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Stephen Harper: The politics of reform (1993 – 2006)
How politics changed the prime minister and how he is changing Canada
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Mark Kennedy, Ottawa Citizen
Published: September 15, 2013, 3:00 pm
Updated: 2 years ago
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rollinglog3 Stephen Harper: The politics of reform (1993 – 2006)OTTAWA — Stephen Harper arrived on Parliament Hill on Nov. 6, 1993, struggling with an uncomfortable fact: He was now a career politician.
Twelve days had passed since the seismic election in which the ruling Progressive Conservatives, under Kim Campbell, had been reduced to two seats. Preston Manning’s once-maligned Reform party had elected 52 MPs. Harper was among them, prepared to battle Jean Chretien’s victorious majority Liberals.
Only two Reformers had Ottawa experience: Deborah Grey, who had won a 1989 byelection; and Harper, now 34, who had been her aide for a year and had worked briefly for Conservative MP Jim Hawkes.
Reformers had campaigned in the ’93 election using a simple slogan: “So you don’t trust politicians. Neither do we.†The irony wasn’t lost on the new MP.
“I’ve never thought of myself as a politician,†Harper told reporters. “Obviously I am now.
“It’s going to be a real challenge to remain a representative of the people of Calgary in the Parliament of Canada, as opposed to becoming an Ottawa animal.â€
Indeed.
Over the next decade, Harper would careen back and forth in an ever-evolving identity crisis. Fresh-faced idealist. Principled conservative. Frustrated Reformer. Political realist. Calculating tactician.
Harper, once Reform’s chief policy officer, hadn’t been keen to run against his old mentor, Hawkes, in either 1988 or 1993, and didn’t expect to win, according to Hawkes. But the former Tory MP said Reform “wouldn’t keep paying (Harper) for his advice and his research if he didn’t run.†Tom Flanagan, a former Reform strategist, said a reluctant Harper was also persuaded by his father, brothers and friends.
promo1 Stephen Harper: The politics of reform (1993 – 2006)
Once in Parliament, Harper argued Reform would bring a purer sense of democracy to Canada. Reformers promised that if they ever governed, Canadians could vote on key issues through national plebiscites, and dissatisfied constituents could fire — or “recall†— their MP.
“If there is a conflict between my party’s view, my personal view and the wishes of a clear majority of my constituents, it is the latter that ultimately must prevail,†Harper said. If Reform stuck to its policies, he predicted, the flat-lining Progressive Conservatives would never be back.
“It was truly a mission to change the way things were done in Ottawa,†recalled Jay Hill, a Reform MP who moved into the parliamentary office adjacent to Harper.
The Reform party promised to:
Create a “Triple-E†Senate: elected, equal and effective.
Require balanced budgets.
Put punishment of criminals and citizen protection ahead of “all other objectives†in the justice system.
Allow more “free votes†for MPs.
Shrink or eliminate funding for official bilingualism, foreign aid, business subsidies and multiculturalism.
Review MPs’ and senators’ expense allowances.
Find ways to eliminate “patronage positions†on agencies, boards and commissions.
Harper said the fledgling party could not afford to water down its principles simply to broaden support. “That’s what the Conservatives did and look where they are today,†he said. “If you claim to stand for nothing, you end up with nothing.â€
Stephen Harper: The politics of reform (1993 – 2006)
How politics changed the prime minister and how he is changing Canada
COMMENT
Share on email4
Mark Kennedy, Ottawa Citizen
Published: September 15, 2013, 3:00 pm
Updated: 2 years ago
A A A
rollinglog3 Stephen Harper: The politics of reform (1993 – 2006)OTTAWA — Stephen Harper arrived on Parliament Hill on Nov. 6, 1993, struggling with an uncomfortable fact: He was now a career politician.
Twelve days had passed since the seismic election in which the ruling Progressive Conservatives, under Kim Campbell, had been reduced to two seats. Preston Manning’s once-maligned Reform party had elected 52 MPs. Harper was among them, prepared to battle Jean Chretien’s victorious majority Liberals.
Only two Reformers had Ottawa experience: Deborah Grey, who had won a 1989 byelection; and Harper, now 34, who had been her aide for a year and had worked briefly for Conservative MP Jim Hawkes.
Reformers had campaigned in the ’93 election using a simple slogan: “So you don’t trust politicians. Neither do we.†The irony wasn’t lost on the new MP.
“I’ve never thought of myself as a politician,†Harper told reporters. “Obviously I am now.
“It’s going to be a real challenge to remain a representative of the people of Calgary in the Parliament of Canada, as opposed to becoming an Ottawa animal.â€
Indeed.
Over the next decade, Harper would careen back and forth in an ever-evolving identity crisis. Fresh-faced idealist. Principled conservative. Frustrated Reformer. Political realist. Calculating tactician.
Harper, once Reform’s chief policy officer, hadn’t been keen to run against his old mentor, Hawkes, in either 1988 or 1993, and didn’t expect to win, according to Hawkes. But the former Tory MP said Reform “wouldn’t keep paying (Harper) for his advice and his research if he didn’t run.†Tom Flanagan, a former Reform strategist, said a reluctant Harper was also persuaded by his father, brothers and friends.
promo1 Stephen Harper: The politics of reform (1993 – 2006)
Once in Parliament, Harper argued Reform would bring a purer sense of democracy to Canada. Reformers promised that if they ever governed, Canadians could vote on key issues through national plebiscites, and dissatisfied constituents could fire — or “recall†— their MP.
“If there is a conflict between my party’s view, my personal view and the wishes of a clear majority of my constituents, it is the latter that ultimately must prevail,†Harper said. If Reform stuck to its policies, he predicted, the flat-lining Progressive Conservatives would never be back.
“It was truly a mission to change the way things were done in Ottawa,†recalled Jay Hill, a Reform MP who moved into the parliamentary office adjacent to Harper.
The Reform party promised to:
Create a “Triple-E†Senate: elected, equal and effective.
Require balanced budgets.
Put punishment of criminals and citizen protection ahead of “all other objectives†in the justice system.
Allow more “free votes†for MPs.
Shrink or eliminate funding for official bilingualism, foreign aid, business subsidies and multiculturalism.
Review MPs’ and senators’ expense allowances.
Find ways to eliminate “patronage positions†on agencies, boards and commissions.
Harper said the fledgling party could not afford to water down its principles simply to broaden support. “That’s what the Conservatives did and look where they are today,†he said. “If you claim to stand for nothing, you end up with nothing.â€
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