
Calgary MP Len Webber not seeking re-election
Webber has represented the federal Calgary riding for about a decade, and before that sat in the Alberta Legislature for three terms as the MLA for Calgary-Foothills.
According to the biography page on his website, Webber is the chair of the Alberta Conservative Caucus and currently sits on multiple parliamentary committees.
During his time as an Alberta MLA, he served as a cabinet minister under former premier Ed Stelmach.
He notably quit the Alberta Progressive Conservative caucus in 2014 to sit as an independent in protest of the leadership of then-premier Alison Redford.
"It has been an honour to be the elected Member of Parliament for Calgary Confederation since 2015, but the time has come to pass the torch," Webber said in a statement posted to social media Saturday night.
"I want to thank deeply my constituents for their ongoing support and encouragement. This was not an easy decision, but one that I have come to after long and thoughtful consideration."
He added he remains supportive of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and said he will do what he can to help the Conservatives win the election.
Webber brought forward a private member's bill that simplified becoming an organ and tissue donor by allowing Canadians to specify their intent to sign up as a donor through their annual income tax return. The bill was passed with unanimous approval in 2021, after which Ontario and Nunavut implemented the change.
His work in the Alberta Legislature years prior also paved the way for the creation of the Alberta Organ and Tissue Donor Registry.
The Liberal Party of Canada selected Thomas Keeper to run in Calgary Confederation in the federal election, while Keira Gunn will run for the New Democrats.
It's unknown who the Conservatives will choose to run in Webber's place.
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Calgary Herald
2 hours ago
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Vancouver Sun
2 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Poilievre's high-profile rural Alberta byelection puts the 'right to repair' in the spotlight
OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's bid for a seat in Battle River—Crowfoot is shining a light on the growing fight among rural and remote Canadians for the right to fix the things they own. With tractors and other specialized farm equipment increasingly reliant on proprietary software, manufacturers are using a variety of digital methods to lock out third-party repairs — effectively requiring farms and other businesses to deal exclusively with manufacturer-authorized service providers. It's a problem that's bedevilling area farmers who are already reckoning with razor-thin profit margins. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'I can tell you it's no fun ringing the manufacturer for after-hours service, and having them charge you $50 to $100 a pop for a call-out fee,' said Rick Strankman, a grain farmer who lives in the eastern part of the riding. Strankman's family-run farm is two hours away from the nearest service hub in Lloydminster, Alta. He says that he's sought to minimize his dependence on costly manufacturer servicing by using older, analog equipment but doesn't know how much longer he can keep this up. 'Our combines are 2011 model year and will be 15 years old come Christmas-time … the simple depreciation on those things is more than the farm can bear,' said Strankman. Battle River—Crowfoot, a sprawling riding of more than 52,000 square kilometres , is home to some 4,000 farms like Strankman's. Far flung, agrarian areas like Battle River—Crowfoot are at the forefront of the growing right to repair movement , which calls for an end to manufacturer-imposed barriers to fixing consumer appliances, such as digital locks that keep third-parties out of embedded software. 'Pretty much anyone you meet in the rural parts of the riding will talk your ear off about (right to repair),' said Libertarian candidate Michael Harris. Harris said that several farmers he's canvassed have identified the right to repair as their top byelection issue. Independent candidate Bonnie Critchley says she'll make fighting for right to repair legislation her top priority if elected . 'As an Independent in such a tight minority government, I intend on using that position to push for a private member's bill that limits how much corporations can continue to squeeze money out of us, after we've already purchased their product,' wrote Critchley in a recent blog post. Critchley called a pair of federal right to repair laws enacted last year 'complicated, bureaucratic, and ultimately toothless' in an email to the National Post. '(T)hese bills make circumventing digital locks in devices legal, but continue to prohibit the manufacture, import, or sale of the tools used to circumvent those protection measures, making repairing personal property — be it a modern combine or a cellphone — infeasible in practice,' wrote Critchley. Green Party candidate Ashley MacDonald also said that the right to repair was high on his list of priorities. '(I) feel strongly that when you purchase a much-needed piece of equipment, whether it be a tractor for your farm, a dishwasher for your home, or a register for your small business, you should not be beholden to the high cost to repair forced upon you by the manufacturer through their monopoly on replacement parts, manuals, and control over software updates,' wrote MacDonald in an email. 'As (a) member of Parliament, I will work across the aisle to ensure that your right to repair is respected and brought into law.' Poilievre's campaign didn't respond to multiple questions about whether he'd back new right to repair legislation if elected in the Aug. 18 byelection. Alissa Centivany, a co-founder of the Canadian Repair Coalition, said that championing the right to repair would be a 'no-brainer' for Poilievre if he wins the byelection. 'It's an easy win that clearly benefits people in rural Alberta and other remote parts of the country,' said Centivany. National Post rmohamed@ Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .