Leonard Warren Webber MP (born November 10, 1960) is a Canadian politician who has served as the Member of Parliament for the riding of Calgary Confederation since 2015 as a member of the Conservative Party of Canada. During the 43rd Canadian Parliament his private member bill An Act to amend the Canada Revenue Agency Act (organ and tissue donors) (Bill C-210) was adopted to allow Canadians to indicate their intent to sign up as a donor through their annual income tax return. Previously, he was a Conservative Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, representing the constituency of Calgary-Foothills from 2004 to 2014, serving cabinet portfolios of Minister of International & Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Aboriginal Relations.
Len Webber | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of Parliament for Calgary Confederation | |
| Assumed office October 19, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Riding Established |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Calgary-Foothills | |
| In office November 22, 2004 – September 29, 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Pat Nelson |
| Succeeded by | Jim Prentice |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Leonard Warren Webber[1] November 10, 1960 Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
| Political party | Progressive Conservative (2004-2014) Independent (2014) Conservative (2014-present) |
| Spouse |
Heather Macdonald
(m. 1987; died 2010) |
| Children | Lauren, Jaime, Kelly |
| Residence(s) | Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
| Alma mater | University of Calgary Southern Alberta Institute of Technology |
Early life
editWebber was born November 10, 1960, in Calgary, Alberta. His father, Dr. Neil Webber, served as the Member of the Legislative Assembly for the constituency of Calgary-Bow from 1975 until 1989 and was also a member of cabinet. (Len) Webber graduated from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Commerce degree and went on to acquire his Journeyman Communications Electrician certificate from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT). He then pursued work as an apprentice electrician and managed his own contracting company for 10 years. Prior to seeking office, Webber served as vice president and director of the Webber Academy, a private University preparatory school in southwest Calgary founded by Len's father, Neil.
Political career
editWebber first sought public office in the 2004 provincial election in the constituency of Calgary-Foothills. In that election, he received 57% of the vote. In addition to his responsibilities as MLA during his first term, Webber held the position of Deputy Government Whip and was chair of the Advisory Committee on Climate Change, the MLA Review Committee of Private Investigators and Security Guards Act, the Healthy Aging and Continuing Care in Alberta Committee, and the MLA Task Force on Affordable Housing and Homelessness in Alberta. He also acted as co-chair of the MLA Task Force on Continuing Care Health Service and Accommodation Standards Committee and served as a member of numerous other committees and boards.
In the 2008 provincial election, Webber was reelected as MLA for Calgary-Foothills with 48% of the vote. He serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Calgary Stampede, the Calgary Homeless Foundation, and WorldSkills Calgary 2009.[3] Webber was re-elected in 2012, and in March 2014 left the Progressive Conservative caucus to sit as an independent in protest against the leadership of Alison Redford.[4]
Webber resigned his seat in the legislature on September 29, 2014,[5] one day after winning the federal Conservative Party of Canada nomination for the newly created urban riding of Calgary Confederation.[6] He was elected in the 2015 federal election, to be the Member of Parliament for Calgary Confederation, though his party formed the official opposition.[7] During the 42nd Canadian Parliament he introduced one private member bill which passed the House of Commons but died in the senate. He was re-elected in the 2019 federal election. During the 43rd Canadian Parliament Webber re-introduced his private member bill An Act to amend the Canada Revenue Agency Act (organ and tissue donors) (Bill C-210), adopted in June 2021 with all party support, to allow Canadians to indicate their intent to sign up as a donor through their annual income tax return.[8][9]
In April 2023, Webber submitted a petition to address abuse in long term care facilities.[10]
Before being elected to the House of Commons, Webber served three terms as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for the constituency of Calgary-Foothills and served in the cabinet portfolios of Minister of International & Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Aboriginal Relations.[11]
Controversy
editIn February 2020 Webber faced criticism for accepting a $324,000 transition allowance when moving from a provincial MLA role to a federal MP role. The allowance, intended to ease exiting a political career, was part of Alberta's policy for politicians at the time. Since Webber resigned his seat in the legislature the day after he won the federal Conservative Party of Canada nomination, some criticized the appropriateness of him accepting the transition payment, since he was transitioning only to a higher level of politics.[12]
Personal life
editWebber has three daughters. His wife is deceased. Webber has been involved with Hospice Calgary, the MS Society, the Calgary Foundation, and the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC). He is an advocate for events surrounding breast cancer awareness and research. Webber is a recipient of the Alberta Centennial Medal and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his many philanthropic contributions.[3]
Electoral record
editFederal
edit| 2021 Canadian federal election: Calgary Confederation | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Conservative | Len Webber | 28,367 | 46.0 | -9.1 | $66,944.08 | |||
| Liberal | Murray Sigler | 17,560 | 28.5 | +5.9 | $95,299.28 | |||
| New Democratic | Gulshan Akter | 10,561 | 17.1 | +7.0 | $4,394.78 | |||
| People's | Edward Gao | 2,670 | 4.3 | +2.6 | $2,377.79 | |||
| Green | Natalie Odd | 2,295 | 3.7 | -5.0 | $16,335.22 | |||
| Marxist–Leninist | Kevan Hunter | 178 | 0.3 | +0.1 | $0.00 | |||
| Total valid votes/Expense limit | 61,631 | 99.4 | – | $119,393.54 | ||||
| Total rejected ballots | 369 | 0.6 | ||||||
| Turnout | 62,000 | 68.02 | ||||||
| Eligible voters | 91,149 | |||||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | -7.5 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[13] | ||||||||
| 2019 Canadian federal election: Calgary Confederation | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Conservative | Len Webber | 36,312 | 55.1 | +9.2 | $83,521.26 | |||
| Liberal | Jordan Stein | 14,908 | 22.6 | –20.9 | $74,229.77 | |||
| New Democratic | Gurcharan Singh Sidhu | 7,312 | 11.1 | +4.0 | $1,171.80 | |||
| Green | Natalie Odd | 5,700 | 8.7 | +5.5 | $27,621.83 | |||
| People's | Colin Korol | 1,136 | 1.7 | +1.7 | $0.00 | |||
| Libertarian | Tim Moen | 407 | 0.6 | +0.6 | none listed | |||
| Marxist–Leninist | Kevan Hunter | 117 | 0.2 | – | $0.00 | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 65,892 | 100.0 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 410 | 0.6 | +0.3 | |||||
| Turnout | 66,302 | 72.2 | ||||||
| Eligible voters | 91,789 | |||||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +15.05 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[14][15][16] | ||||||||
| 2015 Canadian federal election: Calgary Confederation | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Conservative | Len Webber | 30,669 | 45.91 | –6.52 | $153,636.85 | |||
| Liberal | Matt Grant | 29,083 | 43.53 | +25.89 | $159,579.52 | |||
| New Democratic | Kirk Heuser | 4,770 | 7.14 | –8.69 | $57,375.70 | |||
| Green | Natalie Odd | 2,146 | 3.21 | –10.49 | $21,308.54 | |||
| Marxist–Leninist | Kevan Hunter | 140 | 0.21 | –0.19 | – | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 66,808 | 100.00 | $228,532.64 | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 216 | 0.32 | – | |||||
| Turnout | 67,024 | 75.43 | – | |||||
| Eligible voters | 88,854 | |||||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | –16.21 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[17][18] | ||||||||
Provincial
edit| 2012 Alberta general election | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||||
| Progressive Conservative | Len Webber | 8,251 | 53.65 | |||||
| Wildrose | Dustin Nau | 5,135 | 33.39 | |||||
| Liberal | Kurt Hansen | 1,414 | 9.19 | |||||
| New Democratic | Jenn Carkner | 578 | 3.76 | |||||
| Total | 15,378 | |||||||
| 2008 Alberta general election results[19] | Turnout 35.24% | Swing | ||||
| Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % | Party | Personal | |
| Progressive Conservative | Len Webber | 6,088 | 48.20% | −8.57% | ||
| Liberal | Mike Robinson | 4,909 | 38.86% | 4.12% | ||
| Wildrose Alliance | Kevin Legare | 972 | 7.70% | 3.09% | ||
| Green | Ian Groll | 411 | 3.25% | * | ||
| New Democratic | Stephanie Sundberg | 251 | 1.99% | −1.89% | ||
| Total | 12,631 | |||||
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | 61 | |||||
| Eligible electors / Turnout | 36,019 | % | ||||
| Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | −6.35% | ||||
| 2004 Alberta general election results[20] | Turnout 37.13% | Swing | ||||
| Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % | Party | Personal | |
| Progressive Conservative | Len Webber | 5,819 | 56.77% | −10.64% | ||
| Liberal | Stephen Jenuth | 3,561 | 34.74% | 6.53% | ||
| Alberta Alliance | Vincent Jansen van Doorn | 472 | 4.61% | |||
| New Democratic | Malcolm Forster | 398 | 3.88% | -0.50% | ||
| Total | 10,250 | |||||
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | 50 | |||||
| Eligible electors / Turnout | 27,739 | % | ||||
| Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | −8.59% | ||||
References
edit- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-21. Retrieved 2014-09-15.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ [legacy.com/obituaries/calgaryherald/obituary.aspx?n=heather-macdonald-webber&pid=140292574]
- ^ a b "Webber's Legislative Assembly of Alberta biography".
- ^ Wood, James (March 12, 2014). "MLA won't remain a Tory 'with her as leader of the party'". Calgary Herald. Archived from the original on March 14, 2014. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
- ^ "Premier Prentice running in Calgary-Foothills byelection set for Oct. 27". CTV News. September 29, 2014. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
- ^ "Calgary MLA Len Webber earns Conservative nod for vacant federal riding". Calgary Sun. September 28, 2014. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
- ^ "Calgary Confederation's Len Webber celebrates 'nail biter' victory over Matt Grant". CBC News. October 19, 2015. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
- ^ Maloney, Ryan (January 26, 2021). "Len Webber Hopes Organ Donations Bill Can Be 'Unifying' Moment In New Parliament". HuffPost.
- ^ "Bill that looks to make becoming an organ donor even easier passes in House of Commons". CityNews. May 16, 2021.
- ^ "Petition calls for measures to protect long-term care residents from abuse". The Globe and Mail. 10 April 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
- ^ "Len Webber, MP | Calgary Confederation". Retrieved 2022-06-09.
- ^ "Calgary MP taking heat for cashing transition allowance, but isn't the first | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
- ^ "Election Night Results - Electoral Districts".
- ^ "List of confirmed candidates". Elections Canada. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
- ^ "Results Validated by the Returning Officer". Elections Canada. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
- ^ "Candidate Campaign Returns". Elections Canada. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
- ^ "October 19, 2015 Election Results — Calgary Confederation (Validated results)". Elections Canada. 22 October 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
- ^ Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ The Report on the March 3, 2008 Provincial General Election of the Twenty-seventh Legislative Assembly. Elections Alberta. July 28, 2008. pp. 206–209.
- ^ "Calgary-Foothills Statement of Official Results 2004 Alberta general election" (PDF). Elections Alberta. Retrieved March 3, 2012.