Calgary

Rob Anders makes bid for new rural riding of Bow River

Calgary Conservative MP Rob Anders is seeking his party’s nomination in the new rural riding of Bow River ahead of next year’s federal election.

Conservative MP lost bid to Ron Liepert to represent new Calgary riding

MP Rob Anders is vying for the Conservative nomination in the new riding of Bow River east of Calgary. (Larry MacDougal/Canadian Press)

Calgary Conservative MP Rob Anders is seeking his party’s nomination in the new rural riding of Bow River ahead of next year’s federal election, he announced Friday.

Anders, the longtime MP for Calgary West, lost the nomination battle for the new riding of Calgary Signal Hill in April to former Alberta finance minister Ron Liepert.

So he's throwing his hat in the ring for another new constituency, Bow River, which covers a large swath of southern Alberta east of Calgary including Strathmore, Brooks, Taber and Vauxhall.

Anders shares the values of the people who live in Bow River, said a campaign press release on Friday.

“Rob Anders is a movement conservative known for his strong stands and conservative voting record. He has fought hard over the years for property rights, low taxes, gun rights and traditional family values,” the release said.

The six-term backbencher characterized his failed bid for Calgary Signal Hill as a battle for the soul of his party, accusing Liepert’s team of recruiting “temporary Tories” to defeat him. 

Alberta gained six new ridings in a recent redrawing of the federal electoral map, and will now have 34 electoral districts in next year's election.

The new Bow River riding includes a number of southern Alberta communities, including Brooks and Taber. (Credit Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission)