Len Webber

Leonard Warren "Len" 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. Previously, he was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, representing the constituency of Calgary-Foothills from 2004 to 2014, initially as a Progressive Conservative and in his last six months in office as an independent.

Len Webber MP
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Calgary Confederation
Incumbent
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] (1960-11-10) November 10, 1960 Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Political party	Progressive Conservative (2004-2014) Independent (2014) Conservative (2014-present)
Spouse(s)	Heather (deceased March 3, 2010)
Children	Lauren, Jaime, Kelly
Residence	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Alma mater	University of Calgary Southern Alberta Institute of Technology

Early life

Webber was born November 10, 1960 in Calgary, Alberta. His father, 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, non-profit school in southwest Calgary for children from junior kindergarten to grade 12 founded by his father.

Political career

Len Webber 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.[2] Webber was reelected in 2012, and in March 2014 left the Progressive Conservative caucus to sit as an independent in protest against the leadership of Alison Redford.[3]

Webber resigned his seat in the legislature on September 29, 2014,[4] one day after winning the federal Conservative Party of Canada nomination for the newly created urban riding of Calgary Confederation.[5] He was elected as the Member of Parliament for Calgary Confederation in the 2015 federal election.[6]

Personal life

Len Webber and his late wife Heather have three teenaged daughters: Lauren, Jaime, and Kelly. An avid volunteer, Webber has been involved with many community groups including Hospice Calgary, the MS Society, the Calgary Foundation, and the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC). He is also a dedicated advocate for events surrounding breast cancer awareness and research. Webber is a recipient of the Alberta Centennial medal for his many philanthropic contributions.[2]

Electoral record

Federal

2015 Canadian federal election: Calgary Confederation
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Conservative	Len Webber	30,669	45.91	–6.52	–
	Liberal	Matt Grant	29,083	43.53	+25.89	–
	New Democratic	Kirk Heuser	4,770	7.14	–8.69	–
	Green	Natalie Odd	2,146	3.21	–10.49	–
	Marxist–Leninist	Kevan Hunter	140	0.21	-0.19	–
Total valid votes/Expense limit			66,808	100.00		$225,060.22
Total rejected ballots			216	0.32	–
Turnout			67,024	75.43	–
Eligible voters			88,854
	Conservative hold		Swing		–16.21
Source: Elections Canada[7][8]

Provincial

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[9]			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[10]			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

1. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-21. Retrieved 2014-09-15.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
2. "Webber's Legislative Assembly of Alberta biography".
3. 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.
4. "Premier Prentice running in Calgary-Foothills byelection set for Oct. 27". CTV News. September 29, 2014. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
5. "Calgary MLA Len Webber earns Conservative nod for vacant federal riding". Calgary Sun. September 28, 2014. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
6. "Calgary Confederation's Len Webber celebrates 'nail biter' victory over Matt Grant". CBC News. October 19, 2015. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
7. "October 19, 2015 Election Results — Calgary Confederation (Validated results)". Elections Canada. 22 October 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
8. Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates Archived 2015-08-15 at the Wayback Machine
9. The Report on the March 3, 2008 Provincial General Election of the Twenty-seventh Legislative Assembly. Elections Alberta. July 28, 2008. pp. 206–209.
10. "Calgary-Foothills Statement of Official Results 2004 Alberta general election" (PDF). Elections Alberta. Retrieved March 3, 2012.

External links

• Official website
• Legislative Assembly of Alberta