Who is the prime minister of Canada?
The Prime Minister is the head of government, chairman of the Cabinet, and the primary minister of the Crown. The Prime Minister is also charged with advising the viceroy or the monarch on exercising the executive powers that are vested in them by the Canadian Constitution. The current
Prime Minister of Canada is Stephen Harper. Stephen Harper is the head of the
Conservative Party of Canada. He had been sworn in by
Governor General Michaelle Jean on February 6, 2006. Stephen Harper is the 22nd Prime Minister in Canada. Generally, the Conservative Party favors decentralization, traditional cultural values, smaller government, and lower taxes. The party aims to create a balance between individual rights and responsibilities, progressive social policy, and fiscal accountability. The party also favors strong territorial and provincial governments and a federal system of government.
Stephen Harper was born in
Toronto on April 30, 1959 and moved to the province of
Alberta in 1978. He earned a Masters Degree in Economics from the University of Calgary and in 1993, he was elected as a Member of Parliament. Harper also worked for the Toronto Star, the now-defunct Toronto Telegram, and the Globe and Mail. As an Opposition leader, Stephen Harper put forward bold ideas such as the Apprenticeship Incentive Grant, the Public Transit Tax Credit, and the Federal Accountability Act. In 1997, Harper became Vice President of the National Citizens Coalition, which is an organization advocating accountable government and individual freedom. Harper did not seek re-election in 1997. He returned to the House of Commons as a Member of Parliament for Calgary Southwest in 2002. In his 3rd term, Stephen Harper is working to secure the country’s economy. The government aims to eliminate the deficit and to keep taxes low. The government also advances Canada’s values and interests internationally. In 2010, the country hosted the Royal Tour by Her Majesty Elizabeth II, the G8 and G20 summits, and the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, The country is a home for sporting events such as the Para Pan-Am Games, the Pan-American Games, and the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Harper has dealt with a variety of domestic and foreign policy issues such as balanced budgets, lower taxes, and a tougher criminal justice system. The Prime Minister has dealt with different foreign policy issues relating to China and Africa, free trade, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the War on Terror, and the United States. The Prime Minister was awarded the B’nai Brith Presidential Gold Medallion for Humanitarianism and the Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service.
The government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper has strengthened product safety rules and passed new laws to keep sexual predators and gun criminals behind bars. The government has invested in arctic rangers, satellite surveillance, and new patrol ships to protect the country’s sovereignty over Canada’s North. The government also passed new rules for political fundraising that take unions, corporations, and the big money out of political party financing. It reduced the Goods and Services Tax from 7 percent to 6 percent and then to 5 percent. In addition, the government gave Canadians tax credits for money that is spent on kids’ sports, textbooks, and transit passes.