On this 20th anniversary of his first election win, let us count the reasons — from housing prices to national identity — why Canadians might be feeling nostalgic for Harper’s time as prime minister. Under Harper, housing prices rose about 40 per cent from an average of $263,000 in 2006 to $440,000 in 2015 when he left office. As a result, under Trudeau, large parts of Canadian society were completely locked out of the housing market. The housing crisis under Trudeau grew alongside a wider affordability problem which took root after Harper left office. Trudeau took a different approach, promoting the idea of Canada as a post national state.

Source: National Post February 01, 2026 17:23 UTC