Editing Rob Anders (section)

===41st Parliament (2011–2015)===
After the 2011 Canadian election, Anders served as a member of the Veterans Affairs Committee, the Industry, Science and Technology Committee and the Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations.<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/Parliamentarians/en/members/Rob-Anders(1313)/Roles|accessdate=March 14, 2014|title=Members of Parliament, Roles}}</ref>

Anders' decision to become involved in the newly formed [[Wildrose Alliance Party]] of Alberta has generated controversy, as the Wildrose Alliance Party had hoped to defeat the ruling [[Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta|Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta]] in the province's [[2012 Alberta general election|2012 election]]. Ron Liepert, Alberta's Minister of Energy, accused Anders of campaigning against him.<ref>{{cite news |last=D'Aliesio |first=Renata |date=October 21, 2009 |title=Wildrose supporters rankle Tories |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/calgary-herald-wildrose-supporters-rankl/144182961/}} and {{cite news |title=Tories: Party not 'listening' |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/calgary-herald-tories-party-not-listen/144183041/ |work=[[Calgary Herald]] |location=Calgary, Alberta |pages=A1-A4 |access-date=March 26, 2024 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref>

In March 2012, Anders was removed from the Veterans Affairs Committee following controversial comments in response to arriving late, texting, and falling asleep at a committee meeting (including calling his accusers [[New Democratic Party (Canada)|NDP]] "hacks", and claiming that they praise [[Vladimir Putin]]).<ref>[http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/03/28/rob-anders-veterans-committee/ Drowsy Tory MP Rob Anders dropped from Veterans Affairs Committee]. ''National Post'', March 28, 2012. Retrieved March 28, 2012.</ref><ref>[http://thechronicleherald.ca/canada/78605-anders-removed-veterans-affairs-committee Anders removed from veterans affairs committee]. ''The Chronicle Herald'', March 29, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2012.</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Fitzpatrick|first=Meagan|title=Calgary MP Rob Anders booted off veterans committee|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/calgary-mp-rob-anders-booted-off-veterans-committee-1.1290073}}</ref> He was reassigned to the House–Senate Standing Joint Committee on Scrutiny of Regulations. In 2011 Anders began to lobby for the government to stop funding the CBC.<ref>{{cite news |last=Curry |first=Bill |date=September 23, 2011 |title=CBC funding under microscope in Conservative surveys |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/cbc-funding-under-microscope-in-conservative-surveys/article2178251/ |accessdate=September 27, 2011 |newspaper=The Globe and Mail}}</ref>

In July 2012, Anders opposed his own party and criticized Treasury Board President [[Tony Clement]] for funding a visitors' centre honouring to [[Norman Bethune]], a Canadian physician who died while performing emergency medicine for the [[National Revolutionary Army|Chinese resistance]] against the [[Japanese occupation of China]]. According to Anders, "You don't need taxpayer money to go ahead and memorialize somebody who was a fan of the biggest killer in human history <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Mao Zedong]]<nowiki>]</nowiki>", referring to Bethune's [[communism|communist]] ideals,<ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/07/13/rob-anders-tony-clement-norman-bethune_n_1671147.html Rob Anders Joins Criticism Of Tony Clement And Conservatives Over Norman Bethune Centre], by Michael Bolen, at the [[Huffington Post]]; published March 28, 2012; retrieved April 13, 2014</ref> although Bethune had died ten years before Mao took power.

In September and October 2012, fellow Conservative Party members disassociated themselves from Anders' belief that New Democratic Party leader [[Thomas Mulcair]] had "hastened the death" of former NDP leader Jack Layton by encouraging an election while being in questionable health.<ref>[http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/10/01/thomas-mulcair-helped-hasten-jack-laytons-death-tory-mp-rob-anders-says/ "Outspoken Tory MP Rob Anders apologizes for suggesting Thomas Mulcair hastened Jack Layton’s death"]. ''[[National Post]]'', October 1, 2012.</ref>

In October 2012, Anders attracted some controversy by calling Bill C279, a private member's bill that would amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and hate crime section of the Criminal Code to include "gender identity" and "gender expression" as grounds for discrimination, a "bathroom bill".<ref name="CBC News">{{cite web|title=CBC News – MP Rob Anders criticized over 'bathroom bill' comments Transgender community not happy with Calgary politician|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/mp-rob-anders-criticized-over-bathroom-bill-comments-1.1133556|work=CBC News|access-date=October 4, 2012}}</ref>

On December 6, 2013, Anders spoke out after the death of [[Nelson Mandela]], saying "If you are looking for another perspective you may be interested in the obituary that [[David Horowitz]] wrote for the [[David Horowitz Freedom Center|Freedom Center]]".<ref>{{cite web|title=CBC News – Rob Anders still no fan of Nelson Mandela|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/rob-anders-still-no-fan-of-nelson-mandela-1.2454052|work=CBC News|accessdate=December 6, 2013}}</ref>

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."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.intheirownwords.ca/harper.html | title=Stephen Harper: Quotations by and about Canada's Conservatives | publisher=In Their Own Words}}</ref>