Electoral history of Stephen Harper

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For the biography of Stephen Harper, see Stephen Harper.
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This article is the Electoral history of Stephen Harper, the twenty-second prime minister of Canada. Harper served as prime minister from February 6, 2006 to November 4, 2015, having won three general elections.

A conservative, Harper was unsuccessful in his first general election as leader of the Conservative Party, which re-elected then-Prime Minister Paul Martin and the Liberals. However, two years later Harper defeated Martin in the general election of 2006 and formed a minority government. Harper was re-elected with a minority government in 2008, and then a majority government in the election of 2011.

Harper was defeated in the 2015 general election by Justin Trudeau, who succeeded him as prime minister. His successor as leader of the Conservative Party is Andrew Scheer.

Harper stood for election to the House of Commons eight times, first for the Reform Party, then for the Canadian Alliance, and finally for the Conservative Party. He was defeated on his first attempt, but elected the next seven times.

Harper took a break from electoral politics from 1998 to 2002, when he was the President of the National Citizens Coalition.

Following the 2015 general election defeat, Harper resigned as leader of the Conservative Party. He retired from politics in 2016.

Summary[]

Canada had ten provinces and three territories throughout Harper's time as Prime Minister.

Harper ranks sixth out of twenty-three prime ministers for time in office, serving as prime minister for nine years, 271 days.[1] He is the third Conservative to win three elections, following Sir John A. Macdonald and John Diefenbaker, and the second-longest serving Conservative prime minister, after Macdonald.

Harper was the third prime minister from Alberta, the others being R. B. Bennett and Joe Clark.

Harper was originally from Ontario and a Liberal Party supporter, but in his early twenties he moved to Alberta. He became involved in Progressive Conservative politics and then gradually in the formation of the new Reform Party, working as Reform's chief policy officer. He served one term as a Reform Member of Parliament, but then resigned to become the president of the National Citizens Coalition (1998-2002).[2]

In 2002, Harper was elected leader of the Canadian Alliance, the successor to the Reform Party, and began merger talks with the Progressive Conservative party, known as the Unite the Right movement. After the merger was achieved, he became the first leader of the new Conservative Party of Canada, and led the party in the 2004 general election. Although defeated by Prime Minister Paul Martin and the Liberal Party, Harper and the Conservatives become the Official Opposition. Two years later, Harper and the Conservatives won the 2006 general election, forming a minority government. Harper successfully led the Conservative Party in the next two elections, being returned with a minority government in 2008, and then with a majority government in 2011. He was defeated by the Liberals led by Justin Trudeau in the 2015 general election. On election night, he announced he would be resigning as leader of the Conservative Party.[3][2]

Harper stood for election to the House of Commons eight times, all in Alberta ridings. He was unsuccessful in his first election (1988), but was elected the next five times (four general elections and one by-election).

Following his resignation as Conservative leader, Harper sat as a Conservative back-bencher in the Commons. In 2016, he resigned his seat and retired from politics.[4]

Federal general elections: 2004 to 2015[]

Harper led the Conservative Party in five general elections. He won three (2006, 2008 and 2011) and lost two (2004 and 2015). He won two minority governments in the 2006 and 2008 elections, and a majority government in the 2011 election. He lost the 2015 election to Justin Trudeau.

Federal general election: 2004[]

For more detailed tables of election results, see 2004 Canadian federal election.
For information about the 38th Parliament, 2004 to 2005, see 38th Canadian Parliament.
For information about Harper and political events during the 38th Parliament, see Stephen Harper § Leader of the Opposition.

In his first general election as a party leader, Harper reduced Martin's government from a majority to a minority government. Harper retained his position as Leader of the Official Opposition.

Canadian Federal Election, 2004 - Parties, Leaders, Seats Won and Popular Vote
Party Leaders Seats Won Popular Vote
Liberal Paul Martin1 135 36.7%
Conservative Stephen Harper2 99 29.6%
Bloc Québécois Gilles Duceppe 54 12.4%
  New Democratic Party Jack Layton 19 15.7%
  Independent – 1 0.5%
Total 308 94.9%3
Sources: Library of Parliament – History of Federal Ridings since 1867

1 Prime Minister when election was called; Prime Minister after election.
2 Leader of the Opposition when election was called; Leader of the Opposition after the election.
3 Table does not include parties which received votes but did not elect any members.

Federal general election: 2006[]

For more detailed tables of election results, see 2006 Canadian federal election.
For information about the 39th Parliament, 2006 to 2008, see 39th Canadian Parliament.
For information about Martin and political events during the 39th Parliament, see Stephen Harper § Prime Minister of Canada (2006–2015).

In his second general election, Harper defeated Prime Minister Martin and formed a minority government.

Canadian Federal Election, 2006 - Parties, Leaders, Seats Won and Popular Vote
Party Leaders Seats Won Popular Vote
Conservative Stephen Harper1 124 36.3%
Liberal Paul Martin2 103 30.2%
Bloc Québécois Gilles Duceppe 51 10.5%
  New Democratic Party Jack Layton 29 17.5%
  Independent – 1 0.6%
Total 308 95.1%3
Sources: Library of Parliament – History of Federal Ridings since 1867

1 Leader of the Opposition when election was called; Prime Minister after election.
2 Prime Minister when election was called; Member of Parliament after the election.
3 Table does not include parties which received votes but did not elect any members.

Federal general election: 2008[]

For more detailed tables of election results, see 2008 Canadian federal election.
For information about the 40th Parliament, 2008 to 2011, see 40th Canadian Parliament.
For information about Martin and political events during the 40th Parliament, see Stephen Harper § Prime Minister of Canada (2006–2015).

In his third general election, Harper was re-elected with a minority government, defeating the new Liberal leader, Stéphane Dion.

Canadian Federal Election, 2008 - Parties, Leaders, Seats Won and Popular Vote
Party Leaders Seats Won Popular Vote
Conservative Stephen Harper1 143 37.7%
Liberal Stéphane Dion2 77 26.3%
Bloc Québécois Gilles Duceppe 49 10.0%
  New Democratic Party Jack Layton 37 18.2%
  Independent – 2 0.7%
Total 308 92.9%3
Sources: Library of Parliament – History of Federal Ridings since 1867

1 Prime Minister when election was called; Prime Minister after election.
2 Leader of the Opposition when election was called; Leader of the Opposition after the election.
3 Table does not include parties which received votes but did not elect any members.

Federal general election: 2011[]

For more detailed tables of election results, see 2011 Canadian federal election.
For information about the 41st Parliament, 2011 to 2015, see 41st Canadian Parliament.
For information about Martin and political events during the 41st Parliament, see Stephen Harper § Prime Minister of Canada (2006–2015).

In his fourth general election, Harper was re-elected with a majority government, defeating the new Liberal leader, Michael Ignatieff.

Canadian Federal Election, 2011 - Parties, Leaders, Seats Won and Popular Vote
Party Leaders Seats Won Popular Vote
Conservative Stephen Harper1 166 39.6%
  New Democratic Party Jack Layton2 103 30.6%
Liberal Michael Ignatieff3 34 18.9%
Bloc Québécois Gilles Duceppe 4 6.0%
Green Elizabeth May 1 3.9%
Total 308 99.0%4
Sources: Library of Parliament – History of Federal Ridings since 1867

1 Prime Minister when election was called; Prime Minister after election.
2 Leader of a third party when election was called; Leader of the Opposition after the election.
3 Leader of the Opposition when election was called; not a Member of Parliament after the election.
4 Table does not include parties which received votes but did not elect any members.

Federal general election: 2015[]

For more detailed tables of election results, see 2015 Canadian federal election.
For information about the 42nd Parliament, 2015 to 2019, see 42nd Canadian Parliament.
For information about Martin and political events during the 42nd Parliament, see Stephen Harper § Conservative backbencher and departure from politics.

In his fifth general election, Harper was defeated by the new Liberal leader, Justin Trudeau, who formed a majority government.

Canadian Federal Election, 2015 - Parties, Leaders, Seats Won and Popular Vote
Party Leaders Seats Won Popular Vote
Liberal Justin Trudeau1 184 39.47%
Conservative Stephen Harper2 99 31.9%
  New Democratic Party Thomas Mulcair3 44 19.7%
Bloc Québécois Gilles Duceppe 10 4.7%
Green Elizabeth May 1 3.5%
Total 338 99.3%4
Sources: Library of Parliament – History of Federal Ridings since 1867

1 Leader of a third party when election was called; Prime Minister after election.
2 Prime Minister when election was called; Member of Parliament after the election.
3 Leader of the Opposition when election was called; leader of a third party after the election.
4 Table does not include parties which received votes but did not elect any members.

Federal constituency elections: 1988, 1993; 2002 to 2015[]

Harper stood for election to the House of Commons eight times. He was defeated the first time, in the general election of 1988, but was elected the next seven times (six general elections and one by-election).

1988 Federal Election: Calgary West[]

Federal Election, 1988: Calgary West, Alberta
Party Candidate Popular Vote %
  Progressive Conservative Yes X Jim Hawkes 32,025 58.5%
Reform Stephen Harper 9,074 16.6%
Liberal John Phillips 6,880 12.6%
  New Democratic Party Richard D. Vanderberg 6,355 11.6%
Libertarian David Faren 225 0.4%
Confederation of Regions Brent Morin 170 0.2%
Total 54,729 99.9%1
Source: Library of Parliament – History of Federal Ridings since 1867: Calgary West

Yes Elected.
X Incumbent.
1 Rounding error.

1993 Federal Election: Calgary West[]

Federal Election, 1993: Calgary West, Alberta
Party Candidate Popular Vote %
Reform Yes Stephen Harper 30,209 52.2%
Liberal Karen Gainer 15,314 26.5%
  Progressive Conservative X Jim Hawkes 9,090 15.7%
  New Democratic Party Rudy Rogers 1,194 2.1%
National Kathleen McNeil 1,068 1.8%
Natural Law Frank Haika 483 0.8%
Green Don Francis 347 0.6%
Christian Heritage Larry R. Heather 116 0.2%
Total 57,821 99.9%1
Source: Library of Parliament – History of Federal Ridings since 1867: Calgary West

Yes Elected.
X Incumbent.
1 Rounding error.

2002 Federal By-Election: Calgary Southwest[]

The by-election was called following the resignation of the incumbent, Preston Manning, the former leader of the Reform Party, to give Harper, recently elected leader of the Alliance, an opportunity to enter the House of Commons.

Federal By-Election, May 13, 2002: Calgary Southwest, Alberta
Party Candidate Popular Vote %
Alliance Yes Stephen Harper 13,200 71.7%
  New Democratic Party Bill Phipps 3,813 20.7%
Green James S. Kohut 660 3.6%
  Independent Gordon Barrett 428 2.3%
Christian Heritage Ron Gray 320 1.7%
Total 18,421 100.0%
Source: Library of Parliament – History of Federal Ridings since 1867: Calgary Southwest

Yes Elected.

2004 Federal Election: Calgary Southwest[]

Federal Election, 2004: Calgary Southwest, Alberta
Party Candidate Popular Vote %
Conservative Yes X Stephen Harper 35,297 68.4%
Liberal Avalon Roberts 9,501 18.4%
Green Darcy Kraus 3,210 6.2%
  New Democratic Party Daria Fox 2,884 5.6%
Marijuana Mark De Pelham 516 1.0%
Christian Heritage Larry R. Heather 229 0.4%
Total 51,637 100.0%
Source: Library of Parliament – History of Federal Ridings since 1867: Calgary Southwest

Yes Elected.
X Incumbent.

2006 Federal Election: Calgary Southwest[]

Federal Election, 2006: Calgary Southwest, Alberta
Party Candidate Popular Vote %
Conservative Yes X Stephen Harper 41,549 72.4%
Liberal Mike Swanson 6,553 11.4%
  New Democratic Party Holly Heffernan 4,628 8.1%
Green Kim Warnke 4,407 7.7%
Christian Heritage Larry R. Heather 279 0.5%
Total 57,416 100.1%1
Source: Library of Parliament – History of Federal Ridings since 1867: Calgary Southwest

Yes Elected.
X Incumbent.
1 Rounding error.

2008 Federal Election: Calgary Southwest[]

Federal Election, 2008: Calgary Southwest, Alberta
Party Candidate Popular Vote %
Conservative Yes X Stephen Harper 38,548 73.0%
Liberal Marlene Lamontagne 4,918 9.3%
Green Kelly Christie 4,743 9.0%
  New Democratic Party Holly Heffernan 4,102 7.8%
Libertarian Dennis Young 265 0.5%
Christian Heritage Larry R. Heather 256 0.5%
Total 52,832 100.1%1
Source: Library of Parliament – History of Federal Ridings since 1867: Calgary Southwest

Yes Elected.
X Incumbent.
1 Rounding error.

2011 Federal Election: Calgary Southwest[]

Federal Election, 2011: Calgary Southwest, Alberta
Party Candidate Popular Vote %
Conservative Yes X Stephen Harper 42,998 75.1%
  New Democratic Party Holly Heffernan 6,823 11.9%
Liberal Marlene Lamontagne 4,121 7.2%
Green Kelly Christie 2,991 5.2%
Christian Heritage Larry R. Heather 303 0.5%
Total 57,236 99.9%1
Source: Library of Parliament – History of Federal Ridings since 1867: Calgary Southwest

Yes Elected.
X Incumbent.
1 Rounding error.

Note: the electoral district was abolished in 2015.

2015 Federal Election: Calgary Heritage[]

Federal Election, 2015: Calgary Heritage, Alberta
Party Candidate Popular Vote %
Conservative Yes X Stephen Harper 37,263 63.8%
Liberal Brendan Miles 15,172 26.0%
  New Democratic Party Matt Masters Burgener 4,255 7.3%
Green Kelly Christie 1,246 2.1%
Libertarian Steven Paolasini 246 0.4%
  Independent Larry R. Heather 114 0.2%
  Independent Korry Zepik 73 0.1%
  Independent Nicolas Duchastel de Montrouge 61 0.1%
Total 58,430 100.0%
Source: Library of Parliament – History of Federal Ridings since 1867: Calgary Heritage

Yes Elected.
X Incumbent.
1 Rounding error.

Note: Harper resigned his seat on August 26, 2016.

Leadership elections[]

Harper participated in two leadership contests: the leadership of the Canadian Alliance in 2002, and the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada in 2004. He won both contests.

2002 Canadian Alliance leadership election[]

For more detailed information about the 2002 Canadian Alliance leadership election, see Canadian Alliance leadership elections § 2002 leadership election.

Stockwell Day had been elected leader of the new Canadian Alliance in 2000, but his leadership triggered a caucus revolt and a new leadership vote. Every member of the party had a right to vote by mail-in ballot. Harper won on the first ballot.

Canadian Alliance Leadership Election, March 20, 2002
First and only ballot
Candidate First Ballot
Votes cast %
Stephen Harper G8 2007.jpg Stephen Harper 48,561 55.0%
Stockwell Day - July 2010.jpg Stockwell Day 33,074 37.5%
Diane Ablonczy (2).jpg Diane Ablonczy 3,370 3.8%
Grant Hill 3,223 3.7%
Total 88,228 100.0%

2004 Conservative Party leadership election[]

For more detailed information about the 2004 Conservative Party leadership election, see Conservative Party of Canada leadership election, 2004.

The Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative parties merged in December 2003. In March, 2004, the party held its first leadership election. The vote was based on the 308 Conservative riding associations. Each riding association had 100 points. All party members had the right to vote through their riding associations, and each riding association's points were allocated in proportion to the local vote.

Conservative Leadership Election, March 20, 2004
First and only ballot
Candidate Votes cast Points won
Stephen Harper G8 2007.jpg Stephen Harper 67,143 68.9% 17,296 56.2%
Belinda Head Shot - Golf Rocks.JPG Belinda Stronach 22,286 22.9% 10,613 34.5%
Tony Clement 2012 B.jpg Tony Clement 7,968 8.2% 2,887 9.4%
Total 97,397 100.0% 30,796 100.1%1

1 Rounding error.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ PARLINFO: Prime Ministers of Canada.
  2. ^ a b Canadian Encyclopedia: "Stephen Harper".
  3. ^ PARLINFO: The Right Hon. Stephen Harper, P.C.
  4. ^ Library of Parliament – History of Federal Ridings since 1867: Calgary Heritage.

External links[]

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