Harper returned to Ottawa as a Conservative backbencher and addressed a meeting of the Conservative caucus that included defeated MPs in November. Interim leader Rona Ambrose stated that Harper would be in the House for key votes as the member for Calgary Heritage, but had earned the right to keep a low profile after his service as the prime minister. In February, 2018, he stated that he could have still “easily” been leader of the Conservative Party, but he chose not to amass too much power in order to secure the party’s fortunes in the future.