Len Webber

Heather Macdonald

​

​

(m. 1987;died 2010)​

^[2]

Len Webber MP
Member of Parliament for Calgary Confederation
Incumbent
Assumed office October 19, 2015
Children	Lauren, Jaime, Kelly
Residence(s)	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Alma mater	University of Calgary Southern Alberta Institute of Technology

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.

Early life

Webber 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

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. ^[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

Webber mistakenly claimed Adolf Hitler led Germany during the First World War, in a column he penned in 2018. This historical inaccuracy, noted in his article "Lest We Forget," was corrected after the blunder was highlighted. University of Calgary historian Tim Stapleton emphasized the importance of accurately remembering historical events, especially in commemorating war dead. The corrected version is available on Webber's official website. ^[12]

In 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. ^[13]

Personal life

Webber 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

Federal

v t e 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 [14]

v t e 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 [15] [16] [17]

v t e 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 [18] [19]

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 [20]			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 [21]			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.
2. [legacy.com/obituaries/calgaryherald/obituary.aspx?n=heather-macdonald-webber&pid=140292574]
3. "Webber's Legislative Assembly of Alberta biography".
4. 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.
5. "Premier Prentice running in Calgary-Foothills byelection set for Oct. 27". CTV News. September 29, 2014. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
6. "Calgary MLA Len Webber earns Conservative nod for vacant federal riding". Calgary Sun. September 28, 2014. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
7. "Calgary Confederation's Len Webber celebrates 'nail biter' victory over Matt Grant". CBC News. October 19, 2015. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
8. Maloney, Ryan (January 26, 2021). "Len Webber Hopes Organ Donations Bill Can Be 'Unifying' Moment In New Parliament". HuffPost.
9. "Bill that looks to make becoming an organ donor even easier passes in House of Commons". CityNews. May 16, 2021.
10. "Petition calls for measures to protect long-term care residents from abuse". The Globe and Mail. 10 April 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
11. "Len Webber, MP | Calgary Confederation" . Retrieved 2022-06-09.
12. "Calgary MP's Hitler blunder in WWI column 'embarrassing,' says historian | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
13. "Calgary MP taking heat for cashing transition allowance, but isn't the first | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
14. "Election Night Results - Electoral Districts".
15. "List of confirmed candidates". Elections Canada. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
16. "Results Validated by the Returning Officer". Elections Canada. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
17. "Candidate Campaign Returns". Elections Canada. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
18. "October 19, 2015 Election Results — Calgary Confederation (Validated results)". Elections Canada. 22 October 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
19. Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
20. The Report on the March 3, 2008 Provincial General Election of the Twenty-seventh Legislative Assembly. Elections Alberta. July 28, 2008. pp.  206–209.
21. "Calgary-Foothills Statement of Official Results 2004 Alberta general election" (PDF). Elections Alberta. Retrieved March 3, 2012.

External links

• Len Webber – Parliament of Canada biography
• Official website
• Legislative Assembly of Alberta