Stephen Harper
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{{Infobox PM
| name=The Rt. Hon. Stephen Joseph Harper,
PC, MP, MA | pre-name=The Rt. Hon. | post-name=PC, MP, MA | image=Harpers.jpg | country=Canada | term=February 6, 2006- present | before=Paul Martin | after=Incumbent | date_birth=April 30, 1959 | place_birth=Toronto, Ontario | party=Conservative | religion=baptist
}} 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 in the January 2006 federal election.
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Background
Stephen Harper is the eldest of three brothers from a middle class family and son of 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 Metro Toronto's West End. Harper was an 'A+' student with several marks continually close to 100%. He graduated in 1978 as the top student of his graduating year, winning his school's gold medal for having the highest grade-point average. Harper briefly studied at the University of Toronto before travelling to Edmonton where he found employment in the oil and gas industry of Alberta as a computer programmer in his early twenties. He later attended the University of Calgary, receiving a Masters degree in economics. His links to the university remain strong: he was a frequent lecturer and his most prominent policy advisor, Tom Flanagan, is a professor there. Harper married Laureen Teskey (who since the successful 2006 campaign goes as 'Laureen Harper') in 1993. They have two children: Benjamin, born in 1996, and Rachel, born in 1999. Harper suffers from Asthma. He is also an avid fan of hockey and of the Calgary Flames.
He first became involved in politics as a teenager 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 James 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, the noted western economist Bob Mansell. The young man 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. Harper is credited with the 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.
Harper remained a prominent figure in the Reform Party's national organization. He encouraged the party beyond its regional western base in 1990, arguing that strictly regional parties run the risk of being taken over by radical elements.[{{fullurl:}}#endnote_regional] In 1991, he delivered a speech at the Reform Party's national convention condemning radical extremism.[{{fullurl:}}#endnote_extreme] 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".[{{fullurl:}}#endnote_Charlottetown]
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.[{{fullurl:}}#endnote_NCC1] 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.[{{fullurl:}}#endnote_ref] 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.[{{fullurl:}}#endnote_ref2]
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 bill 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".[{{fullurl:}}#endnote_benefits] Harper also spoke against the possibility of the Canadian Human Rights Commission or the Supreme Court changing federal policy in these and other matters.[{{fullurl:}}#endnote_CHRC]
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.[{{fullurl:}}#endnote_guns]
Notwithstanding his prominent role in the party, Harper's relationship with the Reform Party leadership was sometimes strained. In early 1994, he criticized a party decision to set up a personal expense account for Preston Manning at a time when other Reform MPs were asked to forego various parliamentary perquisites.[{{fullurl:}}#endnote_critManning] Harper's criticism proved divisive in the party, and he was formally rebuked by its executive council despite receiving support from other MPs. The relationship between Harper and Manning grew increasingly fractious, and Harper pointedly declined to express any opinion on Manning's leadership in a 1996 interview.[{{fullurl:}}#endnote_decline]
Some journalists argued these developments revealed a more fundamental 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.[{{fullurl:}}#endnote_Thorsell] He was associated with the moderate wing of the party, yet was also noted for his ideological commitment to conservative principles. Columnist Kenneth Whyte wrote that the latter quality made him a poor match with Manning, who was depicted as more willing to compromise on core issues.[{{fullurl:}}#endnote_divide] 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's leadership.[{{fullurl:}}#endnote_unite1]
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. In making this statement, he also announced that he would not be a candidate in a future leadership contest.[{{fullurl:}}#endnote_notlead] He resigned from parliament in early 1997, before the house was officially dissolved. During his time away from parliament, Harper served as vice-president, then as president, of the National Citizens Coalition (NCC), a conservative think-tank and advocacy group.
Out of politics
With the NCC, Harper made his 'Northern European Welfare State' speech, to the Council for National Policy, an American conservative lobby group, in June 1997 in which he stated: "It may not be true, but it's legendary that if you're like all Americans, you know almost nothing except for your own country. Which makes you probably knowledgeable about one more country than most Canadians." and "Canada is a Northern European welfare state in the worst sense of the term, and very proud of it..." and "I have to say. And forgive me jesting again, the NDP is kind of proof that the Devil lives and interferes in the affairs of men." [1] (see: http://www.cbc.ca/canadavotes/leadersparties/harper_speech.html for the full text of the speech). 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 Progressive Conservative 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.[2] This was portrayed as encouragement for Albertan separation by some of his political detractors. Image:Harper.jpg
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, challenging the agenda of the Liberal government, 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 sweeping many Ontario ridings, strong showings in many Quebec ridings, and surprising results in Atlantic Canada where he won many ridings with a strong grassroots organization.
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 what some observers considered 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 in negative ways. 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. Harper in turn claimed that the Liberals were running an "American-style campaign" of scare tactics and were trying to "wrap scandal in the Canadian flag". 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 maintained support from most party members because he was credited with bringing the Progressive Conservative Party and Canadian Alliance together to fight a close election in a short time. Furthermore, the election of a new leader during a minority parliament was not seen as strategically feasible.
Harper as Conservative leader and Leader of the Opposition
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.
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.
Under Harper, the Conservative party has sought to make the sponsorship scandal, ethics and Liberal corruption as the central issues in Canadian politics.
The party's fight against same-sex marriage has been controversial. Polls have shown that most Canadians either support or do not care about the issue, but the Conservative base is fairly supportive of the traditional definition of marriage with three out of four delegates wishing to maintain it. Harper has been 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. In contrast, 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. Harper engaged law firm Lang Michener to provide a legal opinion which determined that the rights of same-sex couples would have the same rights as married couples via civil unions. The Supreme Court of Canada specifically declined to pronounce itself on whether reinstating the traditional definition of marriage would be unconstitutional. (Source: Reference re Same-sex marriage, [2004] 3 S.C.R. 698 [3])
Following the April 2005 release of Jean Brault's damaging testimony at the Gomery Inquiry, implicating the Liberals in extensive corruption, many opinion polls placed the Conservatives considerably ahead of Liberals. The Conservatives had earlier abstained from the vote on the 2005 budget, as it was clear Canadians were not interested in an election. With the collapse in Liberal support and the controversial 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", and vowed to "put [the] government out of its misery". The Bloc Québécois agreed to follow suit, while the NDP supported the government due to the amended budget. This effort to bring down the government failed following the decision of prominent and popular Conservative MP Belinda Stronach to cross the floor to the Liberal Party. This move was controversial, and was viewed as opportunistic by conservative observers. Liberals labelled the Conservatives as "in bed with the separatists", and thus unpatriotic, while the Conservatives accused the Liberal Party of criminal activity in offering a member of Parliament a cabinet position in exchange for crossing the floor. The May 19 second reading budget vote passed with Conservative support. However, the NDP amendment to the budget tied rather than failing to pass by one vote (because of Stronach's defection and the support of the independent members). With the Speaker of the House voting to continue debate (following parliamentary precedent), the Liberal Party continued to remain 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.
In early June 2005, the Conservative Party announced that Harper was embarking on a summer tour, consisting of barbecues, photo ops, and similar events, with the aim of allowing Canadians to get to know the Conservative leader personally. In early July, five members of Harper's communications team resigned. Harper's critics suggested that this was an indication of unrest in the Conservative Party, while the Conservatives maintained this was simply a change of guard and pointed towards similar Liberal communications staff shake-ups in 2004.
On Thursday, November 24, Harper introduced a motion of no confidence on the Liberal government, saying that the "government had lost the confidence of the House of Commons and needs to be removed." The vote on the motion took place on Monday, November 28. 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
Image:Harper,-Stephen-Jan-23-06.jpg
- Main article: Canadian federal election, 2006
After Parliament was dissolved on November 29, 2005, Harper warned that Canadians should hold the Liberals "accountable" for all the wrongdoings during the previous 12 years when he spoke outside the House of Commons.
Harper started off the first month of the campaign by making a policy-per-day announcement. This came as a surprise to most media, because they believed he would focus on the sponsorship scandal. 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. Columnist Andrew Coyne pointed out that Harper's new strategy also played to his strengths as a policy wonk, as opposed to in the 2004 election and summer 2005 where he tried to overcome the perception that he was cool and aloof. 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 relatively rapidly.
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. This revelation and the refusal of Goodale to step aside during the criminal investigation dominated news coverage for the following week and it gained further attention when the U.S. SEC announced they would also launch a probe. The income trust scandal prevented the Liberals from making their key policy announcements and it allowed Harper to refocus on his previous attacks about alleged corruption within the Liberal party. Harper's Conservative Party soon found itself leading in the polls. By early January, they even made a major breakthrough in Quebec.
In the 2004 election, when the Conservatives had briefly led the Liberals by 1-2 percentage points, many Canadians did not trust Harper, which the Liberals responded to by running negative campaign ads suggesting that Harper had a "hidden agenda". In response to the growing Conservative lead in 2006 the Liberals launched a similar campaign; however their tactics had little effect this time since the Conservatives had opened up a significant 10-point advantage. Harper's personal numbers had risen considerably and polls found he was now considered not only more trustworthy, but he would also make a better Prime Minister than Martin. As their lead solidified, coverage of the Conservatives was also much more positive than in 2004, including in the left-leaning Toronto Star, while the Liberals found themselves increasingly criticized for running a poor campaign and making numerous gaffes.
One Liberal ad insinuated that Harper would place armed Canadian soldiers on the streets of major cities and that this would be a dangerous thing. This was in response to a Conservative pledge to put troops on the ready for civil aid in the case of a natural disaster. While the ad was posted on the Liberals' website, it was never aired in English (a French language version, however, did air in Quebec). This ad, and the negative reaction to it by those who are or have served in the military, Conservatives, several NDP members and even some prominent Liberals, became a news story for several days and overshadowed other Liberal advertisements and policy announcements.
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 from outside of Quebec (or at least, the first not to represent a Quebec riding) elected to office since Joe Clark in 1979. (Kim Campbell was the last Prime Minister from outside Quebec, but was appointed to serve out the remainder of Mulroney's second mandate in 1993.) Harper is the latest Prime Minister to represent a western riding, succeeding Progressive Conservatives Kim Campbell (British Columbia); Clark (Alberta); John Diefenbaker (Saskatchewan); Arthur Meighen (Manitoba) and R.B. Bennett (Alberta); and Liberals John Turner (British Columbia) and William Lyon Mackenzie King (Saskatchewan).
Prime Minister of Canada
Almost immediately after being sworn in as Prime Minister, Harper's first action as prime minister, the appointment of his cabinet, received stern public and opposition criticism. Most notably over David Emerson and Michael Fortier.
- Emerson: Despite being sharply critical of the Liberals for Belinda Stronach's party switch in 2005, Harper named David Emerson to his cabinet as Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics. Emerson, a cabinet minister under former Liberal prime minister Paul Martin, had been re-elected as a Liberal exactly two weeks earlier, and switched parties just before the new cabinet was announced, surprising his constituents. The Conservative candidate in Emerson's left-leaning urban riding had finished third in the elections, receiving less than 20 per cent of the vote. It has been widely reported that Emerson had been called by John Reynolds, a Conservative strategist and liaison to Harper, the day after the election to court him for defection to the Conservatives. In Emerson's words: "John Reynolds called me the day after the election, just to explore whether I would be interested in having a conversation with Mr. Harper." [4]
- Fortier: (also see Fortiergate) In opposition and during the campaign Harper had also criticized unelected, appointed cabinet ministers and the Canadian Senate as it was an unelected body. However, seemingly going against his own criticisms he appointed Michael Fortier, a senior Conservative party operative from Montreal, to his cabinet, giving him the high-profile cabinet position of Public Works. The move was quickly criticized by observers including the interim Leader of the Opposition Bill Graham, as the department spends billions of dollars a year and the minister responsible for the portfolio will not be subject to questioning in the House of Commons Perhaps ironically, the department was also at the centre of the sponsorship scandal which the Conservatives capitalized on during the 2006 election campaign; and, they claimed, exemplified an example of a lack of accountability in Parliament. Harper noted that Fortier would be appointed to the Senate of Canada to alleviate the issue of accountability of a non-parliamentarian minister instead of following the conventional route of having him run in a by-election to legitimize his place in the government. Harper said his appointment to the Senate would be temporary, as Fortier would vacate his Senate position at the next federal election, and run for a seat in the House of Commons.[5] According to Harper, the primary reason for these appointments was to give to give of one of Canada's largest cities representation in his government. PEI provincial Opposition leader Robert Ghiz and former Cabinet Minister Joe McGuire countered this argument by asking why Harper was willing to appoint a Senator to represent a large city, but not to represent an entire province (Prince Edward Island), given that PEI also has a vacant Senate seat, and no Conservative Members in the House of Commons[6]. Further criticism has been leveled that Harper has gone to great lenghts to incorporate Montreal in cabinet, but the City of Toronto proper is unrepresented in the cabinet. Harper claims that Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty from his riding in Whitby-Oshawa will represent Toronto along with the Greater Toronto Area (or GTA).
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.[7] His prenominal was upgraded from "The Honourable" to "The Right Honourable" for life when he became prime minister on February 6, 2006.
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
| 28th Ministry - Government of Stephen Harper | ||
| Cabinet Post | ||
|---|---|---|
| Predecessor | Office | Successor |
| Paul Martin | Prime Minister of Canada (February 6 2006- Present) | Incumbent |
| Preceded by: John Reynolds | Leader of the Canadian Alliance{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= Representative for {{{district}}}|else=}}{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= 2002–2003|else=}}{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= with {{{regent1}}}|else=}} {{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= ({{{years1}}})|else=}}{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= {{{regent2}}}|else=}} {{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= ({{{years2}}})|else=}}{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= {{{regent3}}}|else=}} {{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= ({{{years3}}})|else=}}{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= Served alongside: {{{alongside}}}|else=}} | Succeeded by: (Party merged with the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada to create the Conservative Party of Canada) |
| Leader of the Opposition{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= Representative for {{{district}}}|else=}}{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= 2002–2004|else=}}{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= with {{{regent1}}}|else=}} {{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= ({{{years1}}})|else=}}{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= {{{regent2}}}|else=}} {{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= ({{{years2}}})|else=}}{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= {{{regent3}}}|else=}} {{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= ({{{years3}}})|else=}}{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= Served alongside: {{{alongside}}}|else=}} | Succeeded by: Grant Hill | |
| Preceded by: {{{before}}}}|before=Grant Hill}} | {{{title}}}{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= Representative for {{{district}}}|else=}}{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= {{{years}}}|else=}}{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= with {{{regent1}}}|else=}} {{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= ({{{years1}}})|else=}}{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= {{{regent2}}}|else=}} {{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= ({{{years2}}})|else=}}{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= {{{regent3}}}|else=}} {{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= ({{{years3}}})|else=}}{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= Served alongside: {{{alongside}}}|else=}}}|title=Leader of the Opposition|years=2004–2006}} | Succeeded by: {{{after}}} |
| Preceded by: John Lynch-Staunton | Leader of the Conservative Party{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= Representative for {{{district}}}|else=}}{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= 2004–present{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= with {{{regent1}}}|else=}} {{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= ({{{years1}}})|else=}}{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= {{{regent2}}}|else=}} {{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= ({{{years2}}})|else=}}{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= {{{regent3}}}|else=}} {{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= ({{{years3}}})|else=}}{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= Served alongside: {{{alongside}}}|else=}}}|then={{{footnote_marker}}}}}}} | Incumbent{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= Designated heir: {{{heir}}}|else=}} |
| Preceded by: {{{before}}}}|before=James Hawkes, Progressive Conservative}} | {{{title}}}{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= Representative for {{{district}}}|else=}}{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= {{{years}}}|else=}}{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= with {{{regent1}}}|else=}} {{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= ({{{years1}}})|else=}}{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= {{{regent2}}}|else=}} {{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= ({{{years2}}})|else=}}{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= {{{regent3}}}|else=}} {{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= ({{{years3}}})|else=}}{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= Served alongside: {{{alongside}}}|else=}}}|title=Member for Calgary West|years=1993–1997}} | Succeeded by: {{{after}}} |
| Preceded by: Preston Manning, Canadian Alliance | Member for Calgary Southwest{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= Representative for {{{district}}}|else=}}{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= 2002–present{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= with {{{regent1}}}|else=}} {{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= ({{{years1}}})|else=}}{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= {{{regent2}}}|else=}} {{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= ({{{years2}}})|else=}}{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= {{{regent3}}}|else=}} {{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= ({{{years3}}})|else=}}{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= Served alongside: {{{alongside}}}|else=}}}|then={{{footnote_marker}}}}}}} | Incumbent{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then= Designated heir: {{{heir}}}|else=}} |
| Prime Ministers of Canada | Image:Flag of Canada.svg | |
|---|---|---|
| Macdonald | Mackenzie | Abbott | Thompson | Bowell | Tupper | Laurier | Borden | Meighen | King | Bennett | St. Laurent | Diefenbaker | Pearson | Trudeau | Clark | Turner | Mulroney | Campbell | Chrétien | Martin | Harper | ||
</center>
External links
- Prime Minister of Canada - Premier ministre du Canada, official website
- Maclean's - Meet the Real Stephen Harper
- CBC - The Conservative Leader
- Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.Canada Votes 2004: Stephen Harper.
- List of Federal Political Experience from the Library of Parliament
- How'd They Vote?
- Stephen Harper Editorial Cartoon Gallery
News
Electoral record
| 2006 federal election: Calgary Southwest | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures | ||
| Conservative | (x)Stephen Harper | 41,549 | 72.36 | |||
| Liberal | Mike Swanson | 6,553 | 11.41 | |||
| New Democratic Party | Holly Heffernan | 4,628 | 8.06 | |||
| Green | Kim Warnke | 4,407 | 7.68 | |||
| Christian Heritage | Larry R. Heather | 279 | 0.49 | |||
| Total valid votes | 57,416 | 100.00 | ||||
| Total rejected ballots | 120 | |||||
| Turnout | 57,536 | |||||
| 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 | |||||
| 1993 federal election: Calgary West | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
| Reform | Stephen Harper | 30,209 | 52.25 | |||
| Liberal | Karen Gainer | 15,314 | 26.49 | |||
| Progressive Conservative | (x)James Hawkes | 9,090 | 15.72 | |||
| New Democratic Party | Rudy Rogers | 1,194 | 2.06 | |||
| National | Kathleen McNeil | 1,068 | 1.85 | |||
| Natural Law | Frank Haika | 483 | 0.84 | |||
| Green | Don Francis | 347 | 0.60 | |||
| Christian Heritage | Larry R. Heather | 116 | 0.20 | |||
| Total valid votes | 57,821 | 100.00 | ||||
| Total rejected ballots | 133 | |||||
| Turnout | 57,954 | 66.29 | ||||
| Electors on the lists | 87,421 | |||||
| 1988 federal election: Calgary West | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
| Progressive Conservative | (x)James Hawkes | 32,025 | 58.52 | |||
| Reform | Stephen Harper | 9,074 | 16.58 | |||
| Liberal | John Phillips | 6,880 | 12.57 | |||
| New Democratic Party | Richard D. Vanderberg | 6,355 | 11.61 | |||
| Libertarian | David Faren | 225 | 0.41 | |||
| Confederation of Regions | Brent Morin | 170 | 0.31 | |||
| Total valid votes | 54,729 | 100.00 | ||||
| Total rejected ballots | 117 | |||||
| Turnout | 54,846 | 78.75 | ||||
| Electors on the lists | 69,650 | |||||
Notes and sources
- ^ 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.de:Stephen Harper
fr:Stephen Harper nl:Stephen Harper pl:Stephen Harper pt:Stephen Harper sv:Stephen Harper sh:Stephen Harper ta:சிரீபன் கார்பர் zh:史蒂芬·夏柏
Categories: 1959 births | Conservative Party of Canada MPs | Members of the Canadian House of Commons from Alberta | Members of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada | Leaders of the Conservative Party of Canada | Living people | Reform Party of Canada MPs | Calgarians | Prime Ministers of Canada | Pro-life politicians
