I definitely don't disagree with your point, and while I didn't think from your comment that you'd benefit from a reminder of what kind of person Harper is, some people reading these comments might not be as familiar with him.
It's all too easy to fall into the trap of rehabilitating awful politicians from the past when faced with the new generation of awful politicians. I've seen way too many people, even progressives, yearn for the George W. Bush years in the face of the Trump presidency. Like sure, Trump (or Poilievre) might be worse, but that doesn't mean Bush (or Harper) weren't/aren't awful.