About Rob

Rob was elected to his first term in Alberta’s Legislative Assembly as the Member for Airdrie-Chestermere on March 3, 2008.

For nearly 2 years, Mr. Anderson was a member of the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party caucus. On January 4, 2010, Mr. Anderson crossed the floor to become a member of the Wildrose Alliance Caucus.

Prior to crossing the floor, Mr. Anderson served as a member of the provincial Treasury Board from 2009 to 2010, as well as Parliamentary Assistant to the Solicitor General and Minister of Public Security from 2008 to 2009. His duties as parliamentary assistant included overseeing stakeholder consultations toward developing Alberta’s new law enforcement framework, and conducting industry consultations for and sponsoring the Security Services and Investigators Act (2008) and the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Amendment Act (2009).

Mr. Anderson also wrote and sponsored a private member’s bill called the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure (Third Party Advertising) Amendment Act (2009). This legislation strengthens Alberta’s electoral process by regulating third-party election advertising in the same manner as political parties. The bill was proclaimed into law in October 2009.

In addition to his regular duties representing the constituents of Airdrie-Chestermere, Mr. Anderson continues to serve as a member of the Standing Policy Committee on Public Safety and Services as well as the Private Bills committee.

Rob was born in Edmonton on June 13, 1977, the oldest of seven children to his parents, Jane and Robert. The family lived in Sherwood Park for most of Rob’s early years before moving in 1990 to Airdrie, which has been home ever since.

As is the case with many Alberta boys, Rob spent much of his time playing sports – particularly hockey and football. He counts, as two of his most memorable achievements, winning the Edmonton City Championship as defensive captain for the Salisbury High School football team in Sherwood Park, and being named the starting goaltender for the Brigham Young University Cougar’s hockey team.

Rob also dedicated himself to earning his Boy Scouts of Canada Chief Scout Award which cultivated his passion for all things outdoors. In fact, during his teenage years, Rob, along with his father and brothers backpacked the world famous West Coast Trail four separate times and the Grand Canyon twice.

Education and Awards

Education has played a prominent role in Rob’s development as an elected official and policy maker.

In 2003, he graduated Magna Cume Laude from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications. Three years later, he obtained a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Alberta graduating ‘with Distinction’ honors.

While at law school, Rob earned the coveted Merv Leitch QC Scholarship for superior academic standing in Constitutional Law and demonstrated participation in related extra-curricular activities which, in Rob’s case, included his co-founding of the organization ‘Students for a Stronger Alberta’. This group advocated for democratic reform and more meaningful voter participation in the democratic process, printed a university newspaper (‘the Independent’) focused on debating relevant public policy and political issues of the day, and organized a speaker series on strengthening democracy that included among others, Preston Manning, Ted Morton and David Kilgour.

Rob further demonstrated his interest in legal issues as they relate to the political sphere by earning the highest academic standing in the U of A law school’s ‘Law & Democratic Process’ course.

Business Experience

Prior to his election as a Member of the Legislative Assembly, Rob practiced corporate litigation law at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP in Calgary. Aside from the opportunity to work with some of Canada’s most knowledgeable legal minds, Rob feels this experience provided him firsthand insight into how and why companies succeed or fail, and the negative effect that overregulation can have on business entrepreneurs.

During his time at law school, Rob founded a successful online family entertainment business, selling it shortly before entering politics. Again, the experience taught him to appreciate the risks that small business owners must take to succeed; it also strengthened his conviction that the best things government can do to promote business growth and job creation is to reduce taxation and minimize unnecessary regulation.

The Taiwan Experience

No biography of Rob would be complete without noting his two years spent living in Taiwan. When Rob was nineteen years old, he took time off from pursuing his university education to engage in mission service on this island country.

During this time, Rob had the opportunity to learn to speak Mandarin Chinese fluently, to work as a caregiver for high-needs individuals, to teach English as a second language, and to forge friendships that he enjoys to this day.

It turns out that learning Mandarin Chinese was a blessing in more ways than one – in 2008, Rob’s parents adopted a little girl…from China.

Central to Rob’s life are the relationships he enjoys with his family. Rob and his wife, Anita, live in Airdrie where they have chosen to raise their four sons, Derek, Bryce, Spencer and Joshua. He also has the opportunity to spend time with his parents, four brothers and two sisters, who all live nearby.

One of Rob’s primary reasons for entering public service is to ensure that Alberta’s children are able to live in safe communities and enjoy even greater advantages and opportunities than we have in Alberta today.