Ron Liepert

Ronald Liepert (born October 8, 1949) is a Canadian politician from Alberta who served as the Member of Parliament for Calgary Signal Hill in the House of Commons of Canada from 2015 until 2025. He previously served in the Cabinet of Alberta as Minister of Finance, Energy, Health and Wellness and Education under premiers Ed Stelmach and Alison Redford. From 2004 to 2012, he was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, representing the constituency of Calgary-West, as a Progressive Conservative legislator. On April 12, 2014, Liepert won the federal Conservative nomination in Calgary Signal Hill, defeating incumbent Rob Anders, and was elected to parliament in 2015. He was re-elected in 2019 and 2021.

Early life Liepert was born in Saltcoats, Saskatchewan in 1949. He grew up on his family's farm and attended a small rural school. He left high school in the middle of grade 11 at the age of 17. He moved to Alberta, where he took a job in Calgary with Rosco Steel. For three years Liepert returned to the family farm to help with the crop, but he became disillusioned with farming and he moved to Calgary permanently. He was working at Burns Foods in 1971 when he decided to enroll in the Columbia School of Broadcasting. In 1972, Liepert, married and with an infant daughter, joined CHAB (AM) in Moose Jaw. In the mid-1970s he took a position with CFCW (AM) radio in Camrose, Alberta. In the late 1970s, he moved to the ITV network in Edmonton.

After his private sector experience, Liepert decided to return to politics in the 2004 provincial election in the constituency of Calgary-West. In that election, Liepert received 52% of the vote. During his first two years as an MLA, he served as the chair of the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund Committee, a co-chair for the Film Advisory Council, and a member of a team that conducted a special review of the Local Authority Elections Act.

Following the 2006 leadership race for the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta, newly elected Premier Ed Stelmach appointed Liepert to be the Minister of Education. During his tenure as Education Minister, he also served as a member of the Cabinet Policy Committee on Community Services. In the 2008 provincial election, Liepert was reelected with 48% of the vote and appointed by the Premier as the Minister of Health and Wellness. In addition to his ministerial responsibilities, Liepert also served as a member of the Privileges and Elections, Standing Orders and Printing Committee.

As the Health Minister, Liepert dismantled the nine health regions of Alberta in favour of an Alberta Health Services "super" Board. In existence for five months and running a $1.3-billion deficit, they voted themselves, with Liepert's approval, a 25% raise.

He faced criticism over the handling of the flu immunization campaign for the 2009 flu pandemic.

On January 15, 2010, Liepert was sworn in as Minister of Energy.

Member of Parliament On April 12, 2014, Liepert won the federal Conservative nomination in Calgary Signal Hill, defeating incumbent Rob Anders.

On October 19, 2015, Liepert was elected MP for Calgary Signal Hill, winning with more than 60% of the vote.

During the 42nd Canadian Parliament, Liepert introduced one private member's bill, numbered C-229 and entitled the "Life Means Life Act", which proposed to mandate that persons found guilty of certain crimes, such as murder or treason, be sentenced to life imprisonment without eligibility for parole. The bill was defeated in a vote in September 2016 with only Conservative Party members voting in support. Then Justice Minister Peter MacKay had previously introduced this bill in the 41st Parliament in March 2015, as Bill C-53, though it was not adopted before the parliament ended.

In January 2021, it was revealed that Liepert had travelled to California twice during the COVID-19 pandemic, though the Canada–United States border was closed to all nonessential travel and public health orders urged people to avoid unnecessary travel. Liepert claimed the trips were for essential house maintenance to his Palm Desert home.

On February 17, 2023, Liepert announced that he would not run in the next federal election after finishing his service in the 44th Canadian Parliament.

Personal life Liepert and his wife, Linda, have two adult children; one is deceased. He enjoys golfing and served as a board member at the Pinebrook Golf Club in Calgary. Liepert has coordinated various charitable affairs, such as celebrity sport dinners and several fundraising campaigns and benefits. He also volunteers his time at a variety of other community events.

Affiliation Candidate Votes % Party Personal James Kohut 773 4.40%

2004 Alberta general election results Turnout 42.38%SwingAffiliationCandidateVotes%PartyPersonalJames Kohut7315.46%*