Stephen Harper is the sitting Prime Minister after his election 9 years ago. His political journey started young as a member of the Young Liberals at his high-school during Pierre Elliott Trudeau’s government but left the party due to his disagreement with Trudeau’s National Energy Program. As a result, he became the chief aide to Progressive Conservative MP Jim Hawkes in 1985 until he became dissatisfied with the party’s economic policies under Brian Mulroney. In 1988, Harper became the Chief Policy Officer of the Reform Party, lead and founded by Preston Manning. In 1993, Harper defeated Hawkes as part of a Reform breakthrough in Western Canada. In 2002, Harper became leader of the Canadian Alliance Party, the Reform Party renamed, and became the new Conservative Leader in 2004 when the Canadian Alliance and the former Progressive Conservatives, lead by Peter MacKay, merged.

Thomas Mulcair is a a lawyer by trade but has a reputable background in Quebec politics. In 1994, Mulcair was elected as an MNA in the Quebec National Assembly for the Liberal Party of Quebec. In 2003, he became the Minister for Sustainable Development, Environment, and Parks until he left the party in 2006. On November 25, 2004, Mulcair launched Quebec’s Sustainable Development Plan which amended the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms to create a new right, the right to live in a healthy environment that respects biodiversity, in accordance with the guidelines and standards set out in the Act. The plan, based off the successful European model, was adopted unanimously and was dubbed one of the most avant-garde in North America. Elected as an NDP MP in Outremont in 2007, Mulcair became a rising star and quickly became former NDP Leader Jack Layton’s right-hand man as he helped pull off the unprecedented orange wave in the 2011 election campaign. After Layton’s death, Mulcair won the leadership race of the NDP with 57.2%.

Justin Trudeau is a rising star benefiting from his name, character and principles. The eldest son of former Liberal Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau, Justin Trudeau got involved with the Liberal Party at an early age. In 1988, he aided Liberal Leader John Turner and throughout the 2000′s he gained clout for his involvement within the party. In 2008, Trudeau was elected MP in Papineau where he proposed a private member’s bill which called for a “national voluntary service policy for young people” and won praise across party lines. In 2009, Trudeau became the Liberal critic for multiculturalism and youth and was reassigned to youth, citizenship, and immigration in 2010. He was one of the 35 MPs that survived the Liberal collapse in 2011 and became the critic for Post Secondary Education, Youth and Amateur Sport. A rising Liberal star, Trudeau became leader of the Liberal Party with the support of 80.1% of members and supporters and is widely regarded as a “potential Prime Minister” despite his party’s third-party standings.