Today, we unveiled Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s official portrait in Ottawa. Mr. Harper served as Prime Minister of Canada for nearly a decade — the sixth longest tenure in our history. In a political climate increasingly buffeted by noise, he brought composure, intellect, and decisiveness to public life. He was a conviction politician. But he was also, when circumstances demanded, a pragmatist. He came to Ottawa as a balanced-budget conservative. Yet when the financial crisis struck, he did not let ideology prevent him from doing what was necessary to support the Canadian economy through the worst global downturn in generations. Mr. Harper’s portrait, painted by Phil Richards, will soon take its place alongside those of Macdonald and Laurier, King and Diefenbaker, Trudeau and Mulroney. Builders of our country in the past, examples to our country for the future. On behalf of all Canadians, I thank Mr. Harper for his remarkable service to Canada, and for the legacy upon which we are now called to build.