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Stephen Harper

Stephen Harper Biography

Prime Minister of Canada

Stephen Harper, former Prime Minister of Canada, was born on April 30, 1959. He has had a significant impact on Canadian politics, serving as Prime Minister twice and being the longest-serving Conservative Party leader in Canadian history.

Stephen Harper, former Prime Minister of Canada, was born on April 30, 1959. He has had a significant impact on Canadian politics, serving as Prime Minister twice and being the longest-serving Conservative Party leader in Canadian history.

Related Quotes

“Canada is big enough to make a difference but not big enough to threaten anybody. And that is a huge asset if it's properly used.”

Ifs Enough Bigs Used Differences Huge Making A Difference Canada Assets

Author:Stephen Harper

“You don't defend national sovereignty with flags, cheap election rhetoric, and advertising campaigns.”

Election Campaigns Advertising Flags Rhetoric Sovereignty National Sovereignty

Author:Stephen Harper

“Buying pollution credits is folly; it doesn't help the environment. Instead of using tax dollars to buy credits overseas, we'll use them at home.”

Helping Use Home Environment Taxes Dollars Credit Folly Buying Pollution Tax Dollars

Author:Stephen Harper

“The continued increase in many crime indicators and the fact that the overall crime rate has not seen a marked decrease while the Liberals have been in power is a clear indication that the Liberal approach to combating crime, as on so many other issues, has failed.”

Has Beens Facts Issues Clear Crime Approach Increase Rate Indication Decrease Indicators Crime Rates

Author:Stephen Harper

“Even if people are suspicious of the motives I think that learning and speaking two languages can only be a good thing for people.”

People Ifs Thinking Two Language Good Things Motive Suspicious

Author:Stephen Harper

“The single most important duty of the federal government is to protect and defend our national sovereignty. There are new and disturbing reports of American nuclear submarines passing though Canadian waters without obtaining the permission of, or even notifying, the Canadian government.”

Important Government Water Duty Protect Nuclear Passing Passings Reports Permission Federal Government Sovereignty Navy Disturbing Obtaining Submarines National Sovereignty Canadian Government

Author:Stephen Harper

“Mr. Speaker, I am sure the picture of the hon. member of the NDP [Svend Robinson] is posted in much more wonderful places than just police stations.”

Wonderful Members Police Stations Speakers Wonderful Places

Author:Stephen Harper

“The world is now unipolar and contains only one superpower. Canada shares a continent with that superpower. In this context, given our common values and the political, economic and security interests that we share with the United States, there is now no more important foreign policy interest for Canada than maintaining the ability to exercise effective influence in Washington so as to advance unique Canadian policy objectives.”

“But I'm very libertarian in the sense that I believe in small government and, as a general rule, I don't believe in imposing values upon people.”

People Believe Government Values I Believe Don't Believe I Believe In Libertarian Imposing Small Government

Author:Stephen Harper

“Corruption is not a Canadian value!”

Values Corruption

Author:Stephen Harper

“I believe that all taxes are bad.”

Believe I Believe Taxes

Author:Stephen Harper

“Those of different faiths and no faith should seek areas of common agreement based on their different perspectives.”

Should Different Common Perspective Areas Agreement Different Perspective Different Faiths

Author:Stephen Harper

“When Ralph Goodale tried to tax Income Trusts they showed us where they stood, they showed us their attitude towards raiding Seniors hard earned assets and a Conservative government will never allow either of these parties to get away with that.”

Hard Government Party Attitude Taxes Conservative Income Get Away Assets Senior Raiding

Author:Stephen Harper

“The treatment of children in Indian residential schools is a sad chapter in our history... Two primary objectives of the residential schools system were to remove and isolate children from the influence of their homes, families, traditions and cultures, and to assimilate them into the dominant culture.”

Children Two Home School Culture Influence Tradition Objectives Primaries Indian Treatment Remove Chapters Dominant School System Family Tradition Dominant Culture

Author:Stephen Harper

“Faith teaches that there is a right and wrong beyond mere opinion or desire. Most importantly, it teaches us that freedom is not an end in itself, that how freedom is exercised matters as much as freedom itself”

Ends Matter Desire Opinion Teach Mere

Author:Stephen Harper

“A transition is taking place in Egypt. In my judgement, there is no going back. I think the old expression, "They're not going to put the toothpaste back in the tube on this one.”

Thinking Expression Judgement Transition Egypt Tubes Toothpaste

Author:Stephen Harper

“I think I have been perfectly clear in saying that I hope Canadians do elect a majority government. I think this cycle of election after election, minority after minority is beginning to put some of the country's interests in serious jeopardy.”

Thinking Has Beens Country Government Interest Clear Serious Election Majority Minorities Cycles Jeopardy

Author:Stephen Harper

“Carbon dioxide does not cause or contribute to smog, and the Kyoto treaty would do nothing to reduce or prevent smog.”

Doe Causes Carbon Treaties Carbon Dioxide Kyoto Smog Kyoto Protocol

Author:Stephen Harper

“Redirect federal spending aimed at fulfilling the terms of the increasingly irrelevant Kyoto Protocol.”

Term Spending Fulfilling Irrelevant Protocol Kyoto Kyoto Protocol Federal Spending

Author:Stephen Harper

“I don't know if for sure in absolute terms if Jim Flaherty is the best Finance Minster in the world, but I am sure that he is the best Finance Minster per inch in the world.”

Ifs Knows World Term Absolutes Finance Inches

Author:Stephen Harper

“But the Progressive Conservative is very definitely liberal Republican. These are people who are moderately conservative on economic matters, and in the past have been moderately liberal, even sometimes quite liberal on social policy matters.”

People Has Beens Sometimes Matter Past Social Economic Policy Republican Conservative Progressive Social Policy

Author:Stephen Harper

“I do think that all economies need a sense of fiscal discipline especially over the midterm and if you are in the middle of a debt crisis you can't borrow your way out of a debt crisis. That's logically impossible.”

Ifs Thinking Way Needs Economy Impossible Middle Discipline Crisis Debt Midterms Debt Crisis

Author:Stephen Harper

“I'm not trying to be diplomatic. I'm trying to be more nuanced and realistic. I think there has to be a serious examination of the shortcomings of the Euro structure. Euro central institutions, whether it be fiscal policy, monetary policy, financial regulation, are simply not as robust as they are in a currency that has a national government behind it.”

“The media is tremendously important for all governments that are able to communicate through the it. It doesn't mean there is a balance of editorial opinion that favors what you are doing or that the opposition doesn't have its voice, but you have to be able to effectively communicate your story through the media.”

Mean Important Stories Government Able Voice Opinion Media Balance Communicate Favors Opposition Editorials

Author:Stephen Harper

“It's not sufficient in the internet age to communicate through the media; you have to be able to do it on the ground, door by door, coffee shop by coffee shop, shop floor by shop floor. You really have to do that as well.”

Wells Age Able Doors Media Internet Communicate Coffee Sufficient Shops Coffee Shop

Author:Stephen Harper

“As a religion, bilingualism is the god that failed. It has led to no fairness, produced no unity, and cost Canadian taxpayers untold millions.”

Millions Cost Unity Fairness Taxpayers Bilingualism

Author:Stephen Harper

“I think in Atlantic Canada, because of what happened in the decades following Confederation, there is a culture of defeat that we have to overcome.”

Thinking Culture Happened Overcoming Defeat Following Decades Canada Confederation

Author:Stephen Harper

“I believe very strongly that in this world you have to have values and you have to stand up for your interests and if you don't do those things you're not going to get anywhere.”

Ifs World Believe Values I Believe Interest This World

Author:Stephen Harper

“Having hit a wall, the next logical step is not to bang our heads against it.”

Next Steps Wall Logical Bangs

Author:Stephen Harper

“Human rights commissions, as they are evolving, are an attack on our fundamental freedoms and the basic existence of a democratic society... It is in fact totalitarianism. I find this is very scary stuff.”

Humans Facts Stuff Existence Rights Fundamentals Democratic Human Rights Scary Evolve Totalitarianism Democratic Society Scary Stuff

Author:Stephen Harper

“This party will not take its position based on public opinion polls. We will not take a stand based on focus groups. We will not take a stand based on phone-in shows or householder surveys or any other vagaries of pubic opinion.”

Shows Party Opinion Focus Groups Position Phones Public Opinion Polls Surveys Opinion Polls Focus Groups

Author:Stephen Harper

“I have no difficulty with the recognition of civil unions for non-traditional relationships but I believe in law we should protect the traditional definition of marriage.”

Should Believe Law I Believe Protect Difficulty Unions Definitions I Believe In Sexuality Traditional Recognition Homosexuality In-laws

Author:Stephen Harper

“If you want to be a government in a minority Parliament, you have to work with other people.”

People Ifs Want Government Minorities Parliament

Author:Stephen Harper

“Make no mistake. Canada is not a bilingual country. In fact it is less bilingual today than it has ever been...”

Country Facts Today Mistake Canada Bilingualism

Author:Stephen Harper

“On the justification for the war, it wasn't related to finding any particular weapon of mass destruction.”

War Particular Findings Weapons Mass Destruction Related Justification Weapons Of Mass Destruction Mass Destruction

Author:Stephen Harper

“There is a Canadian culture that is in some ways unique to Canada, but I don't think Canadian culture coincides neatly with borders.”

Thinking Way Culture Unique Borders Canada

Author:Stephen Harper

“I don't get into that second guessing of myself publicly.”

Guessing Second Guessing

Author:Stephen Harper

“The world is now unipolar and contains o-nly o-ne superpower. Canada shares a continent with that superpower.”

World Share Canada Continents Superpower Super Power

Author:Stephen Harper

“After all, enforced national bilingualism in this country isn't mere policy. It has attained the status of a religion. It's a dogma which one is supposed to accept without question...”

Country Accepting Policy Mere Dogma Bilingualism

Author:Stephen Harper

“I think because we're such a trading nation, I think Canadians understand that first and foremost we're part of the global economy.”

Thinking Firsts Nations Economy Trading Global Economy

Author:Stephen Harper

“I think the way to change it is to handle issues individually when it's essential to do so.”

Thinking Way Issues Essentials Handle Teamwork

Author:Stephen Harper

“I do not intend to dispute in any way the need for defence cuts and the need for government spending cuts in general. I do not share a not in my backyard approach to government spending reductions.”

Way Needs Government Cutting Share Approach Spending Disputes Defence Reduction Backyards Government Spending Spending Cuts

Author:Stephen Harper

“We have in this country a federal government that increasingly is engaged in trying to determine which business, which regions, which industries will succeed, which will not through a whole range of economic development, regional development corporate subsidization programs.”

Trying Country Whole Government Economic Development Industry Succeed Program Determine Corporate Range Engaged Regions Federal Government Economic Development

Author:Stephen Harper

“We have to remember we're in a global economy. The purpose of fiscal stimulus is not simply to sustain activity in our national economies, but to help the global economy as well, and that's why it's so critical that measures in those packages avoid anything that smacks of protectionism.”

Wells Helping Remember Purpose Economy Activity Critical Packages Stimulus Global Economy Smack World Economy Protectionism National Economy

Author:Stephen Harper

“But I've been very clear in this campaign - I don't believe the party should have a position on abortion.”

Should Believe Party Clear Position Should Have Don't Believe Sexuality Campaigns Abortion Homosexuality

Author:Stephen Harper

“First of all, I can't forget my first responsibility - which is to be the Leader of the Opposition and that's to provide an alternative government.”

Firsts I Can Government Forget Responsibility Leader Alternatives Opposition

Author:Stephen Harper

“I don't believe an Alliance government should sponsor legislation on abortion or a referendum on abortion.”

Should Believe Government Don't Believe Abortion Legislation Alliances Sponsors Referendums

Author:Stephen Harper

“Universality has been severely reduced: it is virtually dead as a concept in most areas of public policy.”

Has Beens Policy Concepts Areas Public Policy Universality

Author:Stephen Harper

“We got into a recession because the global economy went into the recession and we're a big exporting nation.”

Bigs Nations Economy Recessions Global Economy Exporting

Author:Stephen Harper

“We've got to see a state where the Afghan government can handle its own day-to-day security.”

States Government Security Handle Day To Day Afghan

Author:Stephen Harper

About the Author

Born: April 30, 1959
Known for: Prime Minister of Canada
Quotes: 128

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