Ed Fast

Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway

The Honourable Ed Fast was first elected to the House of Commons in 2006 and re-elected in 2008 and 2011. He had previously served for two terms as an Abbotsford school trustee and for three terms as a member of Abbotsford City Council.

A graduate of the University of British Columbia, Minister Fast practised corporate and commercial law for 24 years.

On May 18, 2011, Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed Ed Fast to his cabinet to serve as Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway. Minister Fast assumed responsibility for the Government of Canada’s Global Commerce Strategy, which aims to create a more competitive Canadian economy by deepening Canada’s trade and investment ties in large, dynamic and fast-growing economies around the world. His top trade priorities include oversight of negotiations on free trade agreements with the European Union, India and Japan. Minister Fast is also the lead minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Initiative.

Prior to his appointment to Cabinet, Minister Fast served on a number of parliamentary committees and chaired the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. In 2011, he was appointed Queen’s Counsel for British Columbia and more recently was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for service to his community and country.

Ruth Kelly, President and Publisher, Alberta Venture

Ruth Kelly, President, Publisher, and Editor-in-Chief of Venture Publishing, joins us again this year as emcee, with Alberta Venture as our media partner.

Ruth Kelly is the president and CEO of Venture Publishing Inc., and the publisher and editor-in-chief of the award-winning Alberta Venture and Alberta Oil magazines and the online publication unlimitedmagazine.com. Venture Publishing’s custom publishing division also produces magazines for a variety of clients including Finning Canada, Alberta Cancer Foundation, Consulting Engineers of Alberta, Merit Contractors, Alberta Health Services, Edmonton Chamber of Commerce and Petroleum Services Association of Canada, among others.

Ruth served as the 2005 chair of the board of directors for the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce and was chair of sponsorship for Edmonton’s bid for Expo 2017. She currently serves on the boards of the Banff Centre Leadership program and Travel Alberta. She is president of the Edmonton Business Council for the Visual Arts and chair of the Edmonton chapter of the International Women’s Forum. Ruth also chairs Epcor’s Community Essentials Council, which directs Epcor’s annual philanthropic activities.

Ruth was recognized as a Global Woman of Vision in 1998, a YWCA Woman of Distinction in the Entrepreneur category in 2003 and received the Advertising Club of Edmonton’s 2004 Fellowship Award for contributions to the industry and the community. In 2005, she was selected as the Allard Chair of Business by the MacEwan School of Business and received a Centennial Medal for service to the province. The Canadian Women in Communications selected Ruth for their 2008 Woman of the Year award, making her the first Albertan to receive this national honour. She also received an honorary degree in business from NAIT in 2008.