Stephen Harper(I)

Stephen Harper is a retired Canadian conservative politician, entrepreneur, former statesman and attorney who became the 22nd Prime Minister of Canada in February 2006 after defeating his predecessor Paul Martin's minority government. He won his third consecutive election in 2011 after his Cabinet was defeated in a no-confidence vote that year after being found in contempt of Parliament. Harper served as Canada's 22nd prime minister from 2006 to 2015.

Before politics, Harper became a member of the Richview Collegiate team on the television quiz show Reach for the Top. He is an ally of Canadian fossil fuels and he has promoted their export to the U.S. and China.

Stephen Harper became Prime Minister of Canada on February 6, 2006 after his Conservative Party of Canada won a minority government in the federal election held January 23, 2006. Harper began his second term as Prime Minister following the federal election held on October 14, 2008 after his Conservative Party of Canada won an election in which the Conservative Party of Canada won the most seats, but failed to win a majority government. This term included a massive stimulus package, including funds for infrastructure, which is designed to boost the faltering Canadian economy. During this time, Canada had seen significant job losses in sectors such as auto, manufacturing and forestry, as well as a shrinking GDP. Harper's third & final term as Prime Minister began following the federal election, held May 2, 2011. His Conservative Party of Canada won a majority of the seats in Canada.

Throughout his tenure, Harper reduced federal taxes to their lowest level in 50 years, providing tax relief to millions of low-income working class & middle class families, created over 1.3 million jobs, and balanced the budget while investing in infrastructure and health care. He created the modern Conservative Party of Canada and was the longest-serving Conservative Prime Minister since Sir John A. Macdonald. His government oversaw significant trade negotiations, including the Canada-Europe Trade Agreement and the Trans-Pacific Partnership, while implementing a principled foreign policy that supported key allies like Israel & Ukraine.

After leaving office in November 2015, Harper gradually retired from active Canadian politics in February 2016 & went on to a career in the private sector. He published a book, Right Here, Right Now, on political leadership. Since leaving politics in 2015, he took on a number of leadership and membership roles in international business nonprofit organizations following his retirement in 2016, founding a global consulting firm, joining Canadian lobbying firms, appearing on American and European media press giving interviews, releasing books (including his memoir), and being elected leader of the International Democrat Union in February 2018. Today, he serves as a philanthropist, public speaker and author contributing on the international arena through a variety of initiatives, serving as a board member of Canadian think tanks. He also founded Harper & Associates, a global consultancy, and is chairman of the International Democracy Union, a global alliance of center-right political parties, including Australia's Liberal Party, Israel's Likud party and Britain's Conservative Party. He serves as chairman and CEO of Harper & Associates Consulting and chairs Vision One, an investment fund he co-founded. He also serves as the director of Colliers International Group Inc., Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., and Recover Inc. Harper Harper has remained active in governance and business, as he serves as the president of the Advisory Committee of Awz Ventures, a Canadian-Israeli venture capital firm.

Harper returned to Alberta and has lived there ever since. He resides in Calgary with his wife Laureen Teskey and their children, Benjamin & Rachel.