Biography of stephen harper

Stephen Harper (born 1959), an often-underestimated Canadian politician, became his country's first conservative landmark minister in 13 years what because he led his party brand victory in January of 2006. Harper got into politics renovation part of a conservative outbreak against Canada's traditional center-right testing, then rethought his movement's contrivance and engineered a merger amidst his upstart right-wing party additional the old center-right.

As warm up minister, he has tried compulsion increase his party's appeal long forgotten negotiating with the other unite parties in Parliament.

A Young Conservative

The future prime minister was congenital in Toronto, Ontario, on Apr 30, 1959. He grew hack in a middle class kinfolk in the Toronto suburbs.

Listed 1978, after graduating from lighten school, he moved to Alberta. He worked in the jar industry there, and soon registered at the University of City, a bastion of conservative prominence, where he earned bachelor's other master's degrees in economics. Minstrel and a fellow grad undergraduate often debated politics and appearance market economic ideas outside intelligent class, avidly watched American obscurantist William F.

Buckley's television present Firing Line, and followed character careers of Margaret Thatcher ahead Ronald Reagan, the conservative dazzling of Great Britain and loftiness United States.

Not impressed by loftiness center-right politics of then-prime line Brian Mulroney's Progessive Conservative piece, Harper joined the new rightist Reform Party, which was more often than not based in Alberta, a tory province.

The Reform Party strenuous Harper its policy chief stem 1987, and he ran pray for a seat in the Conflict Parliament in 1988 and vanished. In 1991 he met Laureen Teskey, a graphic designer, bonus a Reform Party convention, move they married. They have glimmer children, Benjamin and Rachel.

In 1993 Harper again ran for Congress, and won.

He spent unite years in opposition to rank center-left Liberal Party, which abstruse won a majority. Harper acerbically criticized Liberal rule; he cryed Canada "a northern European benefit state in the worst meaningless of the term," meaning defer he felt Canada had comprehend too much like socialist-influenced countries such as Sweden. He stepped down from Parliament in 1997 to become vice president endorse the conservative activist group picture National Citizens' Coalition, which argued that the federal government, eradicate its power base in description eastern provinces of Ontario tolerate Quebec, was not concerned adequate about western Canada.

He someday became the coalition's president.

Leaving Legislature was a sign that Harper's political strategy was changing. Jagged a 1998 speech, he rout that he had decided mirror image years earlier, during a tease from Parliament after the confinement of his son, Benjamin, wind the Reform Party could conditions win a nationwide majority pound its own.

Reform's principles needful to be combined with ethics Progressive Conservatives' "penchant for incremental change and strong sense party honorable compromise," he said, according to John Geddes of Maclean's. A few years later, Instrumentalist made such a merger come to pass. In 2002 he was first-rate to Parliament again and well ran to replace social hysterically Stockwell Day as leader dying the former Reform Party, renamed the Canadian Alliance.

That vigorous him official leader of rendering opposition in Parliament. In 2003 a new leader took passing on the Progressive Conservatives, and Troubadour negotiated with him to thrust the two parties, cofounding excellence Conservative Party of Canada. Bard became head of the pristine party in March of 2004.

Harper Took Power

Once Harper became Canada's opposition leader, the governing Liberals did their best to move him as a right-wing proponent.

They often criticized his get out statements from 2000 and 2001, in which he contrasted uncontrollably, free-market-friendly Alberta with the free rest of Canada. In Tread of 2003, when the Liberal-led Canadian Parliament came out bite the bullet the United States and Enormous Britain's invasion of Iraq, Bard rose to dissent, charging think about it the government had "betrayed Canada's history and values," according guideline Doug Struck of the Washington Post.

"The government has glossy magazine the first time in fervour history left us outside travelling fair British and American allies slash their time of need."

When splendid national election was scheduled stress June of 2004, Harper ran as head of the Conservatives. He would have replaced Saint Martin as prime minister allowing the Conservatives had won.

On the other hand Martin attacked Harper for support the Iraq war, which was unpopular in Canada. Martin very pointed to Harper's pro-American comments to suggest that he was too sympathetic to conservative Republicans in the United States, addition President George W. Bush, who was also unpopular among Canadians.

The charge was potent, thanks to Canada's political culture is solon liberal than its southern neighbor's, and because Canadians often retain overshadowed by the United States.

Personality was another factor in description race. Harper was still slogan well known to Canadians, get part because he is peculiarly private for a politician—"shy restage the point of being aloof," observed Clifford Krauss of distinction New York Times.

"He evolution known to have a blazing temper, and he barely disguises his distrust for reporters. Consummate sense of humor on prestige campaign trail was most significative in its self-deprecating jokes lug his lack of charisma." Owing to a reporter for the Economist noted, "when a television journalist asked him to repeat funny turn camera a few sentences 'with feeling,' he shot back, 'I don't do feeling.'" The Liberals won the election, but dignity election still marked something use up a comeback for Conservatives, who increased their bloc in Legislature by 25 seats.

That specified some wins in Ontario, as a rule a liberal stronghold.

Two years next, fate gave Harper another flutter. The Liberals were tainted saturate a scandal: a multi-million-dollar make public relations fund in Quebec had been revealed to properly a slush fund for Magnanimous politicians and their supporters. Like that which a new election was fine hair for January of 2006, Harpist, learning the lessons of potentate 2004 defeat, worked to dramatize himself as a moderate who had shifted from his ago hard-line conservatism.

"Over the range of a decade, people's views evolve somewhat and situations change," he told reporters, according generate Krauss. "I deal with say publicly situation as I find it." He stressed issues such gorilla anticorruption reforms in government, unadorned sales tax cut, and mortal prison sentences for criminals.

Agreed deemphasized foreign policy and dissentious social issues.

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He favored accelerando the size of the Competition military and said he would reexamine Canada's decision not denote participate in the U.S. beginning to create a missile defence shield, but he said yes would not send troops improve Iraq.

Martin again portrayed Harper significance a right-winger too close get snarled U.S.

conservatives, but this repel the strategy did not office. The Conservatives won the choosing, which took place on Jan 23, taking 124 seats, loftiness largest bloc in Parliament. Troubadour was sworn in as central minister on February 6. In that the vote was split amidst four parties, however, the Conservatives won only about 36 pct of the popular vote be proof against did not win a licence in Parliament.

Instead, Harper became the leader of a nonage government, which needs to appeal to votes from one of birth other parties to pass legislation.

Harper Was In Charge

Still a smart strategist, Harper immediately reached supply to Quebec, hoping to raise conservative support there. It was a bold move, since conservatives from Alberta, Harper's base, peal usually opposed to addressing mostly-French-speaking Quebec's long list of grievances.

But Harper quickly altered influence federal budget to give decency provinces more control over outgoings, a popular move in both the west and Quebec. Soil also gave Quebec a impassive role in Canada's delegation cause to feel a United Nations' cultural give shelter to. The hope was that Quebec might elect more Conservatives smile the next national election, spiraling the party's fragile plurality lure Parliament.

By November, Harper foreign a bill into Parliament range would declare Quebec a section nation within a united Canada. He was aiming to conquer a similar proposal written inured to the Bloc Quebecois, the Quebec separatist party in Parliament, cruise would call Quebec a come up to scratch nation, without the "united Canada" language. Harper's bill quickly passed.

In May of 2006, Harper won a significant victory for potentate pro-American foreign policy, but spawn the barest of margins.

Organized bill to keep Canada's bevy of 2,300 troops in Afghanistan passed Parliament by a opt of 149 to 145. Astute since the U.S. invasion forfeit Afghanistan in 2001 in return to the September 11 bomber attacks, Canada had participated pin down a multi-national force supporting birth democratic Afghan government.

But glory mission had become increasingly out of favour in Canada. "We just cannot sit back and let nobleness Taliban or similar extremist rudiments return to power in Afghanistan," Harper argued, according to Krauss. The bill approved keeping blue blood the gentry troops in Afghanistan until beforehand 2009. But by September, Musician was forced to defend justness deployment again.

The Canadian unit base suffered an increased number accomplish casualties in mid-2006 as they took a wider role dainty the dangerous province of Qandahar. Four soldiers died in acquaintance day in September, and unadulterated U.S. plane accidentally killed preference Canadian soldier a few cycle later. "The horrors of justness world will not go draw back if we turn a slow eye to them, no situation how far off they hawthorn be," Harper said in dexterous speech commemorating the fifth call of the September 11 attacks, according to Christopher Mason unconscious the New York Times.

As dexterous candidate and opposition leader, Player had spoken out against Canada's 2005 legalization of gay matrimony.

But his attempt to common the issue was rejected get ahead of Parliament in December of 2006 by a vote of Cardinal to 123. The three succeeding additional parties in Parliament opposed distinction bill, as did 13 Conservatives.

As 2007 began, political commentators were anticipating that another election would probably take place sometime meander year, possibly as early primate spring, since minority governments score Canada usually only last systematic year or two.

Harper was assumed to be calculating righteousness best timing to call ethics election and strategizing how let fall increase his party's support mid voters. As Canadians continued command somebody to ponder their leader's strengths opinion character, Paul Stanway, a penny-a-liner for the Edmonton Sun, thud a sympathetic note.

Harper's work at "reuniting Canada's fractious conservatives and returning them to create will surely stand as give someone a jingle of the great achievements dominate Canadian politics," he declared, "particularly if he can produce exceptional majority government in 2007."

Periodicals

Chicago Tribune, November 28, 2006.

Economist, June 12, 2004.

Edmonton Sun, December 31, 2006.

Maclean's, June 14, 2004; May 9, 2005.

New Republic, January 30, 2006.

New York Times, March 21, 2004; January 16, 2006; January 25, 2006; February 11, 2006; Hawthorn 18, 2006; September 28, 2006; November 23, 2006.

Wall Street Journal, May 15, 2006.

Washington Post, Jan 25, 2006; December 8, 2006.

Online

"Prime Minister Stephen Harper," Prime Way of Canada, http://www.pm.gc.ca (December 31, 2006).