Twenty years after he was sworn in as Canada’s 22nd prime minister, Stephen Harper was once again the reason Conservatives descended on Ottawa, but this time for the unveiling of his official portrait.
The event brought together a number of former ministers and staffers who served with Harper on Parliament Hill between 2006 and 2015.
Prior to the ceremony, many of them attended question period, where they received a standing ovation and a chant of “Har-per! Har-per! Har-per!” broke out from Conservative benches.
Among those in the public gallery to watch parliamentarians debate was former ministers Peter MacKay, John Baird, Lisa Raitt, Lawrence Cannon, James Moore, and Harper’s former chief of staff, Ian Brodie.
“It’s like the Avengers eh, we’re all coming together,” said Raitt, who held the portfolios of transport, labour and natural resources during her time as a minister.
Other former members of cabinet in attendance included Tony Clement, Peter van Loan, Christian Paradis and Denis Lebel. They were joined by several dignitaries, like former Liberal prime minister Jean Chretien, former governor general David Johnston, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, at the unveiling of Harper’s portrait in the Sir John A. MacDonald Building across the street from Parliament Hill.
The gathering gave Conservatives the opportunity to reflect on the legacy of not only Harper’s premiership, but also the government he led for nine years, until it was defeated in the 2015 federal election by the Liberals, led by Justin Trudeau.
Baird, who served as foreign affairs minister between 2011 and 2015, with stints as both the transport minister and environment minister between 2008 and 2011, was asked by reporters what he remembers during the Conservatives’ time as the governing party.
“I just think competent stewardship of the economy, taking us to the great economic, global economic crisis, leaving a balanced budget,” he said. “I think the macroeconomics and just the respect that we had on the world stage.”
Joe Oliver was the finance minister in 2015 who delivered that balanced budget. While honoured that the image of that document is front and centre in the official portrait, Oliver says it shouldn’t just be nostalgic.
“It was important and remains important to have that target in mind for the future,” said Oliver.
While Harper was known for his policies, other Conservatives who served with him say, more importantly, the portrait captures Harper’s personality as well.
There is a total of 25 flags of all sizes in the portrait, representing different parts of Harper’s heritage or parts of the world that have some meaning for the former prime minister. There are photos of his family in the background, and even an appearance by their beloved cat, Stanley.
“He wasn’t, as some people would have thought, kind of a stiff or hard to get to know,” former Conservative MP Mike Wallace told CTV News. “It was absolutely the opposite for those who were in caucus, who actually knew him really closely … he was a very, very personable guy.”
As the Conservative Party of Canada celebrates the 20-year anniversary of forming government, many former MPs say there are lessons to be learned about collaboration for those who are now sitting in opposition benches.
“When there’s a good idea being brought forward, by anyone, it could be theirs, it could be the Liberals … get behind it and support it,” said former Conservative MP Dean del Mastro. “That’s the headspace that Canadians are in.”
