The Harper Record

This book is one in a series of CCPA publications that have examined the records of Canadian federal governments during the duration of their tenure. As with earlier CCPA reports on the activities of previous governments while in office, this book gives a detailed account of the laws, policies, regulations, and initiatives of the Conservative minority government under Prime Minister Stephen Harper during its 32-month term from January 2006 to September 2008.

The 47 writers, researchers and analysts who have co-written this book probe into every aspect of the Harper minority government’s administration. From the economy to the environment, from social programs to foreign policy, from health care to tax cuts, from the Afghanistan mission to the tar sands, from free trade to deep integration, and to many other areas of this government’s record, the authors have dug out the facts and analyzed them.

The Harper Record was necessarily researched and written long before an election was called, but its publication does coincide with an election campaign and thus may help citizens to make informed choices about the future of their country. Regardless of the election outcome, its contents will continue to be relevant between elections. In detailing what a minority Conservative government really did, or failed to do, it may serve as a guide and model for future elections.

Please note that hard copies are no longer available, but you can click here to download the whole book.

Or download chapters individually:

Preface, by Bruce Campbell
Introduction, by Teresa Healy

Governance

• Understanding Stephen Harper, by Steve Patten
• Harper's War On Freedom of Speech, by Trish Hennessy

Economy, Trade and Investment

• The Conservative Tax Record, by Andrew Jackson and Erin Weir
• Manufacturing Decline and Resource Dependency, by Jim Stanford
• Lost Jobs and the Erosion of a Caring Culture, by Eileen Corbet
• Foreign Ownership, by Mel Watkins
• Canadian Trade and Investment Policy, 2006-08, by Gauri Sreenivasan
• Harper and Deep Integration, by Bruce Campbell
• The Softwood Lumber Agreement, by Guy Caron
• The Harper-Bush Alliance on Colombia, by Sheila Katz

Racialization and (In)Security

• Harper Conservatives and the Colour-Coding of Canada, by Karl Flecker
• Canada's Secret-Trial Detentions, by Matthew Behrens
• Migrant Workers Under Harper, by Evelyn Encalada, Erika Del Carmen Fuchs, and Adriana Paz
• Conservatives' No-Fly List Violates Rights, by Bruce Campbell
• Canada and International Human Rights, by John W. Foster
• Harper and Iraq War Resisters, by Joel Davidson Harden
• Peace and Democracy for Afghanistan, by John W. Warnock
• Harper, the Military, and Wedge Politics, by Steven Staples

Energy and Environment

• The Harper Tar Sands Legacy, by Blair Redlin and Caelie Frampton
• Downstream From the Tar Sands, People are Dying, by Jessica Kalman
• The Harper Government and Climate Change, by Toby Sanger and Graham Saul
• The Harper Government's Mismanagement of Canada's Water, by Maude Barlow and Meera Karunananthan
• Putting Commerce Before Safety in the Nuclear Industry, by Marita Moll
• Harper and Biofuels, by Pat Mooney
• Harper's Attack on the Canadian Wheat Board, by Helen Forsey

(In)Equality and Public Services

• Women's Equality and Human Rights, by the Ad Hoc Coalition on Women's Equality and Human Rights
• Harper and Child Care, by Morna Ballantyne
• Child Benefits Under the Harper Government, by Ken Battle
• The Conservative Government and Big Pharma, by Julie White and Michael McBane
• Harper and Public Health Policy, by John Hugh Edwards
• The Legacy of Disability Rights in Canada, by John Rae
• Harper and Crime, by Dawn Moore and Erin Donohue
• Privatization Under Harper, by Toby Sanger and Corina Crawley

Culture and Communications

• Telecommunications on the Free(Market) Way, by Marita Moll and Leslie Regan Shade
• Harper's Museum and Art Gallery Policy, by Howie West

Federal-Provincial Relations

• Harper, Québec and Canadian Federalism, by Barbara Cameron
• The Harper Government and Federal-Provincial Issues, by Hugh Mackenzie
• Newfoundland and Labrador and the Harper Government, by Lana Payne

Notes
About the Authors