It is indeed a very special day on Art’s History as we pause to celebrate a Right Honourable birthday. Today, of course, is former Prime Minister Stephen J. Harper’s big day. Our 22^nd second Prime Minister is turning 63. It is a particular personal pleasure of mine to wish Mr. Harper a happy birthday. I had the high honour of serving as a speechwriter to this remarkable Canadian in his PMO for almost three years. If I tried to list all the courtesies, he – and his entire family – extended to me, this article would be 5,000 words in length. In particular, I will never be able to repay him for allowing me to accompany him and Canada’s delegation to the 2013 funeral of the great Nelson Mandela. During the long flight to South Africa, he arranged for me to sit in on a private dinner he hosted for the three past Prime Ministers – Brian Mulroney, Kim Campbell and Jean Chrétien – on the trip. Prime Minister Harper also allowed me to direct the conversation between the four PMs at the dinner. All told they represented approximately 30 years of the Canadian Premiership around one table. It was a historic moment and Mr. Harper’s graciousness in inviting all the past PMs in South Africa is one history will honour. So, happy birthday Mr. Harper! And, thank-you. caption id="attachment_611145" align="alignleft" width="604" Picture: Courtesy the Rt. Hon. Stephen J. Harper, Deb Ransom, Harper PMO/caption Arthur Milnes is an accomplished public historian and award-winning journalist.  He was research assistant on The Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney’s best-selling Memoirs and also served as a speechwriter to then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper and as a Fellow of the Queen’s Centre for the Study of Democracy under the leadership of Tom Axworthy.  A resident of Kingston, Ontario, Milnes serves as the in-house historian at the 175 year-old Frontenac Club Hotel.