Stephen Harper might not be going out on top, but Chatham-Kent-Leamington MP Dave Van Kesteren says the former prime minister left the country in a better position than he found it.
"There are probably some things that people didn't like or didn't agree with, but he did steer the country through a difficult time," says Van Kesteren.
Harper has announced his resignation, after over 20 years in Canadian politics that included a ten-year stint as prime minister. He stepped down as Conservative leader following last year's federal election, and gave up his Calgary seat in Parliament Friday.
Van Kesteren commends Harper for elevating the image of Canada's military during his time in office, and hopes Canadians will see his economic policies were "correct."
"We made some mistakes, I think no matter what you do you're going to make some mistakes," adds Van Kesteren. "Ultimately, the country was in better shape when we left it than when we first found it."
The Chatham-Kent-Leamington MP says farmers in particular will remember the former PM's focus on agricultural markets.
"We opened a number of new markets. Those increments of 1%, 2%, 3% we improved on, and commodities in beef and pork have made the farmer much more successful," says Van Kesteren.
Van Kesteren expects the race for new Conservative leadership will heat up now that Harper has resigned.
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