Mr. Speaker, last week we laid my father, Edward E. Fast, to rest. He was 97. He was raised in Manitoba as a child of Mennonite immigrants. Dad's family barely survived the dirty thirties. By the time he was 14, he and his six siblings were orphans. A kind stepmother struggled to feed them. Although poor, Dad was an excellent student and studied dentistry in Toronto.
Nine months after he married Helene Schulz, I was born and we moved to Vancouver. There my father practised dentistry for many years. Seven more children were born, and my parents ensured that we were deeply loved and properly educated. What animated my father was his deep Christian faith, his family and an intense interest in politics. It was he who, 60 years ago, inspired my own career in politics.
I know that our father in heaven will have welcomed Dad with the words “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Predeceased by our mother, Dad leaves behind eight children, 35 grandchildren and, at last count, 109 great-grandchildren.
We love our dad.