Blake Richards
Encyclopedia
Blake Richards is a Canadian
politician, who was first elected to represent the electoral district
of Wild Rose
in the 2008 Canadian federal election
. He was re-elected in the General Election of 2011 and is a member of the Conservative Party
in the House of Commons
.
Richards first won his seat in the House of Commons in the 2008 general election with 72.9 per cent of the ballots (36,869 votes) cast in his favour.
Richards earned the Conservative nomination for Wild Rose following the retirement of the incumbent Member of Parliament
, Myron Thompson
. Thompson had represented the constituency for the Reform Party
, Canadian Alliance
and Conservative parties over the previous 15 years. For seven of those years, Richards had worked as Thompson's constituency assistant before leaving to run a real estate company in Airdrie.
committee and the joint Senate-House of Commons Library of Parliament committee. He has also in the past served on the Agriculture and Agri-Food committee, the Canadian Heritage and the Public Safety and National Security committee.
with his wife Tara and son Quinn.
Having first spent some time working in the oil field and agriculture-related industries, Richards attended Red Deer College
and the University of Calgary
, where he earned a degree in political science
.
He worked for seven years as constituency assistant to former MP Myron Thompson, before going on to build a real estate business that serves clients throughout Wild Rose.
Richards regularly volunteers with his church and with Airdrie’s youth. He has coached minor hockey in both Olds and Airdrie, sat on the board of directors of the Red Deer College Foundation, and served on the Olds Volunteer Fire Department.
, golf, hiking and reading.
In particular, he enjoys hockey. On July 5, 2009, Richards organized and co-hosted the first annual Wild Rose Hockey Challenge with Airdrie-Chestermere
Member of Legislative Assembly Rob Anderson
. The game featured federal MPs and provincial MLAs, including cabinet ministers
, with several National Hockey League
players such as Zach Boychuk
of the Carolina Hurricanes
and Dana Tyrell
of the Tampa Bay Lightning
bolstering the line-ups of each side.
The inaugural game drew hundreds of spectators to Airdrie Twin Arenas and raised $10,000 for area victims of crime assistance funds. The federal MPs won the inaugural Wild Rose Cup by a 17-13 score.
Richards intends to host the charity game on an annual basis to raise funds to assist victims of crime. Since 2009, Richards' charity game had raised a combined total of $117,000 for regional victims of crime assistance groups in Wild Rose, including $83,000 in the latest edition of the game held on Aug. 27th, 2011 in Cochrane, Alberta.
in Ottawa
, Ontario
and in his Alberta riding of Wild Rose, in the City of Airdrie
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
politician, who was first elected to represent the electoral district
Electoral district (Canada)
An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...
of Wild Rose
Wild Rose (electoral district)
Wild Rose is a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1988. It had been called a safe seat for the Conservative Party of Canada.- Geography :...
in the 2008 Canadian federal election
Canadian federal election, 2008
The 2008 Canadian federal election was held on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 40th Canadian Parliament after the previous parliament had been dissolved by the Governor General on September 7, 2008...
. He was re-elected in the General Election of 2011 and is a member of the Conservative Party
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
in the House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
.
Election victory
Running as a candidate for the Conservative Party of Canada in the Alberta riding of Wild Rose, Richards was re-elected with 74.7 per cent of all ballots (43,669 votes) on May 2, 2011.Richards first won his seat in the House of Commons in the 2008 general election with 72.9 per cent of the ballots (36,869 votes) cast in his favour.
Richards earned the Conservative nomination for Wild Rose following the retirement of the incumbent Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, Myron Thompson
Myron Thompson
Myron Thompson is a former Conservative Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons. He represented the riding of Wild Rose in Alberta....
. Thompson had represented the constituency for the Reform Party
Reform Party of Canada
The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party....
, Canadian Alliance
Canadian Alliance
The Canadian Alliance , formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance , was a Canadian conservative political party that existed from 2000 to 2003. The party was the successor to the Reform Party of Canada and inherited its position as the Official Opposition in the House of Commons and held...
and Conservative parties over the previous 15 years. For seven of those years, Richards had worked as Thompson's constituency assistant before leaving to run a real estate company in Airdrie.
Committee work
As an M.P., Richards is also a member of House of Commons Standing Committees: the Transport, Infrastructure and CommunitiesCanadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
The Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities is a committee in the Canadian House of Commons. It focuses on transport, infrastructure and communities...
committee and the joint Senate-House of Commons Library of Parliament committee. He has also in the past served on the Agriculture and Agri-Food committee, the Canadian Heritage and the Public Safety and National Security committee.
Biography
Richards is a lifelong resident of Wild Rose. He was raised on a family farm near Olds. Today, Richards resides in AirdrieAirdrie, Alberta
Airdrie is a city in Alberta, Canada, located just north of Calgary within the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor. The City of Airdrie is part of Calgary's Census Metropolitan Area and a member community of the Calgary Regional Partnership . Due to its proximity to Calgary, Airdrie's population has been...
with his wife Tara and son Quinn.
Having first spent some time working in the oil field and agriculture-related industries, Richards attended Red Deer College
Red Deer College
Red Deer College is a public comprehensive community college of approximately 7,000 students located in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. Established in 1964, RDC was built for a smaller semi-rural community but, in the four and a half decades since its founding, the city has grown into the third largest...
and the University of Calgary
University of Calgary
The University of Calgary is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1966 the U of C is composed of 14 faculties and more than 85 research institutes and centres.More than 25,000 undergraduate and 5,500 graduate students are currently...
, where he earned a degree in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
.
He worked for seven years as constituency assistant to former MP Myron Thompson, before going on to build a real estate business that serves clients throughout Wild Rose.
Richards regularly volunteers with his church and with Airdrie’s youth. He has coached minor hockey in both Olds and Airdrie, sat on the board of directors of the Red Deer College Foundation, and served on the Olds Volunteer Fire Department.
Personal/charitable pursuits
In his free time, Richards enjoys playing hockeyIce hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, golf, hiking and reading.
In particular, he enjoys hockey. On July 5, 2009, Richards organized and co-hosted the first annual Wild Rose Hockey Challenge with Airdrie-Chestermere
Airdrie-Chestermere
Airdrie-Chestermere is a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. It is mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using the first past the post method of voting....
Member of Legislative Assembly Rob Anderson
Rob Anderson (politician)
Rob Anderson is a Canadian politician and current Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, representing the constituency of Airdrie-Chestermere as a member of the Wildrose Alliance...
. The game featured federal MPs and provincial MLAs, including cabinet ministers
Cabinet of Canada
The Cabinet of Canada is a body of ministers of the Crown that, along with the Canadian monarch, and within the tenets of the Westminster system, forms the government of Canada...
, with several National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
players such as Zach Boychuk
Zach Boychuk
Zachary Boychuk is a professional ice hockey centre currently playing for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League. He was drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round, 14th overall, in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft...
of the Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League , and play their home games at the 18,680-seat RBC Center...
and Dana Tyrell
Dana Tyrell
Dana Tyrell is a Canadian professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Norfolk Admirals of the American Hockey League. He was a second round selection of the Lightning, taken 47th overall at the 2007 NHL Entry Draft and made his NHL debut in 2010...
of the Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They have one Stanley Cup championship in their history, in 2003–04. They are often referred to as the...
bolstering the line-ups of each side.
The inaugural game drew hundreds of spectators to Airdrie Twin Arenas and raised $10,000 for area victims of crime assistance funds. The federal MPs won the inaugural Wild Rose Cup by a 17-13 score.
Richards intends to host the charity game on an annual basis to raise funds to assist victims of crime. Since 2009, Richards' charity game had raised a combined total of $117,000 for regional victims of crime assistance groups in Wild Rose, including $83,000 in the latest edition of the game held on Aug. 27th, 2011 in Cochrane, Alberta.
Offices
As a Member of Parliament, Richards keeps offices in the Justice Building of Parliament HillParliament Hill
Parliament Hill , colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. Its Gothic revival suite of buildingsthe parliament buildings serves as the home of the Parliament of Canada and contains a number of architectural...
in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and in his Alberta riding of Wild Rose, in the City of Airdrie
Airdrie, Alberta
Airdrie is a city in Alberta, Canada, located just north of Calgary within the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor. The City of Airdrie is part of Calgary's Census Metropolitan Area and a member community of the Calgary Regional Partnership . Due to its proximity to Calgary, Airdrie's population has been...
.