Lee was first elected to the House of Commons as the Member for Calgary South East in 1988. He was re-elected in 2004, 2006 and 2008 to represent the constituency of Calgary Centre. He was elected as Chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade in the current session of parliament.

Prior to entering Parliament in 1988, Mr. Richardson was Deputy Chief of Staff in the Prime Minister's Office, and Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on Western Affairs. From 1979 to 1983, Mr. Richardson was Chief of Staff to Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed. As a parliamentarian, Mr. Richardson served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Communications, and as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport. He was instrumental in relocating the National Energy Board to Calgary and placing the Calgary International Airport under local authority.

Mr. Richardson is President of Lee Richardson Financial Corporation. He is Chairman of the Board of STI Streetlight Alliance, a publicly-traded technology company.

Mr. Richardson served as a director of the 1988 Winter Olympics and on the board of Southminster United Church. He was Chair of the Advisory Board to the University of Calgary Institute for the Humanities and was on the faculty of the Banff Centre for Management for 10 years. He is on the Calgary Stampede Board of Directors and is a Calgary Flames Ambassador. Mr. Richardson received the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal in 1977 “in recognition of worthy and devoted service,” the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal in 1992 “for significant contribution to fellow citizens, community, or to Canada,” and the Alberta Centennial Medal in 2005 “in recognition of outstanding service to the people and province of Alberta.”

Mr. Richardson, a lifelong Calgarian, is a widower with three children.