Five months after the resounding electoral defeat that removed Stephen Harper as prime minister of Canada and ended his leadership of the Conservative Party, the introverted Albertan who commanded such power in the halls of Parliament for so long is now, by all accounts, a polite but peripheral presence in both the House and in his party.

Harper chats with MPs before and after votes, he’s available in his office in the event that someone wishes to speak with him, and when he’s not keeping a low profile in the House, he’s keeping a low profile in public.

“He hasn’t been in question period, no, but he’s present. He interacts, he has conversations… I think it’s good to have him among us still,” said Conservative MP Peter Kent.

“He is a former leader and that does set him a part, he’s not one of the gang, but he’s still recognized by everyone in caucus as a leader who brought us to power and who governed over a period of great legislative productivity and he’s a man that remains quite admired,” Kent added.

After nearly a decade of contentious relations with the Parliamentary Press Gallery, Harper continues to steer clear of the media. There have been few sightings, save for a quick glimpse of him walking down a hall, on Parliament Hill, and he has not given an interview since he resigned. Harper’s office did not respond to an iPolitics interview request for this piece.

Since the Oct. 19 defeat, the party has made efforts to distance itself from Harper in terms of the practices of power that ultimately turned public opinion against him and by choosing an interim leader, Rona Ambrose, who was a departure from Harper in both optics and tone.

By all reports, that desire to decouple the party from Harper’s legacy ahead of a May 2017 leadership convention and ahead of the 2019 election hasn’t embittered his relations with caucus.

Kent describes Harper as “welcoming” with caucus members.

“He’s removed himself from the day-to-day interactions of the opposition caucus,” he said. Harper has also avoided influencing the party and the “interim leadership situation,” Kent said.

“I think it’s wonderful that he’s stayed on after the election rather than heading for the hills,” said Kent.

Conservative MP Andrew Scheer described members’ relationships with Harper as “cordial” and observed that former prime ministers do not typically take an active role within the caucus because they recognize that the new leader has to be able to lead.

Indeed, most former leaders avoid the spotlight post-defeat, at least initially. In the past, many who were lawyers joined law firms as rainmakers, some engaged in public speaking, and many wrote their memoirs. Liberals Pierre Elliott Trudeau and Jean Chretien joined the law firm Heenan Blaikie, in Montreal and in Ottawa, respectively.

Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney became a senior partner at a firm he had worked for previously, Ogilvy Renault —now Norton Rose Fulbright — in Montreal, and John Turner joined a firm in Toronto. Paul Martin, whose personal wealth meant he didn’t require a second career, has spent many years advocating for First Nations education.

Scheer said he’s heard, anecdotally, that some new Conservative MPs who missed the opportunity to serve in government with Harper are enjoying the opportunity to sit down with him for a relaxed cup of coffee and chat.

“When he was prime minister, he was very, very busy, and it was tough to get five or 10 minutes, but now he’s very available for people,” said Scheer.

“[Harper’s] a great source of advice and counsel and he’s very supportive of our team,” said Scheer.

Conservative MP Phil McColeman reiterated his colleagues comments that Harper has been to caucus, but he’s not an active participant.

“But he is doing what he wants to do at this time, and it’s totally understandable to me.”

McColeman reflected, “You’ve lost an election…you were the prime minister and you want to be involved but you realize there’s a direction that the Party’s going to go in, in the future, that may not have been the direction that he was taking us and he’s very respectful of that.”

McColeman said he’s talked to Harper, but mostly small talk, and to “say hello.”

“All the people who are thinking he was the devil are wrong, he never was, he never is and he still isn’t. He’s a human being like every one of us and he had a direction he wanted to take us in terms of a party,” said McColeman, adding that he still admires him for his leadership.

Conservative MP Ron Liepert said Harper’s “taken the right approach.”

“It’s a new party with new leadership and so he has not been a major participant in discussions and I think that’s the appropriate way to handle it,” he said.

Equally important is that he was elected the member of parliament for Calgary Heritage and he’s representing that riding, said Liepert.

“I think his approach to date has been very professional and not one of interfering, recognizing it’s a new day but at the same time upholding what his constituents elected him to do on the 19th of October,” he added.

When Harper’s not making small talk, he might be found at the found at the movie theatre.

“I saw Stephen Harper at The Revenant,” said Tim Powers, vice chair of Summa Strategies.

Powers said he went to The Revenant at the Lansdowne theatre in January, and after the movie was over, he looked behind him and saw a former employee of the prime minister. That’s when he noticed Harper beside him.

“[He was] sitting there with a hat on, sort of inconspicuous, and we chatted for a moment and then he went on his merry way,” said Powers. Hardly anyone had recognized him, Powers said, including the person sitting next to him.

“I asked him how he was doing and he said he was doing well and seemed to be at peace, seemed to be in a reasonable mood that night, enjoyed the movie and that was the extent of it,” he added.