How Stephen Harper was right about what the Liberals got wrong

Tristin Hopper: 20 years ago, Harper was the first leader to lead the Conservative Party of Canada to victory. When he left office, he issued a warning

By Tristin Hopper
Published Feb 02, 2026
Last updated 8 hours ago
7 minute read
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Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, left, and Conservative Leader Stephen Harper trade words during the Munk Debate on foreign affairs in Toronto on Sept. 28, 2015. Photo by Nathan Denette /THE CANADIAN PRESS

Twenty years ago, Stephen Harper was the first leader to lead the Conservative Party of Canada to victory. He was sworn in as prime minister on Feb. 6, 2006. The nine years of his time as prime minister were very much like the man himself: Unexciting, yet reliable.

The highs weren’t particularly high and the lows weren’t particularly low, but most of the metrics under Harper’s purview got incrementally better over time. Crime, productivity, the federal deficit, even the share of the House of Commons held by Harper’s Conservatives; each of these was in better shape when Harper left than when he started.