Today, we take part in a proud tradition that began in 1890.
The official portraits of prime ministers seek to capture their character and the context that defined their leadership.
Phil Richards is one of the finest to undertake this challenge. After all, he was entrusted by Canada’s 22nd Prime Minister to paint the official Diamond Jubilee Portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
As those who have known him privately can attest, Mr. Harper has never been drawn to spectacle, always to service.
He served as Prime Minister of Canada for nearly a decade – the sixth-longest tenure in our history – leaving an extensive record of policy and legislative accomplishments.
In a political climate increasingly buffeted by noise, he brought composure, intellect, and decisiveness to public life.
Qualities that helped see Canada through one of the most perilous times since the Great Depression.
In the autumn of 2008, with global financial markets in freefall, credit markets frozen, and global banks failing, his government’s actions were decisive; our institutions remained trusted, and Canada stood strong.
I had the privilege of being appointed Governor of the Bank of Canada under the mandate of Prime Minister Harper.
During the global financial crisis, there was an extraordinary degree of coordination between the Government of Canada and the Bank of Canada – coordination that respected the independence of monetary policy while recognising that extraordinary circumstances demanded a unified response.
Our meetings were always frank, focused, and results‑oriented. Whether it involved managing the asset-backed commercial paper (ABCP) crisis or providing liquidity so that Canadians could keep their homes.
Stephen Harper was a conviction politician. But he was also, when circumstances demanded, a pragmatist.
He came to Ottawa as a balanced-budget conservative. He believed rightly that governments should live within their means.
Yet when the financial crisis struck, he did not let ideology prevent him from doing what was necessary, running deficits for five years to support the Canadian economy through the worst global downturn in generations.
That was not a betrayal of his principles. It was an expression of a deeper principle: that the purpose of sound fiscal management is to serve Canadians, not the other way around. Mr. Harper understood that you build up strength in good times to have the capacity to act in bad times.
While his fiscal policy was temporary, timely, and targeted, Mr. Harper’s vision of Canada was expansive.
Born and raised in Toronto, he was called to Calgary, where he became a steadfast champion of Western Canada.
Mr. Harper’s motion, adopted by Parliament, recognising the Québécois people as a nation within a united Canada, acknowledged the unique history, identity, shared language, and vibrant culture of French-speaking Québecers.
It was an affirmation that Canada’s unity does not require uniformity; that we are stronger when we recognise, celebrate, and protect our identity.
Beyond that defining moment, Prime Minister Harper consistently understood that Canada’s strength has always come from holding together a country that stretches from coast to coast to coast.
He spoke directly to Western Canada’s sense of contribution and responsibility, not as a region to be managed, but as a core pillar of the national project.
He once said that “in politics, you take risks” – that “national unity, national reconciliation are more important than any one party or than any one individual.”
I fully share that vision.
National unity today is not abstract – it is what allows Canada to do big things: to defend its sovereignty, to build its economic strength, and to act with confidence in a more uncertain world.
Prime Minister Harper was proud that “Canadians of every conceivable ethnic background are building the most civilised society the world has ever known”.
And that our diversity offered a “ray of hope to the world.”
As Prime Minister, Stephen Harper emphasised that Canadian citizenship is an “immense privilege” and recognised the values and responsibilities that come with that privilege.
He reminded us that freedom is sustained by the willingness of citizens to contribute, to serve, and sometimes to sacrifice. That the privileges of Canadian citizenship are not merely gifts to be received and enjoyed but also trusts to be honoured and protected.
And so, when our values of freedom, democracy, and sovereignty were under threat abroad, he defended them.
After Vladimir Putin invaded Crimea, Prime Minister Harper launched Operation UNIFIER, sending hundreds of Canadian Armed Forces personnel to train Ukrainian soldiers. That operation continues today and has grown into our central role in the Coalition of the Willing to support Ukraine through this horrific, illegal war and through to a just and lasting peace.
Prime Minister Harper was a prescient champion of Canada’s Arctic, investing in Arctic infrastructure, asserting our claims, and reminding the world that the “True North” is not just a line in our anthem but our sovereignty that we will always defend.
Since leaving office, Mr. Harper has continued to contribute to Canada’s future – writing, teaching, and strengthening Canada’s role as a beacon – an example to a world at sea.
Over the past year, while our country has faced unprecedented attacks and trade pressures, he called out those threatening our sovereignty and urged the building of a stronger Canada – a Canada less dependent on the United States and more resilient, relying on its own strengths.
He also took the time to advise me, which I greatly appreciated.
The portrait of Prime Minister Harper pays tribute to a life devoted to the service of others, to his leadership, and to his love of our country.
It also honours his determination, like that of all those who came before him, to make our country even more exceptional.
It is fitting that a Prime Minister who regularly reminded us of the lessons of our history – for example, through the bicentennial of the War of 1812 – will join a historic pantheon.
Mr. Harper, your portrait will soon take its place alongside those of Macdonald and Laurier, King and Diefenbaker, Trudeau and Mulroney. Builders of our country in the past, examples to our country for our future.
On behalf of all Canadians, I thank you for your remarkable service to Canada, and for the legacy upon which we are now called to build.
Thank you.