Whether you admire Stephen Harper or not, John Ibbitson’s biography of our current prime minister is a fascinating read. Clearly, a lot of research went into the book, simply titled “Stephen Harper,” as it chronicles Canada’s recent political history while revealing the PM’s personality and leadership style.
The book is divided into two main sections, “Rise” and “Power,” first narrating the making of the man and then examining his governing of the country as prime minister.
Harper was born in the Toronto suburb of Leaside in 1959, the eldest of three sons. Ibbitson describes him as an academically gifted but introverted and bookish non-athlete, whose social awkwardness followed him into adulthood.
After graduating high school, Harper went to the University of Toronto for a few weeks and then quit. He moved to Alberta to work as an office clerk for Imperial Oil, the same company his father was an accountant for.
Harper felt at home in Alberta and, except for a few short stays in Ontario, lived there until he became prime minister in 2006.
While living in both Edmonton and Calgary, Harper learned the “Western political ethos” that opened his eyes to the Canadian government’s manipulation of Alberta’s resources and historical ignoring of its needs.
He eventually studied economics at the University of Calgary, and after graduating became involved in politics tangentially when he moved to Ottawa in 1985 to work as legislative assistant for Jim Hawkes, a Progressive Conservative candidate in Calgary West. Within a year he was back in Alberta where he met Preston Manning in May 1987.
Harper joined the Reform Party and ran for MP for Calgary West. Although he lost he continued to work with the Reform Party as it formulated its mandate for Canada. He also met Alberta-born graphic artist Laureen Teskey in 1991; they married in Dec. 1993.
