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Canada - Head of Government

The Rt Hon Stephen Harper, Prime Minister

The Rt Hon Stephen Harper was sworn in as Canada’s 22nd Prime Minister on 6 February 2006.

Mr Harper is the Conservative Party Leader who co-founded the party in 2003. Before that, he was Leader of the Opposition in 2002 after winning the leadership of the Canadian Alliance.

In 1997 Mr Harper was Vice-President (and later President) of the National Citizens’ Coalition. He was first elected to the House of Commons in 1993 as a member of the Reform Party.

Mr Harper has Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in economics from the University of Calgary.

Mr Harper was born on 30 April 1959, in Toronto, Ontario.