Ed Fast
| The Honourable Edward D. Fast PC, QC, MP |
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|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Abbotsford |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 2006 |
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| Preceded by | Randy White |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 18, 1955 Winnipeg, Manitoba |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | Annette Fast |
| Residence | Abbotsford |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Religion | Mennonite |
Edward D. "Ed" Fast, PC, QC, MP (born June 18, 1955) is a Canadian politician, currently the Member of Parliament for Abbotsford, and serving as the Minister for International Trade and as Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway.
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[edit] Biography
Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Ed Fast grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia. After graduating from law school at the University of British Columbia in 1982, Fast co-founded the law firm currently known as Linley Welwood. He was elected in 1985 and served two terms as an Abbotsford School Trustee. He was elected to Abbotsford City Council in 1996 and served for three 3-year terms. During that time, he served variously as Deputy Mayor and as Chair of the Parks Recreation & Culture Commission.
Fast was elected as the Member of Parliament for the riding of Abbotsford on January 23, 2006. During his first term, Fast was appointed to the Standing Committee of Canadian Heritage and the Standing Committee for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. Fast was also the Vice-Chair of the B.C. Conservative caucus. On October 14, 2008, Fast was re-elected to his second term where he served as the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights and as a member of the Copyright Modernization Committee.[1] On May 2, 2011, Fast successfully defended his seat in Parliament with 65% of the vote. He was appointed Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway on May 18, 2011. In this position, Fast will continue to advance free trade agreements with countries such as the European Union, India and South Korea and promote and support Canadian businesses wishing to do business in foreign markets.
Fast and his wife Annette have lived in Abbotsford for 28 years and have four adult daughters.[2]
[edit] 2006, 2008 and 2011 election results
In the 2006 Canadian Federal election Fast was elected with 63.27% of the vote.[3] In the 2008 federal election, Fast received 30,853 votes, 63.3% of the total in Abbotsford.[4] Fast was re-elected in the 2011 federal election with 32,493 votes, representing 65% of the popular vote.
[edit] Parliamentary work
[edit] International Trade and Asia-Pacific Gateway
As Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, Fast has helped bring into force a free trade agreement with Colombia, signed off on a trade agreement with Honduras, tabled legislation to finalize agreements with Panama and Jordan, moved negotiations with the European Union and India forward, and opened discussions with Chile, Israel and Costa Rica on "second generation" agreements. Fast also launched exploratory trade talks with Mercosur, South America’s largest common market, led trade missions to Brazil, China and India, and is finalizing negotiations for Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements with countries such as Indonesia, India and China. Fast signed the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement to combat trade in counterfeit and pirated goods while promoting innovation- and knowledge-based prosperity on October 1, 2011. In November, Fast announced Canada’s intention to enter into formal consultations to join negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership.[5]
[edit] Bill C-277
In 2006, Fast introduced Private Member's Bill C-277 which doubles from 5 to 10 years in prison the maximum sentence for luring a child over the internet for sexual purposes. The Bill received royal assent on June 22, 2007. Only 2% of private member’s bills are ever passed into law.[6]
[edit] Abbotsford-Huntington border crossing
In May 2009, Fast introduced a motion in the House of Commons to rename the Huntingdon border crossing to “Abbotsford-Huntingdon Port of Entry”. The official renaming took place on May 28, 2010, preserving the historical significance of the “Huntingdon” name while at the same time more accurately reflecting the location of the border crossing within the Fraser Valley.[7] The name change represents a “coming of age” for Abbotsford.
[edit] Federal infrastructure investments
In 2009, Fast was successful in securing for Abbotsford an unprecedented $35 million in federal infrastructure investments. The projects funded by the federal government as part of its stimulus funding include reconstruction of the McCallum Rd.[8] and Clearbrook Rd. interchanges,[9] improvements to the Abbotsford International Airport,[10] improvements to the Abbotsford-Huntingdon Port of Entry, construction of a new Mill Lake Spray Park,[11] safety improvements to the Mission Bridge,[12] and development of the Matsqui and Discovery Trail systems.[13]
[edit] Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights
In his role as Chair of the Standing Committee on Justice & Human Rights, Fast has worked with committee members to issue a significant report on impaired driving. In addition to reviewing numerous criminal justice bills tabled by the Conservative government, the committee is also completing a comprehensive study on organized crime in Canada.[14]
[edit] Electoral record
| Canadian federal election, 2011 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |
| Conservative | Ed Fast | 32,493 | 65.02% | +1.70% | ||
| New Democrat | David Murray | 10,089 | 20.19% | +6.97% | ||
| Liberal | Madeleine Hardin | 4,968 | 9.94% | -6.34% | ||
| Green | Daniel Bryce | 2,138 | 4.28% | -2.17% | ||
| Marxist–Leninist | David MacKay | 286 | 0.57% | - | ||
| Total valid votes/Expense limit | 49,974 | 100.00% | ||||
| Total rejected ballots | 225 | 0.45% | -0.07% | |||
| Turnout | 50,199 | 59.67% | +1% | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | -2.6% | ||||
| Canadian federal election, 2008 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |
| Conservative | Ed Fast | 30,853 | 63.32% | +0.05% | $79,097 | |
| Liberal | Lionel Dominique Traverse | 7,933 | 16.28% | +3.61% | $63,013 | |
| New Democrat | Bonnie Rai | 6,444 | 13.22% | -3.75% | $4,907 | |
| Green | Karen Durant | 3,141 | 6.45% | +0.64% | $833 | |
| Marijuana | Tim Felger | 358 | 0.73 | +0.03% | -- | |
| Total valid votes/Expense limit | 48,729 | 100.00% | $86,855 | |||
| Total rejected ballots | 256 | 0.52% | ||||
| Turnout | 48,985 | |||||
| Canadian federal election, 2006 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |
| Conservative | Ed Fast | 29,825 | 63.27% | +1.90 | $68,269 | |
| New Democrat | Jeffrey Hansen-Carlson | 8,004 | 16.97% | +3.34 | $6,955 | |
| Liberal | David Oliver* | 5,976 | 12.67% | -7.27 | $22,258 | |
| Green | Stephanie Ashley-Pryce | 2,740 | 5.81% | +2.93 | ||
| Marijuana | Tim Felger | 334 | 0.70% | -0.13 | ||
| Canadian Action | Richard Gebert | 173 | 0.36% | $80 | ||
| Marxist–Leninist | David S. MacKay | 86 | 0.18% | +0.08 | ||
| Total valid votes | 47,138 | 100.00% | ||||
| Total rejected ballots | 183 | 0.39% | ||||
| Turnout | 47,321 | 60.69% | ||||
| Conservative | hold | Swing | -0.72% | |||
[edit] References
- ^ "Member of Parliament Profile". webinfo.parl.gc.ca. http://webinfo.parl.gc.ca/MembersOfParliament/ProfileMP.aspx?Key=128375&SubSubject=1001&Language=E. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
- ^ "Ed Fast, Member of Parliament for Abbotsford". edfast.ca. http://www.edfast.ca/bio.asp. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
- ^ "Abbotsford (electoral district)". en.wikipedia.org. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbotsford_(electoral_district)#Election_results. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
- ^ "Ed Fast, Conservative MP for Abbotsford". openparliament.ca. http://openparliament.ca/politicians/ed-fast/. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
- ^ "Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada". international.gc.ca. http://www.international.gc.ca/media_commerce/comm/news-communiques/2011/394.aspx?lang=eng&view=d. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
- ^ "LEGISinfo 39th Parliament - 1st Session". .parl.gc.ca. http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/LEGISINFO/index.asp?Language=E&Session=14&query=4731&List=toc. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
- ^ "Canadian Border Services Agency". cbsa-asfc.gc.ca. http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/media/release-communique/2010/2010-05-28-eng.html. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
- ^ "New McCallum Road Interchange for Abbotsford". news.gov.bc.ca/. http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2005-2009/2009TRAN0050-000724.htm. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
- ^ "Construction Begins for Clearbrook Road Interchange". abbotsford.ca/. http://www.abbotsford.ca/Assets/Abbotsford/News+Releases/2010-03-19+Clearbrook+Road+Interchange+Groundbreaking.pdf. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
- ^ "$30 Airport Project Takes Off". abbotsfordtimes.com. http://www.abbotsfordtimes.com/news/airport+project+takes/3082085/story.html. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
- ^ "New Water Park Brings Out the Kid in Everyone". abbotsfordtimes.com. http://www.abbotsfordtimes.com/news/water+park+brings+everyone/3068148/story.html. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
- ^ "Mission Bridge rails to be raised for cyclist safety". burnabynow.com/. http://www.burnabynow.com/news/Mission+Bridge+rails+raised+cyclist+safety/2795157/story.html?id=2795157. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
- ^ "Ed Fast, Member of Parliament for Abbotsford". edfast/ca. http://www.edfast.ca/bio.asp. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
- ^ "House of Commons: Ending Alcohol-Impaired Driving: A Common Approach". parl.gc.ca. http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=4004073&Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=40&Ses=2. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
[edit] External links
- Ed Fast official site
- Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada official site
- Profile at Parliament of Canada
- Parliamentarian profile at ParlInfo
- Speeches, votes and activity at OpenParliament.ca
- Voting history at How'd They Vote?
- History of Federal Ridings since 1867
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