About Stephen

63 years old

Hometown: Toronto, Ontario

Stephen Harper was born and raised in Toronto. He moved to Edmonton, Alberta and worked in the mailroom of Imperial Oil before advancing to work on the company's computer systems. Harper became a Member of Parliament in the 1993 federal election. In 2004, he became leader of the Conservative Party of Canada and was elected as Prime Minister in 2006. Stephen is the author of A Great Game, a book about the history of hockey's first decades.

Economy

If elected, a Conservative government would aim to create 1.3 million new jobs by 2020, reduce the small business tax rate from 11% to 9% by 2019, and provide approximately $670 million in federal tax relief to Canadian seniors over the age of 70 between 2015 and 2020.^[1][2]

If re-elected, a Conservative government would renew The Hiring Benefit for Small Business, which gives small businesses up to $1,000 to cover Employee EI premiums.^[3]

A Conservative government would reduce Canada's emissions to 30% below 2005 levels by 2030. In 2014, the Conservative government contributed $300 million to the UN Green Climate Fund to help developing countries fight climate change.^[11]

The Conservative government has committed to reducing Canada's emissions by 30% below 2005 levels by 2030.^[12][13]

The Conservative government's previous budget allocated $248.5 million over five years in Aboriginal labour market programming to support a skilled and engaged Aboriginal labour force. In addition, they have allocated $170 million per year over next the four years to support the construction, rehabilitation, and renovation of affordable housing on First Nations reserves.^[15]

If re-elected, a Conservative government would provide $500 million to building and renovating schools on reserves. They would also invest $567 million over five years to help Aboriginal people and northerners in remote areas of the country build "stronger communities".^[16]

The current Conservative government approved the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline, and will support the proposed TransCanada Energy East project and the TransCanada Keystone XL project.^[17]

Justice

If re-elected, a Conservative government would not legalize or decriminalize marijuana. They would also consider the Association of Canadian Police Chiefs' call for a ticketing system that would penalize people possessing 30 grams of pot or less.^[18]

A Conservative government would establish a tip line for reporting "barbaric cultural practices" to the RCMP.^[19]

If re-elected, a Conservative government would increase annual health funding to the provinces to grow in line with nominal GDP, beginning in 2017-18.^[21]

The Conservative government has maintained the federal contribution of health spending with 6% annual increases through the Canada Health Transfer. It has promised to continue the same level of health spending until 2016-17, when subsequent increases will be determined by a rolling three-year average of GDP growth. The Conservative government has promised a minimum of at least 3% per year.^[22]

If re-elected, a Conservative government will increase the automatic annual escalator for The Department of National Defence's budget to 3% starting in 2017–18. Over ten years, this will provide the Department with an additional $11.8 billion.^[25]

The Conservative government has promised a travel ban on "places that are ground zero for terrorist activity". Security agencies would track those who travel to regions controlled by ISIS. Those who returned to Canada would have to prove they were in the region for humanitarian reasons, or as a journalist.^[26][27]

The Conservative party introduced a policy in April 2011 that requires any temporary foreign worker who has been here for four years to leave to prevent the creation of a “permanent underclass,” that is, a large group of foreign workers who, rather than occupying temporary jobs, end up living in Canada over the long-term with no citizenship or mobility rights.^[32]

The Conservative Party has committed $300 million over five years to expand the use of biometric screening at Canadian borders.^[33]

If re-elected, a Conservative government would increase the number of computers in schools to have more Canadians engage in the digital economy. The Conservatives will work with business and industry associations in order to better align with postsecondary institutions.^[16]

A Conservative government would re-establish Royal Military College Saint-Jean in Québec as a full degree-granting institution.^[35]

Over the next four years, the Conservative government plans to spend $2.3 billion per year to give Canadians access to affordable housing.^[15]

If re-elected, a Conservative government Home Buyer's Plan would allow aspiring homeowners to make tax-free withdrawals from their Registered Retirement Savings Plans to finance the purchase or new construction of their first home. The Conservatives would increase the allowable withdrawal from $25,000 to $35,000.^[37]

The current Conservative government passed a new anti-terror law called Bill C-51 in May.

The Conservative government passed Bill C-51, which makes it illegal to promote terrorism; lowers the legal threshold required for police to arrest and detain suspected extremists without charge; and allows more than 100 government entities to exchange Canadians' confidential information if it is “relevant” to a potential or suspected national security threat. The Bill also gives broad new powers to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) to expand surveillance and actively disrupt threats to national security using unspecfied enforcement measures.^[44]

Government & Transparency

The Conservative government states that voters have already laid out their opposition to different forms of proportional representation, including in referendums in Ontario and British Columbia.^[38]

If re-elected, a Conservative government would oppose a 'Netflix' tax on digital streaming services and spend $200 million on expanding Canada's high-speed broadband Internet network across rural and remote areas.^[39]

If re-elected, the Conservative government would increase the Adoption Expense Tax Credit to $20,000 from $15,000.^[40]