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Bob Zimmer (born October 20, 1968) is a Canadian politician and a Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons. He was elected in the Prince George—Peace River riding as a member of the Conservative Party of Canada in the 2011 election. In the 41st Canadian Parliament, Zimmer was appointed to the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food. Zimmer, a former carpenter, Fort St. John high school teacher, and a rugby enthusiast, first became actively involved with federal politics with the Reform Party of Canada. Upon the retirement of long-time Member of Parliament Jay Hill, Zimmer won the Conservative Party nomination race and went on to win the general election by a significant margin compared to the second-place candidate, NDP candidate Lois Boone.

Background

Bob Zimmer was born in Dawson Creek and but grew up in Fort St. John. After graduating from North Peace Secondary School in 1986, he worked as a welder's assistant in the oil industry. Through the Northern Lights College he became a journeyman carpenter and operated a small construction business between 1995 and 1998. In the 1990s he moved to the Fraser Valley to play in the British Columbia Rugby Union. During that time he got married and started raising a family. Between 1999 and 2003 he attended Trinity Western University, where he coached varsity rugby and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Human Kinetics. He completed a 12-month teaching degree at the University of British Columbia and moved back to Fort St. John where he accepted a teaching job at the North Peace Secondary School.

Zimmer joined the Reform Party of Canada in 1988. He has cited Ralph Klein and Preston Manning as his political role models. While living in Abbotsford he campaigned for Randy White who was elected as a Reform Party member of parliament. Back in Fort St. John he joined the Conservative Party Prince George-Peace River Electoral District Association and worked as its president until 2009 when he became its secretary and CEO. After Jay Hill announced he would not seek re-election an election was held for the riding's Conservative Party nomination. In August 2010 Zimmer resigned from his duties in the Electoral District Association and announced he would stand in the nomination election. Five other people stood in the election, including fellow Fort St. John teacher Dan Davies and the former mayor of Prince George Colin Kinsley. With 1,350 votes cast in the March 2011 preferential vote, Zimmer won the nomination in the sixth round.

41st Parliament

The next election was held in May 2011, when Zimmer faced former provincial politician Lois Boone for the NDP, Prince George lawyer Ben Levine for the Liberal Party of Canada, physiotherapist Hilary Crowley for the Green Party, and Fort Nelson small business owner Jeremy Cote for the Pirate Party. During the campaign Zimmer said he would advocate for reduced spending until the federal budget was balanced but also lobby to direct federal funds to widen Highways 2 and the Alaska Highway to four lanes between the Alberta border and Fort St. John. He noted that he believed pension for former politicians was too high and that he would seek pension reform. He promised building open and honest relationships with constituents, and fellow conservative members of parliament but not any other members of parilament. Zimmer won the election by a wide margin and his Conservative Party "won" a majority government.

As the 41st Parliament began, Zimmer was not selected to Prime Minister Stephen Harper's cabinet, he is apparently unable to be trusted to simply read the PMO's talking points. He was appointed to the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food where Zimmer expected the committee to focus on dismantling Canadian Wheat Board. And as the Harper Government meticulously made a mockery of democratic processes, Zimmer was simply one of many passive bystanders whose responsibiity is to be active in the process, but instead simply looked on.

Election results

Template:Canadian federal election, 2011/Electoral District/Prince George—Peace River

References

1. ^ Bell, David (August 6, 2010). "Two educators join Conservative Party nomination race". Alaska Highway News. Fort St. John, B.C. p. 1.
2. "Bob Zimmer makes it three". The Prince George Free Press. September 7, 2010. p. 4.
3. Hoekstra, Gordon (April 6, 2011). "Tory's background runs from rugby to carpentry to politics". Prince George Citizen. p. 5.
4. Makowsky, Sarah (August 7, 2010). "Contest for Hill seat grows". Prince George Citizen. p. 4.
5. Williams, Arthur (March 14, 2011). "Zimmer 'amazed' after nomination win". Prince George Citizen. p. 1.
6. Burnett, Stewart (25 Apr 2011). "Candidates tackle the issues". Dawson Creek Daily News. p. 1.
7. Lux, Ryan (June 6, 2011). "Zimmer finds his seat". Alaska Highway News. Fort St. John. p. 2.
8. Lux, Ryan (May 5, 2011). "Pension reform: Zimmer says he will investigate MP pension reform to bring them in line with the private sector". Alaska Highway News. Fort St. John. p. 1.
9. "Pressing Questions". Alaska Highway News. Fort St. John. April 27, 2011. p. 3.
10. Lux, Ryan (June 27, 2011). "Zimmer appointed to agriculture committee". Alaska Highway News. Fort St. John. p. 3.

External links

• Official Website
• Bob Zimmer – Parliament of Canada biography

Template:Persondata

• 1968 births
• Canadian schoolteachers
• Conservative Party of Canada MPs
• Living people
• Members of the House of Commons of Canada from British Columbia
• People from Dawson Creek
• People from Fort St. John, British Columbia