Stephen Harper and the Future of Canada - Softcover

Johnson, William

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0771095546 ISBN 13: 9780771095542

Publisher: Douglas Gibson Books, 2006

Synopsis

William Johnson was the first to write a book about Stephen Harper, and he has become the authority on Harper.

Who is this man? Everyone knows that he became leader of the Alliance Party and, against all odds, gathered in the old Conservative Party to create a force designed to win power. Yet what are his core beliefs? Where will he takes us now that he has gained power?

William Johnson has researched the Harper family background and the historical context that shaped Harper’s political career. He paints a fascinating picture of a man who, like Pierre Trudeau, trained mentally for political power like an athlete training for the Olympics, yet is not a natural politician and never really wanted the political leader’s life. By studying Harper’s approach to the main issues in Canadian politics, he shows that Harper is a sophisticated political operative, far more complex and intellectual than the right-wing Republican image that has been created for him.

For the paperback edition, Johnson has updated this serious, objective biography with several new chapters taking us right up through Harper’s early days in power.

About this title

Review

William Johnson's Stephen Harper and the Future of Canada sets out to dispel the myths and explain the facts about the leader of the official opposition. By his own admission, Harper is not comfortable with the typical role of political leader as baby-kissing, photo-op-seeking figurehead, and Johnson suggests that the reason for his unflattering portrayals in the media is his reluctance to do what's expected of such a figure. "An unusual trait for a politician," Johnson writes, "is his conviction that correct policies are more important than tactics for winning support and achieving power." If nothing else, Johnson maintains, Harper should be admired for standing by his convictions, unaffected by public opinion polls and influence from his own advisers, even when a degree of compromise might have increased his popularity.

The author chronicles with detail Harper's political beginnings, his stint--and his ensuing disenchantment--with the Mulroney Progressive Conservatives, the events that led to him becoming a key architect of the Reform party, and his rescue of the Canadian Alliance, which led to the merger with the Progressive Conservatives to create the new Conservative Party that he led into federal elections against Paul Martin's Liberals in 2004. With a different leader at the top but Harper behind the scenes, Canadians might very well have elected a Conservative government in 2004: one cannot help but feel from Johnson's account that Harper would be better appreciated as a back-room policy director, a role he may not relish, but may be essential if he is to continue in politics. --Eric Wilson

About the Author

William Johnson is a veteran journalist and columnist with the Globe and Mail, the Montreal Gazette, and many other papers. He has been researching this book on Stephen Harper for a year.

About this edition

• Publisher: Douglas Gibson Books
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0771095546
• ISBN 13: 9780771095542
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 512