Harper resigns his House of Commons seat Friday

Nearly a year after his federal election defeat, former prime minister Stephen Harper finally resigned his House of Commons seat Friday, ending a career in politics that spanned more than two decades. The former Conservative leader announced he was stepping down as MP for the riding of Calgary Heritage in a statement and video that was posted to his social media channels. “On seven occasions, I have been deeply humbled by your trust and support, time and again. And I leave elected office proud of what our team accomplished together,” Harper says in the video. Harper stepped down as Conservative party leader in October after he lost the election to Liberal rival Justin Trudeau, but opted to remain as an MP. He showed up routinely in the House of Commons for votes, but never spoke from the floor and remained absent from most of the weekly meetings of Conservative MPs. In his farewell remarks, Harper listed some of his proudest accomplishments, including navigating the Canadian economy through the 2008 recession and his government’s tough-on-crime agenda. “Friends, we did a lot together, but I know the best is yet to come,” Harper said in the video, which appeared to have been filmed in the cabinet room on Parliament Hill — suggesting it was recorded some time ago. Harper will now make a move into consulting on international issues alongside two of his most trusted former advisers, Ray Novak and Jeremy Hunt.