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Stephen Harper

Age 54; seeking re-election in 2015. First elected in the riding of Calgary West in 1993, before leaving in 1997. Harper returned to Parliament in 2002 as leader of the Canadian Alliance, before leading the new Conservative Party of Canada to power in 2006.

Then: “The federal government presents not hopes but obstacles to economic recovery. The obstacles are most clearly represented by the national debt and the deficits adding to it which we are experiencing and have experienced in the past number of years,” Harper said in his maiden speech in the Commons in January 1994.

“Countries, like companies or households, that mismanage their financial affairs do not create jobs. They destroy them.”

Now: As prime minister, creating jobs, sustaining economic growth and eliminating the deficit that his own government rang up are Harper’s key messages. The Harper Conservative government has added more than $150 billion to the federal debt since the beginning of the economic downturn in 2008. Yet, Canada weathered the recession much better than most countries, the economy didn’t nosedive and the government expects to balance the books in 2015-16.

Diane Ablonczy

Age 64; won’t run again in 2015. Has won seven consecutive elections in her northern Calgary riding; has served as minister of state in various roles, including foreign affairs, seniors, and small business and tourism.

Then: “When Canadians watch television they expect to see the body-checking, cheering and jeering left to Hockey Night in Canada, but when they watch Parliament they want to see us put the puck in the net. They want and look to us to work together to find real answers to real problems facing this country,” she said in her maiden speech.