MP Belinda Stronach to cross the floor to the Liberal Party. The vote on the NDP amendment to the budget tied, and with the Speaker of the House voting to continue debate, the Liberals stayed in power.
Harper was also criticized for supporting his caucus colleague MP Gurmant Grewal. Grewal had produced tapes of conversations with Tim Murphy, Paul Martin's chief of staff, in which Grewal claimed he had been offered a cabinet position in exchange for his defection. Some experts analyzed the tapes and concluded that a digital copy of the tapes had been edited.
On November 24, 2005, Harper introduced a motion of no confidence on the Liberal government. As the Liberals had lost New Democratic Party support in the house by refusing to accept an NDP plan to prevent health care privatization, the no confidence motion was passed by a vote of 171-133. As a result, Parliament was dissolved and a general election was scheduled for January 23, 2006.
2006 federal election
- Main article: Canadian federal election, 2006
Harper started off the first month of the campaign with a a policy-per-day strategy, which included a GST reduction and a child-care allowance. The Liberals were opting to hold any major announcements until after the Christmas holidays; as a result, Harper dominated media coverage for the first weeks of the campaign and was able to define himself and his platform. Though his party showed only modest movement in the polls, Harper's personal numbers, which had always trailed his party's significantly, began to rise.
On December 27, 2005, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced it was investigating Liberal Finance Minister Ralph Goodale's office for potentially engaging in insider trading before making an important announcement on the taxation of income trusts. The income trust scandal prevented the Liberals from making key policy announcements and allowed Harper to focus on his previous attacks about alleged corruption within the Liberal party. The Conservatives were soon leading in the polls, and had made progress in Quebec.
In response to the growing Conservative lead, the Liberals launched a series of ads involving Harper that included parts of a 1997 speech Harper made to an American conservative group, the Council for National Policy; however they did not stop the Conservative momentum. Harper's personal numbers had risen considerably and polls found he was ahead in trust and in Prime Minister preference. As their lead solidified, the Conservatives were endorsed by many newspapers.
On January 23, the Conservatives won 124 seats to 103 for the Liberals. Martin conceded defeat at midnight on January 24, and at 9:45 a.m. that morning, announced his intention to resign as prime minister. At 6:45 p.m., Governor General Michaëlle Jean asked Harper to form a government. He was sworn in as Canada's 22nd Prime Minister on February 6, 2006. Harper is the first prime minister elected to office not representing a Quebec riding since Joe Clark in 1979.
Prime Minister
US relations
Shortly after being congratulated by George W. Bush for his victory, Harper rebuked US Ambassador to Canada David Wilkins for criticizing the Conservatives' plans to assert Canada's sovereignty over the Arctic waters with armed forces.
Cabinet
Although the majority of Conservative seats were from the Western provinces, Harper selected the majority of his Ministers from Ontario and Quebec in the interests of regional balance. The new Conservative cabinet was substantially smaller than the prior Martin administration and also did away with junior ministers (known as Ministers of State and previously Secretaries of State). Some pundits in the media have described Harper's cabinet as moderate, and a tempering of the Conservative Party's roots in the Canadian Alliance and Reform.
Two of Harper's selections generated some controversy. He chose outgoing Liberal Minister of Industry David Emerson as Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the 2010 Winter Olympics, and Michael Fortier, a senior Conservative Party operative and campaign strategist, as Minister of Public Works and he was also appointed to the Senate. Emerson had been re-elected to parliament as a Liberal only weeks earlier, while Fortier did not contest the previous election at all. Harper argued that the appointments were necessary to provide two of Canada's largest cities (Vancouver and Montreal) with cabinet representation, as the Conservatives failed to win any seats in these cities.
Opposition politicians attacked the appointment of Emerson as hypocritical, as Harper and the Conservatives had sharply criticized Belinda Stronach's for crossing the floor to the Liberals in 2005. Emerson's decision was also met with opposition in his riding, where the Conservative candidate had received less than 20% of the vote in the previous campaign, although Emerson himself was re-elected by a large margin over the NDP runner-up. The Harper government defended Emerson's appointment as tapping a politician with previous federal cabinet experience. Emerson himself suggested that it would help the Conservatives move to the middle of the political spectrum[19].
Harper's appointment of Fortier was also controversial, as the Conservatives had previously criticized the Senate as an unelected body. Both Harper and Fortier have stated that the Senate appointment is temporary, and that Fortier will vacate his position at the next federal election to run for a seat in the House of Commons.
Other choices were met with greater support. Toronto mayor David Miller has called Harper's cabinet described the selection of Lawrence Cannon as a "very positive step" and "a signal Mr. Harper's serious about reaching out to cities"[20]. While Toronto itself was left unrepresented in cabinet, Harper appointed Jim Flaherty to represent the city along with the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Flaherty represents the riding of Whitby—Oshawa, in the eastern GTA, and his selection as Minister of Finance was viewed positively by the Bay Street business community[21].
On March 3, 2006, Ethics Commissioner Bernard Shapiro announced that he was launching a preliminary inquiry into conflict-of-interest allegations against Emerson and Harper. Shapiro says he will look into what influence may have been wielded in the decision by Emerson to cross the floor[22][23]. Conservatives have criticized Shapiro's probe as partisan and accused him of applying a double standard since he was an apointee of the former Liberal government and had turned down earlier requests in 2005 to investigate similar Belinda Stronach's floor-crossing in which she received a cabinet post, as well as Tony Valeri's questionable land deal with a Liberal fundraiser[24]. Shapiro had also been under fire from former NDP leader Ed Broadbent for "extraordinarily serious credibility problems"[25]. While agreeing with Harper that Shapiro's investigation was inappropriate, Broadbent and opposition MPs have criticized Harper for overruling the comissioner. Shapiro cleared both Harper and Emerson of any wrongdoing on March 20, 2006. [26][27]
Deputy Prime Minister and succession
Unlike his recent predecessors, Harper did not name one of his colleagues to the largely honorific post of Deputy Prime Minister. Various observers had expected him to name MacKay, his deputy party leader, or Lawrence Cannon, as a Quebec lieutenant, to the post. Harper did, however, name an order of succession to act on his behalf in certain circumstances, starting with Cannon, then Jim Prentice, then the balance of his cabinet in order of precedence.
First Overseas Trip
On March 11 and March 12, 2006, Harper made a surprise trip to Afghanistan, where Canadian Forces personnel have been deployed since late 2001, to visit troops in theatre as a show of support for their efforts and a demonstration of his government's commitment to reconstruction and stability in the region. Harper's choice of a first foreign visit was closely guarded from the press, and is seen as marking a significant change in relationship between the government and the military. While other foreign leaders have visited Afghanistan, Harper's trip was touted as unprecedented in its length and scope. [28]
Supreme Court
Aside from his legislative agenda, Harper named Marshall Rothstein as the new Puisne Justice to the Supreme Court of Canada on February 23, 2006. In keeping with pre-election promises of a new appointment process, Harper announced Rothstein had to appear before an ad hoc committee of 12 Members of Parliament. However, the committee did not have the power to veto the appointment, which was what some members of his own party had called for. [29]
Honours
Harper has the postnominal "PC" for life by virtue of being made a member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada on May 4, 2004.[30] His prenominal was changed from "The Honourable" to "The Right Honourable" for life when he became Prime Minister on February 6, 2006.
Trivia
See also
References
- William Johnson, Stephen Harper and the Future of Canada, McClelland & Stewart, 420 pp. (June 2005) ISBN 0-7710-4350-3
- Lloyd Mackey, The Pilgrimage of Stephen Harper, ECW Press, 221 pp. (August 2005) ISBN 1-5502-2713-0
External links
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
News
Electoral record
| 2004 federal election: Calgary Southwest |
| Party |
Candidate |
Votes |
% |
Expenditures |
| |
Conservative |
(x)Stephen Harper |
35,297 |
68.36 |
$62,952.76 |
| |
Liberal |
Avalon Roberts |
9,501 |
18.40 |
$43,846.23 |
| |
Green |
Darcy Kraus |
3,210 |
6.22 |
534.96 |
| |
New Democratic Party |
Daria Fox |
2,884 |
5.59 |
3,648.70 |
| |
Marijuana |
Mark de Pelham |
516 |
1.00 |
$0.00 |
| |
Christian Heritage |
Larry R. Heather |
229 |
0.44 |
$985.59 |
| Total valid votes |
51,637 |
100.00 |
|
| Total rejected ballots |
149 |
|
|
| Turnout |
51,786 |
64.49 |
|
| Electors on the lists |
80,296 |
|
|
| Federal by-election, May 13, 2002: Calgary Southwest |
| Party |
Candidate |
Votes |
% |
Expenditures |
| |
Canadian Alliance |
Stephen Harper |
13,200 |
71.66 |
$58,959.16 |
| |
New Democratic Party |
Bill Phipps |
3,813 |
20.70 |
$34,789.77 |
| |
Green |
James S. Kohut |
660 |
3.58 |
$2,750.80 |
| |
Independent |
Gordon Barrett |
428 |
2.32 |
$3,329.34 |
| |
Christian Heritage |
Ron Gray |
320 |
1.74 |
$27,772.78 |
| Total valid votes |
18,421 |
100.00 |
|
| Total rejected ballots |
98 |
|
|
| Turnout |
18,519 |
23.05 |
|
| Electors on the lists |
80,360 |
|
|
All electoral information is taken from Elections Canada. Italicized expenditures refer to submitted totals, and are presented when the final reviewed totals are not available.
Notes and sources
- ^ Geoff White, "Ottawa will be hearing from Reform MP", Calgary Herald, 21 April 1989, A5.
- ^ Paul Gessell, "The "other' parties are picking up big followings", Kitchener-Waterloo Record, 26 October 1990, A9.
- ^ George Oake, "Reform Party tries to avoid appearance of extremism", Toronto Star, 6 April 1991, A12.
- ^ George Oake, "3 senior officials quit Reform as internal conflict grips party", Toronto Star, 4 November 1992, A2. Harper and Tom Flanagan opposed the phrase, but were overruled.
- ^ Kenneth Whyte, "The right-wingers duke it out in the Calgary West corral", Globe and Mail, 2 October 1993, D2.
- ^ Dan Lett, "Outlaw Grits say no to party's gun bill", Winnipeg Free Press, 6 April 1995 and "Gun bill advances despite three rebels", Hamilton Spectator, 6 April 1995, A6; David Vienneau, "Torn MPs face high noon on gun law", Toronto Star, 13 June 1995, A21.
- ^ Neville Nankivell, "Reform's voice will grow louder", Financial Post, 31 October 1995, p. 23.
- ^ "Harris joins other leaders in calling for change", Hamilton Spectator, 31 October 1995, A1.
- ^ Marta Gold, "Same-sex fight going to Ottawa", Hamilton Spectator, 10 June 1994, A3.
- ^ Joan Crockett, "Robinson lays equality complaint", Hamilton Spectator, 22 June 1994, A12.
- ^ Geoffrey York, "Reform MPs snarl at party rebuke", Globe and Mail, 8 April 1994, A4.
- ^ Edward Greenspon, "Reform's renewal off to slow start", Globe and Mail, 1 August 1996, A4; Edward Greenspon, "Manning seeks to repeat party's surge", Globe and Mail, 2 August 1996, A4.
- ^ William Thorsell, "Is this how the Tories will fade, caught between a Bloc and a hard place?", Globe and Mail, 29 April 1995, D6.
- ^ Kenneth Whyte, "That Manning and Harper would clash has always been a safe bet", Globe and Mail, 9 April 1994, D2.
- ^ Susan Delacourt, "Charest, Manning dismiss reports of parties' merging", Globe and Mail, 4 April 1995, A5.
- ^ Susan Delacourt, "Reform's Stephen Harper won't run for re-election", Globe and Mail, 5 October 1996, A3.
- ^ "Stephen Harper named A NCC Vice-President", Canada NewsWire, 14 January 1997, 10:51 report.
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