First, the prime minister became a strong proponent of "incremental conservatism". Tom Flanagan, a University of Calgary professor (and former Harper confidant), defines this as "endorsing even very small steps if they are in the right direction, and accepting inaction in areas that can't feasibly be changed right now, but opposing government initiatives that are clearly going the wrong way." Second, Canadian conservatism gradually morphed into  a new phenomenon, which I have called "Harpertism". As I explained it in the Ottawa Citizen, Harper "became the figurehead for Canadian conservatism, adjusted it, modified it, and rebranded it as a moderate — and heavily watered down — version of fiscal conservatism. In my view, Harpertism is neither good nor bad; it just is what it is. Yet the way it occurred was simply brilliant: it developed under the radar, caught most people off-guard, and led Conservatives back to the promised political land." On a personal note, while I've been critical of Harper for his reduced commitment to fiscal conservatism, there's no denying that his strategy has worked.

Harper's quest was therefore to shift conservatism from being perceived as a long-standing negative philosophy into a positive force for change. To do so, an informal ten-year plan was established to create a "conservative Canada". This would involve removing decades of extensive left-wing brainwashing about the need for a nanny state. In both minority and majority governments, the Harper Tories have consistently taken a slow, methodical approach to running the country effectively as well as removing archaic Liberal values. They have demonstrated that the Left's long-standing description of the "scary" Conservatives and their "hidden agenda" was nothing more than tomfoolery designed to frighten the public at every turn. 

So, the Tories instituted a moderate fiscal conservative economic plan that would appeal to a wide range of individuals and groups. Targeted tax cuts were favoured rather than broad-based tax relief, and while small reforms to private healthcare were championed, a commitment to universal healthcare was maintained. At the same time, foreign policy positions got stronger. Canada took a leadership role in Afghanistan, and publicly condemned despots and totalitarian regimes like Syria. Israel was strongly defended, but a two-state solution was endorsed in various speeches. Walking out of the United Nations when a tyrant like Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was speaking was encouraged, but suggestions of leaving the UN were barely uttered.

The transition didn't always go smoothly. Harper, a strong leader who rules with an iron fist and demands fierce loyalty, ran both the 2006 and 2008 minority governments as if he had a majority. Coupled with the fact  that the Tories have no natural allies in the House of Commons, parliamentary sessions went through wild fluctuations of compromise and aggression. Opposition parties often threatened to bring down the government but Harper rarely blinked, telling them to go ahead. In December 2008, it nearly happened: there was an attempt at a coup, in which the opposition signed a deal in principle to bring down the government. But Harper was able to prorogue parliament at the last minute and the opposition alliance quickly dissolved.