Prime Minister Stephen Harper makes a speech at the Canada-China Business Council and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, China on Friday, December 4, 2009.Sean Kilpatrick
As The Globe and Mail moves toward selecting our Nation Builder of the decade at the end of December, we will be highlighting nominations from our readers on who they believe deserves special recognition for making a major contribution to Canadian society. Today you have suggested Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
What you wrote:
Glyndywr writes: Clearly, Stephen Harper is no. 1, for getting Canada back on track, in many ways.
Ralph Haulta in-Lougheed writes: Stephen Harper. The West wanted in and he brought Alberta and right-of-centre politics to the fore.
Auto101 writes: Stephen Harper is hands down the decade's Nation Builder. His economic plan has helped Canada brave the recession. His efforts have helped bring the Olympic Winter games to Canada. He has apologized on behalf of the Canadian government to both the First Nations of Canada and Chinese Canadians, recognized Quebec as a nation, continued to fight terrorism and promote freedom and democracy in Afghanistan, instituted a crime, child-care, and farmers aid policy. Furthermore, he has represented Canada on both a national and international level with great pride.
D.B. writes: I'll nominate Stephen Harper. Not for visionary leadership, new policies, or decisive decision-making - I'd consider him fairly mundane as far as prime ministers go. But he has brought a viable alternative to the Liberal party back to the federal scene after almost 15 years; he's survived two elections (and a possible third) an managed to maintain a minority.
JViser writes: My choice would be Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Subtle but effective.
Holden writes: Stephen Harper. Recognizing Quebec as a nation within a united Canada, as well as the historic apology to First Nations. Both will be among the most historically recognized nation building events to occur over the past decade.
JacqueShallaque writes: Stephen Harper. Bit by bit, gradually and carefully and against all odds, he is transforming Canada into a more rational country after a generation of Liberal self-serving misgovernance.
Stephen Harper was sworn in as Canada's 22nd Prime Minister on Feb. 6, 2006, marking the end of a long era of Liberal rule in Canada.
His journey to the country's top political office began in 2002 when Mr. Harper became leader of the opposition - succeeding Stockwell Day - after winning the leadership of the Canadian Alliance and a subsequent by-election in Calgary Southwest. The next year he and Progressive Conservative leader Peter MacKay reached an agreement to unite the right, merging the two parties to form the Conservative Party of Canada.
Mr. Harper was elected as the party's first non-interim leader in March 2004, winning a first ballot majority over Belinda Stronach and Tony Clement.
He led the newly amalgamated Conservative Party to a second-place finish in the country's 38th General Election on June 28, 2004, extinguishing Paul Martin's bid to put a fourth consecutive Liberal majority government in the House of Commons.
The Conservative Party's first policy convention was held in March of 2005. Mr. Harper got 84 per cent approval in the leadership review from delegates, as the party pledged to move forward with plans to reopen the same-sex marriage debate, repeal the gun registry, ratify nominations of Supreme Court justices in the House of Commons, support an elected Senate and return to missile-defence negotiations with the U.S.
In May of that year, Mr. Harper sought to force an election in the wake of damaging testimony against the Liberal Party at the Gomery Commission investigating the sponsorship scandal. His plan to bring down the government by voting against an amendment to the budget was foiled when Conservative MP Belinda Stronach crossed the floor just two days before the vote, allowing Mr. Martin's minority government to survive.
In late November, opposition parties brought an end to the turbulent life of Paul Martin's 17-month-old minority Liberal government, setting the stage for a rare winter campaign that sent voters to the polls in a January.
Mr. Harper made tax cuts the centrepiece of the Conservative platform, highlighted by a promise to slash the GST to 5 per cent from 7 per cent within five years.
Lingering ethics questions and the sponsorship scandal haunted the Liberal campaign, while Mr. Harper's personal numbers continued to rise. For the first time in 13 years the Conservatives were given a mandate to form a minority government by Canadian voters.
Canadians once again gave Mr. Harper a minority government and new mandate as Prime Minister when they went to the polls on Oct. 14, 2008. Under Mr. Harper's leadership the number of Conservative members of Parliament increased to 143 MPs, up from 127 MPs at the dissolution of parliament.
Just seven weeks later, Mr. Harper was fighting for his political life when his government's economic statement created a full-blown political crisis
The statement contained two controversial measures that would have banned civil-service strikes for three years and eliminated the $1.95-a-vote subsidy for political parties, which the opposition relies on. The Liberals and NDP responded by reaching a deal to bring down the Conservative government and form an unprecedented coalition to take its place.
Under the terms of the deal the Liberal-NDP coalition would be supported by the Bloc on confidence votes in the Commons through an accord that would guarantee its survival for at least a year.
In a spectacle broadcast live across the country on Dec. 4, 2008, Mr. Harper met Governor General Michaëlle Jean at her official residence, asking her to prorogue Parliament to avoid a confidence vote. Ms. Jean granted the request, saving the Harper government from a historic parliamentary defeat.
Born in Toronto, Mr. Harper moved to Alberta in 1978 to work in the petroleum industry. He went on to obtain both a bachelor's and a master's degree in economics from the University of Calgary.
First elected to the House of Commons in the 1993 as the Reform Party's candidate in Calgary West, Mr. Harper left Parliament in 1997 to become vice-president (and later president) of the National Citizens Coalition.
Other memorable moments from Mr. Harper over the past decade:
Nov. 22, 2006 Mr. Harper surprises the House of Commons by announcing a motion to recognize that Quebeckers as a nation "within a united Canada."
June 11, 2008 He stands in the House of Commons to deliver Canada's apology to former Indian residential schools students.
Oct. 3, 2009 Mr. Harper makes a surprise concert appearance, performing the Beatles' anthem With a Little Help from My Friends with superstar cellist Yo-Yo Ma at an Ottawa gala.