Former prime minister Stephen Harper said the Reform Party played a major role in making the Conservatives what they are now. .“Our country is badly in need of a conservative renaissance at the national level,” said Harper in a Wednesday speech at the Canada Strong and Free Network (CSFN) National Conference. .“Indeed, I think the future of the country and the future of our middle and working class families depends on it.” .Harper said a Conservative victory cannot be obtained by a party working alone. He said this is what the CSFN can help do. .The former prime minister acknowledged this year is the 30th anniversary of Reform electing 52 MPs to the House of Commons. He added the formation of the Conservatives was more than a merger of two legacy parties. .It was a synthesis of the Toryism of Eastern Canada, the populism of Western Canada, and the autonomous tradition of Quebec. He said this definition of populism has taken on many inaccurate perceptions. .If people were to read liberal media around the world, he said any election result they approve of is democratic, while those they disapprove of are populist. Reform took the idea of populism from the frontier agrarian society of the western United States. .The populists sought to represent the interests of the great mass of local people. Their ideas spread throughout North America and influenced Alberta’s prosperity. .Harper said Reform was a byproduct of the time. Despite being called radical by the media and rejected by the elites, he said it advocated orthodox economic policies. .This is similar to how Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is treated by the media now. Some of Reform’s ideas were adopted by the Liberals of the 1990s. .Harper spoke about their ideas playing a success in the Conservative government he led. He oversaw income growth despite facing a recession. .The Conservatives did record spending on healthcare and infrastructure. They balanced the budget while delivering lower taxes. .He said this record “stands in stark contrast to the policy war being waged in the past few years against working Canadians.” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has overseen record inflation, receding the budgets of average Canadians. .Harper accused Trudeau of advancing an elite-driven climate change agenda, forcing the costs of an energy transition onto people. He has enacted tax increases for workers, businesses, and middle class people. .Harper said former Reform leader Preston Manning was the architect of the party. Manning changed the debate about various issues. .He changed fundraising to make political parties dependent on small contributions rather than big donors and government subsidies. Harper joked about none of these donations involving foreign interference. .His election saw him become the third person to come to office through a new party. He said to build a party from scratch is “not a just a unique accomplishment, but a manifestation of the skillset very few people will ever possess.” .“It is why I say that Preston Manning is the closest thing we have to a founding father to the modern-day Canadian conservative movement,” he said. .Former Prime Minister’s Office director of policy Rachel Curran introduced Harper by saying she was proud of his legacy. .“We have the goal of helping Canada maximize its potential and making our country a better place to live, work, and raise a family,” said Curran. .“There is no one who has done more in the last two decades to build and strengthen that national network than our guest tonight.” .Harper said in December people should give money to the Conservatives to allow Poilievre to succeed. .READ MORE: Harper asks people to donate to Conservatives to help Poilievre.“In my opinion, Pierre is the Prime Minister our country needs right now,” he said. .He committed to helping Poilievre raise $2 million online before December 31. While he longer leads the Conservatives or has a seat in the House of Commons, his wife Laureen and him remain committed to advancing free markets, speech, and people.
