Right Honourable Prime Ministers Harper and Chrétien, and Premiers Ford and Mo, welcome. Mr. Poilievre, dear colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, we are taking part in a proud tradition that began in 1890; the official portraits of Prime Ministers seek to capture their character and the context that define their leadership. And if you just heard one of Canada’s, the world’s finest portrait painters, has taken up this task, Phil Richards, entrusted by Canada’s 22^nd Prime Minister to paint the portrait of Her Majesty the Queen on her Diamond Jubilee. As those who have known him privately can attest, Stephen Harper has never been drawn to spectacle, but always to service. He served as Prime Minister of Canada for nearly a decade, the 6^th 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 autumn of 2008, with the global financial markets in free-fall, credit markets frozen, global banks failing, his government’s actions were decisive, our institutions remain trusted, Canada stood strong. 

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 recognizing that extraordinary circumstances demanded a unified response. Our meetings were always frank, focused and results oriented; whether it involved managing the ABCP crisis or providing liquidity so that Canadians could keep their homes. 

Stephen Harper was, and is, a conviction politician, but he was also, when circumstances warranted, a pragmatist. He came to Ottawa as a balance budget conservative. Believing rightly –

I got to a comma, not a period.

Believing rightly that the government should live within their means – you’ll like that as well. 

But…

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. This was not a betrayal of principles, it was an expression of a deeper principle, the purpose of sound fiscal management is to serve Canadians, not the other way around. Mister Harper understood that you build up strength in good times to have that capacity in very bad times. 

Well, his fiscal policy was temporary, timely and targeted, Stephen 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, recognizing the Québécois people as a nation within a united Canada, acknowledged the unique history, identity, shared language, and vibrant culture of French-speaking Quebecers. 

It was an affirmation that Canada’s unity does not require uniformity, that we are stronger when we recognize, celebrate and protect our identities. 

Beyond that, one of many defining moments, 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, the responsibility not as a region to be managed, but as a core pillar of our national project. He once said, probably more than once, he once said that in politics you take risks, and that national unity, national reconciliation, are more important than any one party or any one individual. This room fully shares that vision. 

Because national unity is not an abstract, it’s what allows Canada to do big things, to defend our sovereignty, to build our economic strength, to act with confidence in a more uncertain world. Prime Minister Harper was proud, and I quote: “that Canadians of every conceivable ethnic background are building the most civilized society the world has ever known, and that our diversity offers a ray of hope to that world”. As Prime Minister, Stephen Harper also emphasized that Canadian citizenship is an immense privilege, and recognized 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 trust to be honoured and protected. And so, when those 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 as part of 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, Stephen Harper has continued to contribute to Canada’s future; writing, teaching, strengthening our 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, I don’t know why it comes to mind for example, the bicentennial of the War of 1812.

It is fitting that that Prime Minister, that intellectual, that historian, will join a historic pantheon. Mister Harper, Stephen, 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 our country, and for the legacy upon which we are now called to build.

Thank you very much.