Article content

Fifty-five weeks after much of the country had come to same conclusion, Stephen Harper announced on Friday it was time to move on.

That Harper did so via a 90-second canned message posted on a Facebook page rather than in real time – whether by holding a press conference or sitting down for a one on one interview – wasn’t surprising, given his less than cordial relations with the media while in power and the importance he always attached to controlling the message.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Mennie: In the end, Harper's legacy is another PM named Trudeau Back to video

It was also a reminder of how, despite the role of the selfie in our political process, it was the Harper Conservatives rather than the Trudeau Liberals who blazed the trail of speaking directly to the electorate rather than through the filter of what is now quaintly referred to as mainstream media.

But while eliminating the hitherto traditional middle man when it comes to delivering one’s message is now the norm for elections and politics, there nevertheless seemed a somewhat bittersweet tone to Harper’s good-bye. It’s pleasant to think that somewhere behind the dark suit and wan smile there may have been a devilish part of the former PM that wanted to say farewell from behind the keyboard of his piano. But our last glimpse of the man who managed to have an entire decade named after him during the last election campaign weighs in as stark rather than sentimental. Essentially, Harper’s not so long farewell consists of one man standing alone in an empty room, shoe horning via teleprompter his government’s record into an online hit the size of a television spot.