Ex-PM plots a life beyond politics
RESIGNS AS MP
• Stephen Harper has already lined up an impressive and potentially lucrative post-politics career that includes a new consulting business with international clients, board directorships and joining a speakers’ bureau.
As prime minister he despised attention he couldn’t control; it would be a shock if he let the public into his life to any greater degree now that he’s a private citizen. You have to wonder what he thinks as he watches his successor in action. As a political strategist, he can’t help but admire how skilfully the Liberals have deployed Trudeau and marketed his imagery. Who knows: If Harper had been able to understand and embrace the enormous power of the positive selfie, he might still be running the country.
Harper, 57, formally resigned Friday as MP for Calgary Heritage, officially ending a political career that spanned more than two decades, including nearly 10 years as prime minster and almost 18 years in the House of Commons.
But he’s quickly moving into a series of new business ventures that will see the former prime minister put his economic expertise and vast network of global contacts to good use.
Harper will travel around the world advising corporate clients in regions like Europe, Asia and the Middle East on market access, as well as political, economic and security risks, says a source close to the former prime minister who’s familiar with his plans.
He is also launching his own Calgary-based consulting business — Harper & Associates Consulting Inc. — in partnership with his former chief of staff, Ray Novak, longtime trusted aide Jeremy Hunt and Rachel Curran, his former director of policy in the Prime Minister’s Office.
“He has got a lot of energy. He wants to build something new and be successful at doing that,” said a source.
“The focus really will be international. He’ll be doing a lot of travelling and meeting with clients.”
Harper will also associate his consulting business with a major law firm, an agreement that is expected to be announced in the next few weeks, said a source.
As well, he will join the boards of directors of at least a few major companies and sign with a speakers’ bureau.
“He will continue to travel and speak around the world,” said a source.
On the consulting side, expect Harper to focus on providing advice to corporate clients in regions where he is familiar with the political and economic situation, and has helped secure trade deals, including in Europe (the Canada-European Union trade deal), in Asia (the Trans-Pacific Partnership) and South Korea (Canada-Korea trade agreement).
Another key interest will be in the Middle East, and especially Israel, a country of which he has been a staunch supporter and ally.
Several potential clients in the United States have also expressed interest in securing Harper’s services.
“Those are all jurisdictions where he’s kind of very familiar with how things operate and he has got a real interest in maintaining those relationships,” said a source. “The point is to help his clients to better frame business decisions and maximize value. That is really the value proposition he is going to be offering.”
Harper announced his resignation as MP through a message and video posted Friday to his Facebook account, and in a statement soon after to the Parliamentary Press Gallery.
The political giant of the modern-day Conservative movement said it has been a “tremendous honour” representing Calgary in Parliament and thanked voters for electing him seven times.
“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,” he said in his video and statement, trumpeting that, “We united all Conservatives behind our agenda.”
He highlighted his government’s efforts to cut taxes, balance the budget, crack down on crime, shepherd the economy through the global economic downturn and take “principled decisions” on foreign policy.
Harper was the sixthlongest-serving prime minister in Canadian history and the second-longest Conservative PM, behind only John A. Macdonald.