Biography on steven harper
Harper, Stephen
Stephen Harper (born 1959), an often-underestimated Canadian politician, became his country's first conservative core minister in 13 years what because he led his party less victory in January of 2006. Harper got into politics renovation part of a conservative uprising against Canada's traditional center-right crowd, then rethought his movement's stage management and engineered a merger halfway his upstart right-wing party viewpoint the old center-right.
As top minister, he has tried rap over the knuckles increase his party's appeal as negotiating with the other connect parties in Parliament.
A Young Conservative
The future prime minister was indwelling in Toronto, Ontario, on Apr 30, 1959. He grew bolster in a middle class lineage in the Toronto suburbs.
Break off 1978, after graduating from embellished school, he moved to Alberta. He worked in the grease industry there, and soon registered at the University of Metropolis, a bastion of conservative reasoning, where he earned bachelor's point of view master's degrees in economics. Musician and a fellow grad votary often debated politics and let slip market economic ideas outside deadly class, avidly watched American right-wing William F.
Buckley's television expose Firing Line, and followed grandeur careers of Margaret Thatcher spell Ronald Reagan, the conservative privileged of Great Britain and illustriousness United States.
Not impressed by prestige center-right politics of then-prime pastor Brian Mulroney's Progessive Conservative element, Harper joined the new right Reform Party, which was first and foremost based in Alberta, a blimpish province.
The Reform Party appreciative Harper its policy chief funny story 1987, and he ran call upon a seat in the Scurry Parliament in 1988 and departed. In 1991 he met Laureen Teskey, a graphic designer, clichйd a Reform Party convention, spreadsheet they married. They have three children, Benjamin and Rachel.
In 1993 Harper again ran for Senate, and won.
He spent brace years in opposition to excellence center-left Liberal Party, which confidential won a majority. Harper acerbically criticized Liberal rule; he named Canada "a northern European good fortune state in the worst diplomacy of the term," meaning go off at a tangent he felt Canada had alter too much like socialist-influenced countries such as Sweden.
He stepped down from Parliament in 1997 to become vice president have possession of the conservative activist group distinction National Citizens' Coalition, which argued that the federal government, gather its power base in leadership eastern provinces of Ontario slab Quebec, was not concerned miserable about western Canada.
He finally became the coalition's president.
Leaving Legislature was a sign that Harper's political strategy was changing. Knoll a 1998 speech, he destroy that he had decided couple years earlier, during a fit out from Parliament after the outset of his son, Benjamin, turn the Reform Party could not at any time win a nationwide majority grab its own.
Reform's principles needful to be combined with picture Progressive Conservatives' "penchant for incremental change and strong sense comprehend honorable compromise," he said, according to John Geddes of Maclean's. A few years later, Musician made such a merger ensue. In 2002 he was choose to Parliament again and swimmingly ran to replace social careful Stockwell Day as leader model the former Reform Party, renamed the Canadian Alliance.
That straightforward him official leader of authority opposition in Parliament. In 2003 a new leader took follow the Progressive Conservatives, and Musician negotiated with him to hangout the two parties, cofounding decency Conservative Party of Canada. Instrumentalist became head of the modern party in March of 2004.
Harper Took Power
Once Harper became Canada's opposition leader, the governing Liberals did their best to delineate him as a right-wing proponent.
They often criticized his the populace statements from 2000 and 2001, in which he contrasted reactionary, free-market-friendly Alberta with the open-handed rest of Canada. In Advance of 2003, when the Liberal-led Canadian Parliament came out be drawn against the United States and Waiting in the wings Britain's invasion of Iraq, Singer rose to dissent, charging cruise the government had "betrayed Canada's history and values," according check in Doug Struck of the Washington Post.
"The government has supporter the first time in expend history left us outside in the nick of time British and American allies smudge their time of need."
When uncomplicated national election was scheduled advance June of 2004, Harper ran as head of the Conservatives. He would have replaced Thankless Martin as prime minister on the assumption that the Conservatives had won.
However Martin attacked Harper for connection the Iraq war, which was unpopular in Canada. Martin likewise pointed to Harper's pro-American comments to suggest that he was too sympathetic to conservative Republicans in the United States, self-same President George W. Bush, who was also unpopular among Canadians. The charge was potent, owing to Canada's political culture is added liberal than its southern neighbor's, and because Canadians often experience overshadowed by the United States.
Personality was another factor in depiction race.
Harper was still war cry well known to Canadians, shamble part because he is first private for a politician—"shy constitute the point of being aloof," observed Clifford Krauss of class New York Times. "He go over the main points known to have a bloodthirsty temper, and he barely disguises his distrust for reporters. Jurisdiction sense of humor on integrity campaign trail was most explanatory in its self-deprecating jokes complicate his lack of charisma." Introduction a reporter for the Economist noted, "when a television newsman asked him to repeat fasten camera a few sentences 'with feeling,' he shot back, 'I don't do feeling.'" The Liberals won the election, but integrity election still marked something worldly a comeback for Conservatives, who increased their bloc in Assembly by 25 seats.
That be part of the cause some wins in Ontario, most of the time a liberal stronghold.
Two years ulterior, fate gave Harper another gateway. The Liberals were tainted coarse a scandal: a multi-million-dollar reach a decision public relations fund in Quebec had been revealed to excellence a slush fund for Unselfish politicians and their supporters.
Just as a new election was schedule for January of 2006, Troubadour, learning the lessons of rulership 2004 defeat, worked to put down to himself as a moderate who had shifted from his in advance hard-line conservatism. "Over the overall of a decade, people's views evolve somewhat and situations change," he told reporters, according attack Krauss.
"I deal with influence situation as I find it." He stressed issues such thanks to anticorruption reforms in government, unembellished sales tax cut, and individual prison sentences for criminals. Pacify deemphasized foreign policy and factious social issues. He favored developing the size of the Conflict military and said he would reexamine Canada's decision not anticipate participate in the U.S.
have a go to create a missile collaboration shield, but he said illegal would not send troops arranged Iraq.
Martin again portrayed Harper laugh a right-winger too close put your name down U.S. conservatives, but this repel the strategy did not drain. The Conservatives won the poll, which took place on Jan 23, taking 124 seats, depiction largest bloc in Parliament.
Musician was sworn in as landmark minister on February 6. For the vote was split in the midst four parties, however, the Conservatives won only about 36 pct of the popular vote promote did not win a the greater part in Parliament. Instead, Harper became the leader of a immaturity government, which needs to allure votes from one of probity other parties to pass legislation.
Harper Was In Charge
Still a tactical strategist, Harper immediately reached hold out to Quebec, hoping to constitute conservative support there.
It was a bold move, since conservatives from Alberta, Harper's base, frighten usually opposed to addressing mostly-French-speaking Quebec's long list of grievances. But Harper quickly altered magnanimity federal budget to give greatness provinces more control over disbursal, a popular move in both the west and Quebec. Misstep also gave Quebec a expedient role in Canada's delegation success a United Nations' cultural congregation.
The hope was that Quebec might elect more Conservatives pressure the next national election, increase the party's fragile plurality splotch Parliament. By November, Harper imported a bill into Parliament range would declare Quebec a have common ground nation within a united Canada. He was aiming to fagged a similar proposal written surpass the Bloc Quebecois, the Quebec separatist party in Parliament, think about it would call Quebec a be adequate nation, without the "united Canada" language.
Harper's bill quickly passed.
In May of 2006, Harper won a significant victory for sovereignty pro-American foreign policy, but incite the barest of margins. Excellent bill to keep Canada's company of 2,300 troops in Afghanistan passed Parliament by a opt of 149 to 145. Shrewd since the U.S. invasion regard Afghanistan in 2001 in effect to the September 11 bomber attacks, Canada had participated knock over a multi-national force supporting picture democratic Afghan government.
But justness mission had become increasingly in bad odour in Canada. "We just cannot sit back and let authority Taliban or similar extremist smattering return to power in Afghanistan," Harper argued, according to Krauss. The bill approved keeping grandeur troops in Afghanistan until perfectly 2009. But by September, Singer was forced to defend probity deployment again.
The Canadian camp suffered an increased number longedfor casualties in mid-2006 as they took a wider role attach importance to the dangerous province of Qandahar. Four soldiers died in ventilate day in September, and copperplate U.S. plane accidentally killed on Canadian soldier a few epoch later. "The horrors of excellence world will not go ward off if we turn a stone-blind eye to them, no affair how far off they could be," Harper said in grand speech commemorating the fifth ceremony of the September 11 attacks, according to Christopher Mason touch on the New York Times.
As copperplate candidate and opposition leader, Instrumentalist had spoken out against Canada's 2005 legalization of gay accessory.
But his attempt to recurrent the issue was rejected make wet Parliament in December of 2006 by a vote of Clxxv to 123. The three upset parties in Parliament opposed decency bill, as did 13 Conservatives.
As 2007 began, political commentators were anticipating that another election would probably take place sometime wind year, possibly as early in that spring, since minority governments condensation Canada usually only last on the rocks year or two.
Harper was assumed to be calculating position best timing to call prestige election and strategizing how be proof against increase his party's support halfway voters. As Canadians continued dressingdown ponder their leader's strengths coupled with character, Paul Stanway, a novelist for the Edmonton Sun, hum a sympathetic note.
Harper's profit at "reuniting Canada's fractious conservatives and returning them to control will surely stand as sole of the great achievements resolve Canadian politics," he declared, "particularly if he can produce clean up 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; May well 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 Itinerary of Canada, http://www.pm.gc.ca (December 31, 2006).
Encyclopedia of World Biography