‘I BID FAREWELL’
Former prime minister Stephen Harper thanked constituents on Friday as he resigned his seat in the House of Commons.
Friends, we did a lot together, but I know the best is yet to come STEPHEN HARPER On behalf of Canadians, I thank Stephen Harper for his long & dedicated service to our country. My best wishes to you and your family today PRIME MINISTER JUSTIN TRUDEAU, on Twitter As a prime minister who’s also a father, I can understand the sacrifices that have to be made in terms of having a young family while upholding this responsibility for Canadians. TRUDEAU I understand what it is to be the son of a prime minister, and therefore I’m thinking of Ben, Laureen and Rachel in the support that they’ve given Stephen Harper through many years of politics and I wish them all a very happy and productive and successful number of years away from the political spotlight. TRUDEAU His statement of apology to former students of Indian residential schools in 2008 was an important step on the road to healing and reconciliation with Canada’s indigenous peoples — a road we continue to travel today. ALBERTA PREMIER, Rachel Notley Stephen’s brilliant leadership led to a renaissance of the conservative movement and Conservative Party in Canada. FORMER CABINET MINISTER, Jason K en ney. Thank you @StephenHarper for everything you have done for our party, and for Canada. #cdnpoli. CONSERVATIVE PARTY, Twitter feed We’ve hardly ever seen eyeto-eye, but I thank @StephenHarper for his years of service in Parliament. Catherine and I wish him well NDP LEADER, Tom Mulcairon Twitter In 2003, Stephen Harper was at the forefront of the movement to unite conservative Canadians across this country under one banner. It would mark the beginning of more than a decade of his principled leadership. INTERIM CONSERVATIVE LEADER, Rona Ambrose There’s no question, there is a legacy there. TRANSPORT MINISTER, Marc Garneau. The record prime minister Harper leaves in office is a proud one. INTERIM CONSERVATIVE LEADER, Rona Ambrose
Stephen Harper was praised as a champion of Western Canada after the former prime minister stepped down on Friday as MP in characteristically subdued fashion.
Harper, the second Calgarian to serve in Canada’s top political job and the longest-serving PM from the West, resigned as Conservative leader last October after his government fell to Justin Trudeau’s Liberals.
On Friday, he issued a video and short statement announcing he was resigning his House of Commons seat and thanking his constituents, Conservative party members and Canadians.
Rick Billington, who served as president of Harper’s constituency association board for three years, said the ex-PM’s nearly 10 years in office marked a sea change from the “western alienation” that was so long a factor in Canadian politics.
“Harper came in to Ottawa with ‘The West wants in,’ and, my goodness, he succeeded in droves,” said Billington, pointing to issues such as the Conservative government’s support of the energy industry and its ending of the long-gun registry and Canadian Wheat Board monopoly.
“He had listened to western Canadians, to Albertans, to Calgarians. He brought their concerns to the national agenda in a way we really hadn’t seen from governments in my adult lifetime.”
Harper was originally from Toronto but came to Calgary in his 20s. Along with R. B. Bennett, he is one of two prime ministers who represented the city.
He was originally elected as a Reform MP in 1993, serving one term. Harper returned to politics in 2002 by winning the Canadian Alliance leadership and was one of the chief architects of the merger with the federal PCs that formed the Conservative party.
The cool and cerebral Harper became prime minister in 2006, steering Canada through the eco- nomic downturn of 2008-09 and overseeing an administration that focused on reducing taxes and the size of government.
Michelle Rempel, the Calgary Nose Hill MP who served as a junior minister in Harper’s cabinet, said the former prime minister had a national vision that recognized the importance of all regions, ensuring the West’s voice was heard in the corridors of power.
“Alberta was never forgotten under Stephen Harper,” she said.
Political opponents of the Conservatives, however, have suggested that Harper’s tenure was more about benign neglect of Alberta, a region taken for granted because of Tory dominance.
At last month’s Calgary Stampede, Kent Hehr, a Liberal cabinet minister and Calgary Centre MP, said the Conservatives in government had failed to deliver infrastructure dollars and major projects to the city.
And while the Tories talked a good game about supporting the oilpatch, Harper’s failure to address environmental issues meant needed pipelines were stalled, said Hehr.
Conservatives counter that infrastructure spending tripled under their government and point to commitments made to the Green Line LRT and ring road projects last year.
Harper’s resignation will mean a byelection in Calgary Heritage, with the date for the vote being set within 180 days of the chief electoral officer being notified of the vacancy. Billington is one prospective candidate for the Conservative nomination and there are others kicking tires, said current constituency association president Hal Anderson.
Byelections are also needed in Medicine Hat, where MP Jim Hillyer’s death this year left a vacancy, and Calgary Midnapore, where Jason Kenney has said he will step down this fall as he pursues the provincial Progressive Conservative leadership. All three Alberta seats have seen Conservative candidates run up huge margins of victory.
Harper himself will now make a move into consulting on international issues as a director of a Calgary-based company set up in December called Harper and Associates Consulting.
Harper, who often shunned the news media while PM, remained characteristically silent in his time as an MP since the fall election, doing no interviews.
He did not speak in the Commons, though he made two major speeches in the last few months, addressing the Conservative convention this spring and backing Kenney’s call for a united provincial right at his Calgary Heritage Stampede barbecue last month.
The impact of Harper’s intervention in provincial politics is yet to be determined, though both Kenney and Wildrose Leader Brian Jean issued statements praising the ex-PM on Friday.
Deepak Obhrai, the long-serving MP for Calgary Forest Lawn, said Harper’s low-key departure as an MP exemplified his approach to public life, which saw him keep his sense of humour and personality under wraps.
“Mr. Harper is a very private man,” said Obhrai.
“Mr. Harper will only open if he feels he has trust in you and feels you are his friend. Otherwise, he does not feel any obligation why he should meet anybody else because he was providing direction. That’s his personality and believe it or not, people like me, who worked with him, were absolutely happy with that.”
While Harper was known as a hard-nosed political fighter, his opponents also paid tribute to him.
Trudeau thanked Harper for his service, while Premier Rachel Notley — who came under attack from Harper during the federal election campaign last year — also wished him and his wife, Laureen, well.
“It’s probably safe to say we didn’t agree on every single policy, but there is absolutely no detracting from the fact that he worked extremely hard for the public and the citizens of this province and the citizens of this country,” she said in Edmonton.