What Is Stephen Harper's Net Worth?

Stephen Harper is a Canadian politician who has a net worth of $7 million. Stephen Harper served as the Prime Minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. In 2018, he was elected the Chairman of the International Democracy Union. Harper was a Member of Parliament from 1993 to 1997 and 2002 to 2016, and he was Leader of the Canadian Alliance from 2002 to 2003, Leader of the Conservative Party from 2004 to 2015, and Leader of the Opposition from 2004 to 2006. Stephen's political career started in high school when he was a part of the Young Liberals Club, but he switched from liberal to conservative after disagreeing with Pierre Trudeau's National Energy Program. He was one of the founding members of the Reform Party, and he helped the Conservative Party form in 2004 as a merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party. In 2006, Harper was honored with the Woodrow Wilson Award for his public service in Calgary, and he was named by Time magazine as Canada's Newsmaker of the Year. He received the World Statesman of the Year award in 2012. In 2018, he published the book "Right Here, Right Now: Politics and Leadership in the Age of Disruption."

Early Life

Stephen Harper was born Stephen Joseph Harper on April 30, 1959, in Leaside, Ontario, Canada. He is the son of Margaret Harper (née Johnston) and Joseph Harris Harper, and he grew up with two younger brothers. His father worked as an accountant for Imperial Oil. Stephen studied at Northlea Public School, John G. Althouse Middle School, and Richview Collegiate Institute, and while attending Richview, he was a member of a team that competed on the academic quiz show "Reach for the Top." After graduating from high school in 1978, Harper enrolled at Trinity College at the University of Toronto, but he dropped out and moved to Edmonton, Alberta, in an attempt to gain independence from his parents. There, he worked in the mail room at Imperial Oil before working on the company's computer systems. He earned a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Calgary in 1985, followed by a master's degree in economics in 1991.

Career

Harper joined the Young Liberals club in high school, but he switched his political affiliation to conservative after disagreeing with Pierre Trudeau's National Energy Program. In 1985, he became the executive assistant to Jim Hawkes, a Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament (MP), but he left the following year after becoming disillusioned with the government of Brian Mulroney. Stephen was later invited to participate in the Reform Party of Canada, and he spoke at the party's 1987 founding convention. He became the chief policy officer of the Reform Party, and he helped draft the 1988 election platform and is credited with coming up with the party's campaign slogan, "The West wants in!" In Calgary West's 1988 federal election, Harper ran for the House of Commons but lost. In a 1989 by-election, Deborah Grey was elected the Reform Party's first MP, and Stephen was chosen to be her executive assistant; he wrote her speeches and served as her chief advisor until 1993. He was policy chief of the party until October 1992. He ran for office again in the 1993 federal election and won; he was a Reform Party MP until 1997. From 2002 to 2003, he served as the Leader of the Canadian Alliance.

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Harper co-founded Canada's modern Conservative Party in 2004 and was elected its leader in March of that year. In the 2006 federal election, he was elected Prime Minister of Canada, and he was re-elected in 2008 and 2011.  According to Stephen's official website, "Under his leadership, Canada reduced federal taxes to their lowest level in 50 years, created 1.3 million new jobs, balanced the budget while making critical investments in health care and infrastructure, attracted new investment and fostered innovation. During his time in office, Prime Minister Harper oversaw historic trade negotiations to expand Canada's commercial relationships including: the conclusion of the Canada-Europe Trade Agreement, the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement, the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement, a modernized Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement, and Canada's entrance into the Trans-Pacific Partnership." Stephen lost the 2015 Canadian federal election and subsequently resigned from his position as leader of the Conservative Party. In 2016, he launched the "global consulting and strategic advisory business" Harper & Associates Consulting Inc., and he serves as the CEO and Chairman of the company. He is also the co-founder and Chairman of the investment fund Vision One and the President of the Advisory Committee of the venture capital firm Awz Ventures. Stephen is the director of Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., Colliers International Group Inc., and Recover Inc.

Personal Life

Stephen married graphic designer Laureen Teskey on December 11, 1993, and they have welcomed two children, Rachel and Benjamin, together. Harper became an evangelical Christian in the late '80s and joined RockPointe Church in Calgary. He switched to East Gate Alliance Church after he moved to Ottawa in 2003. Stephen has been a fan of the hockey team the Toronto Maple Leafs since he was a child, and he released the book "A Great Game: The Forgotten Leafs and the Rise of Professional Hockey" in 2013. He has an extensive record collection and is a fan of bands such as AC/DC and the Beatles. In 2009, Harper performed "With a Little Help from My Friends" with Yo-Yo Ma at a National Arts Centre gala. He used to be in a band called The Van Cats.

Awards and Honors

Harper has received the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal for Canada (2002), Alberta Centennial Medal (2005), and Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for Canada (2012), and he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada (2019) and a Member of the Alberta Order of Excellence (2023). In 2008, he became the first Canadian to be awarded B'nai B'rith International's Presidential Gold Medallion for Humanitarianism. In 2011, Stephen was made an Honorary Chief of the Kainai Nation by Alberta's Blood tribe. He received the honor because he apologized on behalf of Canada for abuse in the Canadian Indian residential school system. In 2012, Harper was named World Statesman of the Year, and in 2016, he received Ukraine's Order of Liberty, the country's highest honor for foreigners.

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