"The back rooms of the conservative movement in Canada. How the Canadian right has influenced the Conservative government over the past two decades. A series of important moments in the disintegration, re-integration, and eventual repeated electoral success of the modern Conservative Party, formed from its Progressive Conservative forebears. How decisions are made and communicated, how issues are managed, and policies are developed under Harper's leadership. Crucial moments in the Conservatives' rise to power -- from the devastating results of the 1993 election to the growth of the Reform Party and its election as Official Opposition, through the parties' merger, leadership decisions, conventions, and elections as minority and majority governments and most recently, the Conservative Party as majority government holder in Canada. The government's approaches to Afghan detainees, the Cadman and Schreiber affairs, the 2008 constitutional crisis and worldwide recession, the development of their first budget, and the determination of the tenets of Harper's approach to federalism. The Harper Conservatives from opposition to government -- a vivid portrayal of all the participants in the government's inner circle. Bruce Carson was a senior aide to Stephen Harper from 2004 to 2009."--Provided by publisher.