CFA Society Edmonton is excited to announce The Right Honourable Stephen J. Harper as the keynote speaker for the 2026 Forecast Dinner.

For nearly a decade, The Right Honourable Stephen J. Harper led Canada through the world’s most complex geopolitical, economic and security challenges as the country’s 22nd Prime Minister. He created the modern Conservative Party of Canada, won three successive national elections, and was the longest serving Conservative Prime Minister since Canada’s founding Prime Minister in 1891.

Since leaving office in 2016, Mr. Harper founded and is Chairman and CEO of Harper & Associates, a global consulting and strategic advisory business, and is Chairman and a founding partner of Vision One, a fundamental value-oriented investment fund based in Miami, Florida.

He serves as Board Chair of the Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo), Director of Colliers International Group Inc. and Alimentation CoucheTard Inc., and is President of the Advisory Committee of Awz Ventures, a technology focused Canadian-Israeli venture capital firm. Mr. Harper is also the author of Right Here, Right Now: Politics and Leadership in the Age of Disruption and a frequent speaker on geopolitical trends, populism, and business. His latest book, Flags of Canada, was published in February 2025 in association with the Royal Canadian Geographical Society commemorating the 60th anniversary of Canada’s national flag.

Mr. Harper serves as Chairman of the International Democracy Union and is a member of the Global Advisory Board of India’s Observer Research Foundation. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from the University of Calgary, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Philosophy from Tel Aviv University and received an honorary degree from the Jerusalem College of Technology. He is a Companion of the Order of Canada, a member of the King’s Privy Council for Canada, and is the recipient of the Alberta Order of Excellence plus numerous international recognitions including the Order of Liberty, Ukraine’s highest civilian honour.

Mr. Harper resides in Alberta, Canada with his wife Laureen; they have two adult children, Benjamin and Rachel.