{{Short description|Canadian politician}} {{BLP sources|date=June 2009}} {{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}} {{Infobox officeholder | image = | name = Carl Benito | caption = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1954|2|21}} | birth_place = Manila, Philippines | office = Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Edmonton-Mill Woods | term_start = March 3, 2008 | term_end = April 22, 2012 | predecessor = Weslyn Mather | successor = Sohail Quadri | party = Progressive Conservative }} '''Carlito M. Benito''' (born February 21, 1954) is a former Filipino Canadian politician from Alberta. Benito served as the member of Legislative Assembly of Alberta (MLA) for the electoral district of Edmonton-Mill Woods from 2008 to 2012 as a member of the Progressive Conservative.
==Early life and career==
Benito was born February 21, 1954, in Manila, Philippines.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}} He immigrated to Canada in 1982. He worked as a real estate and insurance agent.<ref name="EdmontonJournalMarch2008"/>
==Political career==
In the 2001 Alberta election, Benito ran as the Progressive Conservative candidate for the riding of Edmonton-Mill Woods but lost to Weslyn Mather.<ref name="EdmontonJournalMarch2008"/>
He ran again in 2008, this time defeating Mather. He described himself as Alberta's first Filipino MLA.<ref name="EdmontonJournalMarch2008"/>
In 2012, Benito lost the Progressive Conservative nomination for his riding, placing third behind Sohail Quadri and Ron Randhawa. He ran in the 2012 election as an independent.<ref name="EdmontonJournalMarch2024"/> He lost the election, placing fifth.<ref name="EdmontonJournalApril2012"/>
===Controversies===
During his 2008 election campaign, Benito pledged would donate his salary as an MLA (approximately $75,000) to a scholarship fund.<ref name="EdmontonJournalMarch2008"/> He later claimed that he did not mean he would give away his entire salary, just a part of it.<ref name="SeeMagazine2008"/><ref name="EdmontonJournalAugust2010"/>
Benito blamed his wife for a failure to pay property taxes on their rental properties.<ref name="CBCNovember2010"/> Benito later paid the taxes after the matter was covered in a front-page Edmonton Journal article.<ref name="EdmontonJournalNovember2010a"/><ref name="EdmontonJournalNovember2010b"/>
In October 2022, Benito, together with his son, Charles Benito, pleaded guilty to immigration fraud.<ref name="CBCOctober2022a"/> Benito was fined $75,000 for the offence.<ref name="CBCOctober2022b"/>
==Election results== ===2001 general election=== {| class="wikitable" |colspan="3" align=center|'''2001 Alberta general election results'''<ref name="2001 results"/> |colspan="2"|'''Turnout 54.39%''' |- | colspan="2"| '''Affiliation''' |'''Candidate''' |'''Votes''' |'''%''' {{CANelec|AB|Liberal|Don Massey|4,920|48.97%}} {{CANelec|AB|PC|Carl Benito|4,402|43.81%}} {{CANelec|AB|NDP|Mel Buffalo|725|7.22%}} |} {| class="wikitable" | colspan="3" align=center|'''2008 Alberta general election results (Edmonton-Mill Woods)''' | colspan="2"|<span style="font-size: 90%;">'''Turnout 40.1%'''</span> |- | colspan="2" rowspan="1" align="left" valign="top" | '''Affiliation''' | valign="top" |'''Candidate''' | valign="top" |'''Votes''' | valign="top" align="right"|'''%'''<br /> {{Canadian party colour|AB|PC|row}} |Progressive Conservative |'''Carl Benito''' |align="right"|4752 |align="right"|44% {{Canadian party colour|AB|Liberal|row}} |Liberal |Weslyn Mather |align="right"|3996 |align="right"|37% {{Canadian party colour|AB|NDP|row}} |NDP |Christina Gray |align="right"|1474 |align="right"|14% {{CANelec|AB|Wildrose Alliance|Robert Leddy|320|3%}} {{CANelec|AB|Green|David A. Hrushka|290|3%}} |} {{Alberta provincial election, 2012/Edmonton-Mill Woods}}
==References== <references>
<ref name="2001 results">{{cite web|title=2001 Statement of Official results Edmonton-Mill Woods|publisher=Elections Alberta|url=http://www.elections.ab.ca/Public%20Website/files/2001StatmentOfResults/2001_SOR_37.pdf|accessdate=April 14, 2010|archive-date=May 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150506034515/http://www.elections.ab.ca/Public|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="CBCNovember2010">{{cite news | url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/wife-forgot-to-pay-taxes-mla-says-1.967484 | work=CBC News | title=Wife forgot to pay taxes, MLA says | date=November 2, 2010 | access-date=November 4, 2010}}</ref>
<ref name="CBCOctober2022a">{{cite web |last1=Johnston |first1=Janice |title=Former Edmonton MLA, son plead guilty to immigration fraud |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/former-edmonton-mla-son-plead-guilty-to-immigration-fraud-1.6607523 |website=CBC News |access-date=October 6, 2022 |ref=immigration_fraud |archive-date=October 5, 2022 |date=October 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005225855/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/former-edmonton-mla-son-plead-guilty-to-immigration-fraud-1.6607523 |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="CBCOctober2022b">{{cite news |last=Johnston |first=Janice |date=October 14, 2022 |title=Former MLA Carl Benito fined $75,000 for immigration fraud |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/former-mla-carl-benito-fined-75-000-for-immigration-fraud-1.6617783 |url-status=live |work=CBC News |location=Edmonton, Alberta |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230902143827/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/former-mla-carl-benito-fined-75-000-for-immigration-fraud-1.6617783 |archive-date=September 2, 2023 |access-date=March 5, 2024}}</ref>
<ref name="EdmontonJournalMarch2008">{{cite news |last=Cormier |first=Ryan |date=March 4, 2008 |title=Benito ends 15-year Grit domination |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/edmonton-journal-benito-ends-15-year-gri/142810133/ |work=Edmonton Journal |location=Edmonton, Alberta |page=A6|access-date=March 6, 2024 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref>
<ref name="EdmontonJournalAugust2010">{{Cite news |url=http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/insists+keeping+promise+donate+salary/3366409/story.html |title=MLA insists he's keeping promise to donate salary. Never meant to imply he'd give away entire paycheque while in office |first1=Trish |last1=Audette |work=Edmonton Journal |date=August 6, 2010 |access-date=August 7, 2010 |archive-date=August 7, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100807104159/http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/insists+keeping+promise+donate+salary/3366409/story.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
<ref name="EdmontonJournalNovember2010a">{{Cite web |url=http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/Benito+habit+blaming+wrong+people/3775072/story.html |title=Benito has habit of blaming wrong people. MLA lets wife take heat for taxes he should have paid |work=Edmonton Journal |first1=Graham |last1=Thomson |date=November 4, 2010 |access-date=November 4, 2010 |archive-date=November 8, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101108091747/http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/Benito+habit+blaming+wrong+people/3775072/story.html |url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref name="EdmontonJournalNovember2010b">{{cite news |last=Kleiss |first=Karen |date=November 2, 2010 |title=Trips, tickets popular Tory MLA freebies |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/edmonton-journal-trips-tickets-popular/142745504/ |work=Edmonton Journal |location=Edmonton, Alberta |page=A1 |access-date=March 5, 2024 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref>
<ref name="EdmontonJournalApril2012">{{cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |date=April 24, 2012 |title=Edmonton Results |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/edmonton-journal-edmonton-results/142812285/ |work=Edmonton Journal |location=Edmonton Journal |page=A9 |access-date=March 6, 2024 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref>
<ref name="EdmontonJournalMarch2024">{{cite news |last=Stolte |first=Elise |date=April 4, 2012 |title=Mill Woods a race 'worth watching' |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/edmonton-journal-mill-woods-a-race-wort/142811973/ |work=Edmonton Journal |location=Edmonton, Alberta |page=A7 |access-date=March 6, 2024 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref>
<ref name="SeeMagazine2008">{{Cite web |url=http://seemagazine.com/media/article_images/thefront_t_w480.jpg |title=Thank you. |first1=Carl |last1=Benito |date=2008 |access-date=2010-11-04 |archive-date=2011-08-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110826235342/http://seemagazine.com/media/article_images/thefront_t_w480.jpg |url-status=dead}}</ref>
</references>
==External links== *{{AlbertaMLAbio|ID=0765|2=Carlito M. Benito}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benito, Carl}} Category:1954 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta Category:Canadian people of Filipino descent Category:Politicians from Edmonton Category:Politicians from Manila Category:Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta MLAs