The Windsor Independent – Jon Liedtke
The definitive biography of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, much like the man’s tenure as leader of the country, is both interesting and long.
John Ibbitson’s Stephen Harper captures and presents not only the fierce “lion in autumn” seeking a renewed mandate after 10 years in office, but also the child and young man who would become Prime Minister.
Rated number 4, 3, and 7 in Amazon best seller categories, the biography is clearly not only authoritative and substantive but also, quite frankly, one hell of a read.
“It occurred to me that Stephen Harper deserved a biography,” said Ibbitson speaking with the Windsor Independent. “There had been so much written about him, but it had been so polarizing, there was very little that just tried to figure out and understand him.”
Research for the book was “strenuous” and Ibbitson’s initial concern was whether he’d be able to speak with people close to Harper or those who had access to him.
“That was the one big concern I had [access],” he said. “… and it was not a concern as it turned out …” he said.
“Stephen Harper declined to be interviewed, and Laureen Harper, but I was able to talk to family members and close friends, people who worked with him in government, some of whom were still with him in government…”
Ibbitson’s last book, The Big Shift, was completed in the fall of 2012 and it chronicled how the Laurentian Consensus – the political, media and business elites of Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal – have ran the country since confederation.
The ‘Laurentian Consensus’ – a term coined by Ibbitson – has been replaced by a new coalition of western, suburban and immigrant voters in the vote-rich 905-Toronto area, and has been supplemented by sympathetic voters in Quebec and the Maritimes.
The biography, divided into two books, speaks to how people are shaped by their past, upbringing and overall beliefs.
“If you want to understand who someone is, what animates that person, what their values are, where they come from, then you need to understand where that person comes from, the environment they came from, their parents, family, friends, the time,” claims Ibbitson. “Stephen Harper was marked by all of those. It turned out that it took about half the book just to explain Stephen Harper before he became Prime Minister.”
Influenced strongly by his father Joe Harper, the Prime Minister regularly references his father in conversation to this day while making political decisions, Ibbitson claims.
“Joe Harper because of his friendship with Harvey Gellman was a passionate supporter of the State of Israel, and his son changed Canadian foreign policy as a result of it,” he said. “That’s how much Joe Harper was able to influence Stephen Harper.”
Ibbitson claims Harper’s most dominant characteristic is his inability to take direction and that the Prime Minister is consistently unable to not only defer to others, but also must be in charge.
“… it should have ruined him, it would have ruined you or me, but through sheer strength of will and perseverance, not only did it not ruin him, he was able to convert it into the one job in the country where nobody gets to tell you what to do, the Prime Minister of Canada. It was a remarkable achievement.”
Stephen Harper would never hire Stephen Harper, claims Ibbitson: “… he was an incredibly rebellious insubordinate, in fact he was a remarkably insubordinate subordinate … but having become Prime Minister, he would never had tolerated that insubordination in his office.”
Whether Harper is autocratic, secretive and cruel – something Ibbitson both asks and answers in the biography (spoiler alert: the answer is “yes, at times it is all of those things”) – the Prime Minister couldn’t care less about what other people think about him.
Harper’s influence on the country, both strong and marked, is firmly entrenched and there’s no going back post-Harper; in fact, he maintains this election proves the fact.
“The NDP is running on balanced budgets … the Liberals would increase taxes on the very wealthiest of Canadians in order to provide a tax cut for middle class Canadians … I think the Harper legacy is entrenched and I think we can see the entrenchment of that legacy in the platforms of the other two parties.”
While Ibbitson’s biography of Harper is being widely read and commented upon by various media, supporters and detractors, not everyone has had the chance to pick up a copy.
“Well, I haven’t read it,” said Kory Teneycke, the Conservative Party of Canada Spokesperson. “[Ibbitson’s] a very smart guy, I’m sure it’s a good read, but I don’t think on election day it’ll probably be that large a factor, but for political junkies like you and I, I’m sure it’s a good way to spend a Saturday afternoon.”
Indeed: the biography is a great read for any afternoon.
This review first appeared in The Windsor Independent
Jon Liedtke was a co-owner and business development manager for The Windsor Independent.
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