Blake Richards MP |
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Official Opposition Critic for Tourism | |
Assumed office 20 November 2015 |
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Leader | Rona Ambrose |
Preceded by | Brian Masse |
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Banff—Airdrie Wild Rose (2008-2015) |
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Assumed office October 14, 2008 |
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Preceded by | Myron Thompson |
Chair of the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs |
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Assumed office 19 February 2015 |
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Minister | Bernard Valcourt |
Preceded by | Chris Warkentin |
Personal details | |
Born |
Olds, Alberta, Canada |
November 8, 1974
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.
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.
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.