The CPC’s Harper problem

The Harper syndrome is weakening the Conservative Party because instead of looking forward, it keeps looking back. It’s difficult for a political party to advance that way; it’s difficult for it to grow and adapt.

Even though former prime minister Stephen Harper has been off the political stage for nearly 10 years now, the memory of his leadership, the force of his personality, and the power of his intellect, still looms over the Conservative Party like a ghostly colossus, writes Gerry Nicholls. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Opinion

BY GERRY NICHOLLS

May 5, 2025

OAKVILLE, ONT.—If the just-concluded federal election has taught us anything, it’s that the Conservative Party of Canada suffers from a unique political condition.

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