Blake Richards

Blake Richards
MP
Official Opposition Critic for Tourism
Assumed office
20 November 2015
Leader Rona Ambrose
Preceded by Brian Masse
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Banff—Airdrie
Wild Rose (2008-2015)
Assumed office
October 14, 2008
Preceded by Myron Thompson
Chair of the Standing Committee on
Aboriginal Affairs
In office
19 February 2015 – 4 February 2016
Minister Bernard Valcourt
Preceded by Chris Warkentin
Succeeded by Andy Fillmore
Personal details
Born (1974-11-08) November 8, 1974
Olds, Alberta, Canada
Political party Conservative
Residence Airdrie, Alberta, Canada
Education Red Deer College, University of Calgary
Profession Real Estate Agent
Firefighter

Blake Richards (born November 8, 1974 in Olds, Alberta) is a Canadian politician, who was re-elected for a third term in the riding of Banff—Airdrie on October 19, 2015. He was previously elected in the electoral district of Wild Rose in the 2008 Canadian federal election and the 2011 election, and is a member of the Conservative Party in the House of Commons of Canada.

Early life and career

Prior to starting his real estate business, Richards worked in the oil field and agriculture-related industries, and attended Red Deer College and the University of Calgary, where he earned a degree in political science.

He served his community as a volunteer firefighter and minor hockey coach before being elected to the House of Commons in 2008.

Federal politics

Richards is currently the Official Opposition Critic for Tourism and Deputy Critic for Democratic Institutions. He also serves as the Vice-Chair of the influential Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs. In the 41st Parliament, Richards was Chair of the Parliamentary Tourism Caucus and served as Chair of the House of Commons' Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development and the Special Committee on Co-operatives. He has also been a member of the committees on Finance; International Trade; Canadian Heritage; Agriculture; and Transport, Infrastructure and Communities.

Richards has hosted the Rocky Mountain Hockey Challenge to raise funds for the RCMP Victims Services Units in Banff, Canmore, Cochrane, Airdrie and Olds, Alberta. Since 2009, Richards' charity game has raised a combined total of over $360,000 for regional victims of crime assistance groups.

In 2010, Richards spearheaded a national petition that called for changes to the national pardons system after it was revealed that convicted sex offender Graham James had received a pardon in 2007 for his offences. The petition attracted thousands of supporters from across Canada and in June 2010 Bill C-23A, a new law to limit pardons for serious crimes, received Royal Assent.

In October 2011, Richards introduced Private Member’s Bill C-309 in the House of Commons, and guided it through the House of Commons and Senate, allowing it to receive Royal Assent in June 2013. As a result, it is now a Criminal Code offence to wear a mask or to otherwise conceal one’s identity during a riot or an unlawful assembly.

Richards was recognized as the Hardest Working and Best Constituency MP in The Hill Times' 23rd Annual Politically Savvy Survey published in May 2015.

Electoral record

Canadian federal election, 2015: Banff—Airdrie
Party Candidate Votes%∆%Expenditures
ConservativeBlake Richards 42,228 63.37 –7.36 –
LiberalMarlo Raynolds 17,380 26.08 +18.02 –
New DemocraticJoanne Boissonneault 4,521 6.78 –6.29 –
GreenMike MacDonald 2,509 3.77 –3.98 –
Total valid votes/Expense limit 66,638100.00 $238,910.38
Total rejected ballots 1790.27–
Turnout 66,81773.25–
Eligible voters 91,222
Conservative hold Swing –12.69
This riding was created from parts of Wild Rose and Macleod, both of which elected Conservative candidates in the 2011 election. Blake Richards was the incumbent from Wild Rose. Changes are based on redistributed results.
Source: Elections Canada[1][2]
Canadian federal election, 2011: Wild Rose
Party Candidate Votes%∆%Expenditures
ConservativeBlake Richards 43,669 74.7 +1.8 $49,673
New DemocraticJeff Horvath 6,595 11.3 +3.1 $3,784
GreenMichael MacDonald 4,071 7.0 -5.6 $5,270
LiberalJohn Reilly 3,908 6.7 +1.0 $43,616
Christian HeritageRandy VandenBroek 181 0.3 – –
Total valid votes/Expense limit 58,424 100.0
Total rejected ballots 128 0.2 0.0
Turnout 58,55261.7 +6.0
Eligible voters 94,970––
Conservative hold Swing +3.7
Canadian federal election, 2008: Wild Rose
Party Candidate Votes%∆%Expenditures
ConservativeBlake Richards 36,869 72.9 +0.4 $50,972
GreenLisa Fox 6,390 12.6 +1.8 $14,559
New DemocraticJeff Horvath 4,169 8.2 +0.9 $5,001
LiberalJenn Turcott 2,890 5.7 -4.0 $6,555
LibertarianKrista Zoobkoff 246 0.5 –
Total valid votes/Expense limit 50,564100.0$101,401
Total rejected ballots 1070.2 0.0
Turnout 50,67156-9.0
Conservative hold Swing +2.2

References

  1. ↑ "October 19, 2015 Election Results — Banff—Airdrie (Validated results)". Elections Canada. 21 October 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
  2. ↑ Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine.
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