|
Robert J. "Rob" Anders (born April 1, 1972, in Winnipeg, Manitoba) is a Canadian politician. He is a member of the Conservative Party of Canada and has represented the riding of Calgary West since 1997. He is currently Chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs.
Early life
Anders graduated from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. Before being elected he had worked in the United States for the Republican Party for the 1994 senate campaign of Jim Inhofe in Oklahoma as a professional heckler. This earned him the label of "a foreign political saboteur" from CNN.[1] Before 1997 he had also served as the director of Canadians Against Forced Unionism, an organization related to the National Citizens Coalition.
Parliamentarian
Anders was first elected as the Reform Party MP for Calgary West in 1997, at age 25. The seat had been vacated when the former MP for the riding, Stephen Harper, resigned unexpectedly in 1996. Despite his relative youthfulness, Anders was already a veteran political organizer, and was able to win a hotly-contested nomination in one of the safest Reform ridings in Canada.
Anders was a supporter of Stephen Harper's successful 2002 bid for the leadership of the Canadian Alliance, providing significant assistance with the campaign's phone-banking.[2]
Anders is the current Chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs. He is also a former member of the Reform Party (1997-2000) and the Canadian Alliance (2000-2003). He is a former Official Opposition Critic for National Defense and former Co-Chair of the Standing Joint Committee on Scrutiny of Regulations.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has indicated his support of Anders, stating that "Rob is a true reformer and a true conservative. He has been a faithful supporter of mine and I am grateful for his work."[3]
Controversy
Anders is infamous for being the sole parliamentarian to vote against making Nelson Mandela an honorary citizen of Canada in 2001. This prevented the act from passing unanimously. He defended his actions by stating that Mandela was a communist and a terrorist, causing widespread criticism.[4] As a result, during the past two federal elections, Anders has been the target of a mostly unsuccessful non-partisan "Vote Out Rob Anders"[5] campaign in his riding, but his popular vote percentage has increased every federal election since he was first elected in the 1997 Canadian federal election. His percentage of popular vote has progressively gone upward from 51.79% in 1997 to 58.7% in 2006. His raw numbers in the popular vote dropped in 2004 by less then 2000 votes over his 2000 election but rebounded in 2006 to his highest vote total to date. Voter turnout in his riding for the 2006 election was the highest in Alberta [1] at 69.9%.
Anders has been a consistent critic of the human rights record of the People's Republic of China. He has described the PRC as "the worst human-rights abuser in the world," and compared the 2008 Beijing Olympics to the 1936 Berlin Olympics. He argued that "China is the wrong choice to host the Games... I absolutely 100% think it compares to the Berlin Olympics in 1936." Anders highlights that the fact that Falun Gong practitioners are not allowed to participate in the Olympics is comparable with Adolf Hitler's issue with Jewish participation in the 1936 Berlin Olympics." Anders has also said that no Canadian politician should attend the games, nor should any Canadian athletes be used as "propaganda tools." His comments were criticized by local Chinese trade association as well as fellow Calgary Tory MP Deepak Obhrai who disclaimed Anders "was speaking as an individual and his comments are not reflective of government policy." [6]
Current activities
In 2003, he voted for a Bloc Québécois proposition which stated that the Québécois form a nation and could withdraw from any federal initiative. He was the only non-Québécois to vote for this proposition.
Community involvement
Anders has devoted his time to a variety of organizations. Some of these include right-wing lobby groups and think tanks such as the Fraser Institute, Focus on the Family, the Canada Family Action Coalition, and to several causes opposing the Government of China's policies regarding Tibet and Falun Gong.
References
External links
|
