Ed Fast
Edward D. Fast (born June 18, 1955) is a Canadian politician who served as the member of Parliament (MP) for Abbotsford from 2006 to 2025. A member of the Conservative Party, he was Minister for International Trade and Minister for the Asia–Pacific Gateway from 2011 to 2015 under Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Early life and career Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Ed Fast moved to and 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 Board Trustee. He was elected to Abbotsford City Council in 1996 and served for three 3-year terms. During that time, he served as Deputy Mayor and as Chair of the Parks, Recreation & Culture Commission. Federal politics In government Fast won the 2006 federal election with 63.27% of the vote as the MP for Abbotsford on January 23, 2006. Dur ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
The Honourable
''The Honourable'' (Commonwealth English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific Style (manner of address), style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certain people, usually with official governmental or diplomatic positions. Use by governments International diplomacy In international diplomatic relations, representatives of foreign states are often styled as ''The Honourable''. Deputy chiefs of mission, , consuls-general, consuls and honorary consuls are always given the style. All heads of consular posts, whether they are honorary or career postholders, are accorded the style according to the State Department of the United States. However, the style ''Excellency'' instead of ''The Honourable'' is used for ambassadors and high commissioners only. Africa Democratic Republic of the Congo In the Democrati ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Abbotsford, British Columbia
Abbotsford is a city in British Columbia next to the Canada–United States border, Greater Vancouver, and the Fraser River. With a census population of 153,569 people (2021), it is the most populous municipality in the province outside metropolitan Vancouver. Abbotsford–Mission has the third-highest proportion of visible minorities among census metropolitan areas in Canada, after the Greater Toronto Area and the Greater Vancouver CMA. It is home to Fraser Valley Trade and Exhibition Centre, Tradex, the University of the Fraser Valley, and Abbotsford International Airport. As of the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census, it is the largest municipality of the Fraser Valley Regional District and the List of municipalities in British Columbia, fifth-largest municipality of British Columbia. The Abbotsford–Mission metropolitan area of around 195,726 inhabitants as of the 2021 census is the 23rd largest census metropolitan area in Canada. It has also been named by Statistics Canada as C ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Canada–Korea Free Trade Agreement
The Canada–Korea Free Trade Agreement (CKFTA; less often known as CSKFTA - Canada-South Korea Free Trade Agreement) is a free trade agreement between Canada and South Korea. The agreement was concluded at the Blue House in Seoul on 11 March 2014 by Stephen Harper, the Prime Minister of Canada, and Park Geun-hye, the President of South Korea. It is the first free trade agreement between Canada and an Asia Pacific nation. The agreement entered into force on 1 January 2015. In the years since its ratification, Canada has aimed to eliminate 97.8% of its tariff lines for goods imported from South Korea, and South Korea has aimed to eliminate 98.2% of its tariff lines for goods imported from Canada. Background The two countries began discussing establishing a free trade agreement in 2005, and held 14 rounds of bargaining sessions before finalizing the agreement. Canada's trade with South Korea had dropped by about after the conclusion of the European Union–South Korea Free Tra ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Canada-China Promotion And Reciprocal Protection Of Investments Agreement
The Canada-China Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investments Agreement or Canada China FIPA is a bilateral investment treaty between Canada and China which came into force on 1 October 2014. The Foreign Investment Protection Agreement (FIPA) or Foreign Investment Protection and Promotion Agreement (FIPPA) are Canadian names for BITs. Nomenclature The short name of the ''Agreement Between the Government of Canada and the Government of the People's Republic of China for the Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investments'' used by Global Affairs Canada is the Canada-China Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investments Agreement. McCarthy Tétrault referred to the agreement as the China-Canada BIT. In Canada, the name for Bilateral Investment Treaties is Foreign Investment Protection Agreement (FIPA) or Foreign Investment Protection and Promotion Agreement (FIPA).According to McCarthy Tétrault, Canada entered intForeign Investment Promotion and Protection agreements ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Liberal Party Of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada (LPC; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''. and generally sits at the Centrism, centre to Centre-left politics, centre-left of the Politics of Canada, Canadian political spectrum, with their main rival, the Conservative Party of Canada, Conservative Party, positioned to their Right-wing politics, right and the New Democratic Party positioned to their Left-wing politics, left. The party is described as "big tent",PDF copy at UBC Press. practising "brokerage politics", attracting support from a broad spectrum of voters. The Liberal Party is the longest-serving and oldest active federal political party in the country, and has dominated th ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated population of over 449million as of 2024. The EU is often described as a ''sui generis'' political entity combining characteristics of both a federation and a confederation. Containing 5.5% of the world population in 2023, EU member states generated a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of around €17.935 trillion in 2024, accounting for approximately one sixth of global economic output. Its cornerstone, the European Union Customs Union, Customs Union, paved the way to establishing European Single Market, an internal single market based on standardised European Union law, legal framework and legislation that applies in all member states in those matters, and only those matters, where the states ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Comprehensive Economic And Trade Agreement
The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA; French: ''accord économique et commercial global'', AECG; German: ''Umfassendes Wirtschafts- und Handelsabkommen'') is a free-trade agreement between Canada and the European Union and its member states. It has been provisionally applied, thus removing 98% of the preexisting tariffs between the two parts. The negotiations were concluded in August 2014. All 27 European Union member states and former member state United Kingdom approved the final text of CETA for signature, with Belgium being the final country to give its approval. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, travelled to Brussels on 30 October 2016 to sign on behalf of Canada. The European Parliament approved the deal on 15 February 2017. The agreement, being a mixed agreement, is subject to ratification by the EU and all EU member States in order to be fully applied. Until then, substantial parts are provisionally applied from 21 September 2017, excluding in ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
2011 Canadian Federal Election
The 2011 Canadian federal election was held on May 2, 2011, to elect members to the House of Commons of Canada of the 41st Canadian Parliament. The writs of election for the 2011 election were issued by Governor General of Canada, Governor General David Johnston (governor general), David Johnston on March 26. Prime Minister of Canada, Prime Minister Stephen Harper advised the Governor General to dissolve parliament after the House of Commons passed a motion of non-confidence against the government, finding it to be in contempt of Parliament. A few days before, the three opposition parties had rejected the minority government's proposed budget. The Conservative Party of Canada, Conservative Party remained in power, increasing its seat count from a minority to a majority government, marking the first election since 1988 Canadian federal election, 1988 that a centre-right politics, right-of-centre party formed a majority government. The Liberal Party of Canada, Liberal Party, somet ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
2008 Canadian Federal Election
The 2008 Canadian federal election was held on October 14, 2008, to elect members to the House of Commons of Canada of the 40th Canadian Parliament after the 39th Canadian Parliament, previous parliament had been dissolved by Governor General of Canada, Governor General Michaëlle Jean on September 7, 2008. Conservative Party of Canada, Conservative Prime Minister of Canada, Prime Minister Stephen Harper called the election due to his belief that there was a lack of cooperation between the minority government Conservatives and the opposition parties, which the former had to rely on to pass legislation; hence Harper argued that Parliament had reached the end of its productiveness. The election resulted in a second but stronger minority government for Harper's Conservatives. While they were a dozen seats away from a majority government, the Liberal Party of Canada, Liberal Party led by Stéphane Dion lost 18 seats as the New Democratic Party and the Bloc Québécois made slight g ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
2006 Canadian Federal Election
The 2006 Canadian federal election was held on January 23, 2006, to elect members to the House of Commons of Canada of the 39th Canadian Parliament, 39th Parliament of Canada. New details of the sponsorship scandal were released through the John Gomery#Gomery Commission, Gomery Commission, and the three opposition parties aimed to bring down Liberal Party of Canada, Liberal Prime Minister of Canada, Prime Minister Paul Martin's minority government, contending that it was corrupt. On November 28, 2005, Martin's government was defeated on a Motion of no confidence, motion of non-confidence. A day later, Martin met with Governor General of Canada, Governor General Michaëlle Jean to dissolve Parliament of Canada, parliament, triggering an unusual winter election. The Conservative Party of Canada, Conservative Party, that was formed in 2003 from the merger of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, Progressive Conservative Party and the Canadian Alliance, scored its first-eve ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Abbotsford City Council
Abbotsford City Council is the governing body for the City of Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. The council consists of the mayor and eight elected city councillors representing the city as a whole Municipal elections are held every four years across the Province on the third Saturday of November. Abbotsford City Council members ''Elected in the 2022 municipal election'' Council membership 2018-2022 *Mayor Henry Braun, Mayor - Independent *R. Bruce Banman, Councillor - Independent (until 2021) *Les Barkman, Councillor - Independent *Sandy Blue, Councillor - AbbotsfordFirst *Kelly Chahal, Councillor - AbbotsfordFirst *Brenda Falk, Councillor - Independent (since 2021) AbbotsfordFirst (2018-2021) *Dave Loewen, Councillor - Independent *Patricia Ross, Councillor - Independent *Dave Sidhu, Councillor - Independent (since 2021) * Ross Siemens, Councillor - AbbotsfordFirst 2014-2018 * Henry Braun, Mayor - Independent * Les Barkman, Councillor - Independent * Sandy Blue, Cou ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, forests, lakes, mountains, inland deserts and grassy plains. British Columbia borders the province of Alberta to the east; the territories of Yukon and Northwest Territories to the north; the U.S. states of Washington (state), Washington, Idaho and Montana to the south, and Alaska to the northwest. With an estimated population of over 5.7million as of 2025, it is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, third-most populous province. The capital of British Columbia is Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria, while the province's largest city is Vancouver. Vancouver and its suburbs together make up List of census metropolitan areas and agglomerations in Canada, the third-largest metropolit ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |