Prime minister stephen harper biography ibbitsonline

John Ibbitson's Stephen Harper is a well-balanced biography that candidly looks at our last Prime Minister's positive and negative attributes. Ibbitson does not gloss over the fact that Harper can be mean, overly secretive and a 'control freak'. Nor does the author mince words concerning some of Harper's most discreditable decisions and approaches: the abolition of the long form census, the blatant disregard for parliamentary accountablility, and his utter contempt for the judiciary.

Ibbitson, however, unlike many of his colleagues who routinely portray Harper as the devil incarnate, also delves into the former PM's signigicant contributions.

Stephen Harper - John Ibbitson - Google Books

Harper tightened up a rather lax criminal justice system, made many important trade deals, and beefed up the Canadian military after decades of Liberal neglect. Harper also provided a fairly steady economic hand during the Great Recession of 2008 and 2009. The first half of the book is particularly strong as Ibb Stephen Harper by John Ibbitson | Penguin Random House Canada XASAN