Stephen J. Harper fonds [multiple media (chiefly electronic)] Archives / Collections and Fonds
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Stephen J. Harper fonds [multiple media (chiefly electronic)]
Hierarchical level:FondsContext of this record:Fonds includes:18 lower level description(s)View lower level description(s) -
Finding aid Finding aid no. MSS2703 See lower level descriptions. (Electronic) (99: Closed pending processing) -
Record information Stephen J. Harper fonds [multiple media (chiefly electronic)]
Date:1904-2021, predominant 2005-2015.Reference:R16093-0-7-EType of material:Art, Photographs, Sound recordings, Textual material, Moving images, Objects (including medals and pins), Stamps and stamp productsFound in:Archives / Collections and FondsItem ID number:5087109Date(s):1904-2021, predominant 2005-2015.Bilingual equivalent:Place of creation:CanadaExtent:1,258,098 digital photographs.
400,456 digital textual records.
8,111 digital pictures : advertisements, banners, button art, design mockups, gif, infographics, logos, podium art, photocards, posters, screenshots.
4,288 digital sound recordings (857 h, 25 min).
1,761 digital moving images (208 h, 1 min).
755 digital architectural drawings : floor plans, seating plans.
535 digital diagrams.
147 digital cartographic material : plans.
126 digital maps.
49 digital remote sensing images.
24 digital objects.
10 digital drawings.
4 digital technical drawings.
1 digital painting.
123.3 m of textual records.
900 photographs : 29 b&w and 696 col. prints; 2 col. contact sheets (149 frames); 25 col. negatives; and 1 slide.
510 videocassettes (171 h, 40 min) : DVCAM, HDV, Betacam SX, VHS, HDCAM.
147 drawings.
99 optical discs (123 h, 30 min) : XDCAM, DVD.
12 audio compact disks (4 h, 38 min).
10 coins.
10 pins.
9 prints.
6 maps.
6 postage stamps.
4 watercolours.
3 plaques.
3 prints : postcards.
3 ribbons.
2 postage stamp booklets.
2 postal covers.
2 temporary tattoos.
1 artist's book.
1 bumper sticker.
1 audio cassette (45 min).
1 fabric sculpture.
1 flag.
1 flash card (1 h, 14 min).
1 hockey card.
1 magnet.
1 medal.
1 medallion.
1 microcassette (1 h, 50 min).
1 quilt.
1 slide.
1 political button.Language of material:EnglishAdded language of material:English, FrenchScope and content:The fonds documents Stephen J. Harper's tenure as Canada's 22nd Prime Minister (2006-2015), as well as elements of his time as leader of the Conservative Party of Canada (2003-2015) and Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition (2002-2006). Various aspects of the Right Honourable Stephen J. Harper's personal, political, and ministerial activities are detailed, as are the activities of the Office of the Prime Minister (PMO) as an institution, of individual PMO staffers under Stephen Harper's leadership, and of staff employed in managing the Prime Minister's Official Residence.
The textual records contained within the fonds consist of correspondence, memoranda, notes, speeches, subject files, staff files, office administration files, briefing material, invitations, reference and planning documents, gift management files, tour files, scheduling files, leadership and election campaign material, and social media account data. Miscellaneous supporting maps, plans, drawings, paintings, pictures, and objects may be found interspersed with the textual records.
Also included within the fonds are vast collections of official photographs and audiovisual recordings that document almost all of the Prime Minister's public utterances and public appearances during his time in office. In addition to documenting routine daily events and interactions (e.g., stump speeches, constituency events, family moments), the photos and recordings touch upon many of the most formative events of the era (e.g., speeches on the 2006 parliamentary motion recognizing the Québécois nation; the Canadian government response to the 2008 economic crisis; the 2008-2009 prorogation dispute; the 2010 Olympic Winter Games held in Vancouver; the 2012-2016 Senate expenses scandal; the aftermath of the 2013 Lac Mégantic disaster; the 2014 Parliament Hill terrorism incident; etc.).
All but the last of the series listed above reflect PMO business areas / functions or contain records that were managed by PMO staff on behalf of the Prime Minister. The Oral History Project series consists of interviews and transcripts commissioned by Library and Archives Canada and completed in 2021.Provenance:Biography/Administrative history:Harper, Stephen, 1959- : Stephen Joseph Harper was born to parents Joseph and Margaret on April 30, 1959 in the Toronto suburb of Leaside. The family moved to Etobicoke, Ontario in 1971.
In 1978, Harper left for Alberta to work with the Imperial Oil Company. He attended the University of Calgary, obtaining a bachelor's (1985) and a master's (1991) degree in Economics. Harper was active in the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada throughout the early 1980s. He worked closely with the candidate for Calgary West and the Calgary West riding association, but ultimately left the party in the summer of 1987.
From 1987 to 1988, Stephen Harper was active in the formation of the new Reform Party of Canada. In 1987, he was appointed the party's Chief Policy Officer under leader Preston Manning. In 1988, he was acclaimed as the Reform Party candidate for the riding of Calgary West, but was defeated in the 1988 general election. Harper was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) in the 1993 general election. He resigned his seat in 1997 to become vice-president of the National Citizens Coalition (NCC). From 1998 to 2002, he served as the NCC's president.
Following the disbanding of the Reform Party in 2000, Harper rallied support for the formation of the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance, more commonly known as the Canadian Alliance. He ran successfully for the leadership of the Canadian Alliance in 2001, becoming leader of the party in 2002. In 2002, Harper was elected in the riding of Calgary Southwest following a by-election and was sworn in as the Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. In 2003, the Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative Party merged to form the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC). In 2004, Harper won the leadership of the party. He was re-elected in the riding of Calgary Southwest in the 2004 general election.
Harper led the Conservative Party of Canada to a minority government during the 2006 general election and was sworn in as Canada's 22nd Prime Minister on February 5, 2006. Under Harper, the CPC secured a second minority in the 2008 federal election, and a majority in the 2011 federal election. The CPC was returned to Official Opposition status in the federal election of 2015. Harper stepped down as leader of the CPC on the day after the election but remained a MP. He resigned his seat and left politics in August 2016.
As prime minister, Harper oversaw several significant changes in Canada's economic, international, political, and social affairs. In economic affairs, one of the Harper government's first acts was to reduce the Goods and Services Tax (GST) from seven to five per cent (2006). His government also navigated Canada through the Great Recession from 2007 to 2009. In 2009, his government launched Canada's Economic Action Plan (EAP) as part of Canada's recovery efforts following the recession. The Harper government sought to balance the federal budget during their tenure, but ran substantial deficits in the years during and after the Great Recession (2008-2013).
In international affairs, the Harper government promoted Canada's sovereignty in the Arctic, emphasising its role in Canadian foreign policy through multiple policy documents. The Canada First Defence Strategy (2008), Canada's Northern Strategy (2009), and the Statement on Canada's Arctic Foreign Policy (2010) emphasised defending Canada's territory and sovereignty in the Arctic. The Harper government also supported Canada's military intervention in Afghanistan and Iraq, extending Canada's combat role in Afghanistan from 2009 to 2011 and contributing to the coalition against ISIL in Iraq dubbed Operation Impact (2014). His government also shifted Canada's role in international climate efforts, withdrawing Canada from the Kyoto Protocol in 2011. In addition, his government oversaw the execution of multiple trade agreements, including trade agreements with the European Free Trade Association (2008), Colombia (2011), Jordan (2012), Honduras, and Panama (2013).
In legal and social affairs, the Harper government reduced regulations governing the ownership of firearms, ending the long-gun registry (2012). The Harper government also strengthened national security and anti-terrorism laws (2015) and passed an omnibus crime bill that increased penalties for violent crimes and drug offenses (2012). His government also introduced the Universal Canada Child Benefit (2006).
Domestically, the Harper government eliminated the mandatory long-form census questionnaire, replacing it with a voluntary survey called the National Household Survey (2010). His government also tabled the Québecois nation motion, which stated that "this House recognizes that the Québecois form a nation within a united Canada" (2006). The Harper government also passed the Federal Accountability Act (2006), which was intended to increase transparency for government spending, introduce new conflict of interest rules, and restrict election financing.
In December 2008, Harper requested a prorogation of Parliament after opposition parties expressed their intention to defeat the government on a motion of non-confidence. On December 4, the Governor General granted Harper the controversial prorogation until January 26, 2009.
In 2012, four Conservative and Liberal senators came under investigation regarding their claimed housing allowances. A 2015 audit revealed improper reimbursements claimed by thirty former and sitting senators. The investigation and audit resulted in what was called the Canadian Senate Expenses Scandal.
After leaving public office, Stephen Harper launched a Calgary-based consulting firm, Harper & Associates Consulting Incorporated. He became a high-profile public speaker with the Worldwide Speakers Group, and, in 2018, was elected Chair of the International Democrat Union (IDU). Stephen Harper was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada in 2019.
He married Laureen Ann Teskey in 1993. They have two children, Benjamin and Rachel.
As prime minister, Harper oversaw attempts to address the federal government's systematically racist relationship with Indigenous Peoples, a relationship which has caused tremendous ongoing trauma, displacement, disenfranchisement, and exclusion. In 2008, as part of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (2006), the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) was established. Between 2008 and 2015, the TRC created a record of the residential schools system. In 2015, the TRC concluded that the residential schools system amounted to cultural genocide.
In 2012, the Idle No More movement was launched, in part, in response to the Harper government's omnibus Jobs and Growth Act. The movement, which encompassed environmental concerns and Indigenous rights, quickly gained supporters across Canada.
In 2014, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police released a report entitled Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women: A National Operational Overview. The report documented over 1100 missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls between 1980 and 2012. In December 2015, the federal government announced a National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
During his time as prime minister, Harper apologised on behalf of the federal government for the Chinese Head Tax in 2006 and for the Indian Residential Schools system in 2008.Additional information:Physical description note:Digital records received in multiple file format(s), predominantly the following: AI, AMR, AVI, BMP, CR2, CSS, CSV, DCM, DNG, DOC, DOCM, DOCX, DOT, DOTX, EMF, EPS, FLV, GIF, HTM, HTML, HWP, ICS, JP2, JPEG, JPG, JS, M4V, MDB, MHT, MIME, MOV, MP3, MP4, MPG, MSG, MXF, NEF, ODT, OFT, OLE2, PDF, PNG, PPS, PPSX, PPT, PPTM, PPTX, PSD, PST, PUB, RAF, RTF, SAV, TIF, TIFF, TXT, VML, VSD, WAV, WMA, WMV, WPD, WPS, XLS, XLSM, XLSX, XLT, XML, XPS, XSD, XSLX, and ZIP (28.01 TB).Custodial history:Most of the records in this fonds were deposited with Library and Archives Canada (LAC) by the Right Honourable Stephen J. Harper over several years following the 2015 federal election. Deposits were made in November 2015, July and August 2016, September and October 2017, February, May, June, and November 2018, and June 2019. All of the records placed on deposit were transferred directly from their active storage location (e.g., 24 Sussex Drive, Center Block, etc.) by Mr. Harper, Mr. Harper's designated representatives, or staff in the Office of the Privy Council (PCO). Mr. Harper donated these records to LAC through the signing of formal deeds of gift in June 2018 and May 2022.
In addition to the above material, Chinook Productions was mandated by LAC to undertake an oral history project on the life and career of Stephen J. Harper. While the interviews conducted, as well as the transcripts, are an integral part of the Stephen J. Harper fonds, the project was funded by LAC and the records were not created by Stephen Harper or his staff in the course of his career. The project was completed in 2022.Arrangement note:Original file titles were retained when the title was present and descriptive. Some information has been added to original titles where appropriate to help with discoverability. Some photographic and textual records have been described at the item level to support enhanced access to material of particularly high research interest. All audiovisual records have been described at the item level in the Film, Video and Sound (MISACS) database., The fonds, which consists of both digital and analog records, has been arranged into the following 18 series:
Office of the Prime Minister - Official Photographers;
Office of the Prime Minister - Speechwriting unit;
Office of the Prime Minister - Correspondence unit;
Office of the Prime Minister - Deputy Chief of Staff unit;
Office of the Prime Minister - Appointments unit;
Office of the Prime Minister - Issues Management unit;
Office of the Prime Minister - Personnel and Administration unit;
Office of the Prime Minister - Policy unit;
Office of the Prime Minister - Communications unit;
Office of the Prime Minister - Office of the Chief of Staff;
Office of the Prime Minister - Office of the Principal Secretary;
Office of the Prime Minister - [Shared correspondence management systems];
Office of the Prime Minister - Tour and Scheduling unit;
Office of the Prime Minister - Gift Coordinator;
Office of the Prime Minister - Executive office;
Office of the Prime Minister - Stakeholder Relations unit;
Party leadership and Leader of the Official Opposition; and
Oral History Project.
Where appropriate, the series have been divided into sub-series or sub-sub-series.Accruals:Further accruals are expected.Source:Private -
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