Walking the grounds at Langley’s Trinity Western University was a flashback for Tako van Popta.
Now a sitting member of parliament for the Langley-Aldergrove riding, van Popta took a little ride down memory lane and share some of that during a visit to his Glover Road alma mater on Wednesday.
During his March 15 tour of TWU, the MP spoke at chapel, talking about living faithfully within his vocation as a politician.
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Following that, van Popta interacted with students in Dr. Leanne Smythe’s Canadian government and politics classes, where he spoke on his role and activities as Member of Parliament, answering questions from students during an informal coffee discussion.
“I was happy to see that the spirit of collegiality the school has is still strong,” he said.
“I have fond memories of my time at TWU, and am grateful for the excellent academic education I received and opportunities for personal and spiritual growth,” the MP shared, following his visit.
“Our children attended Trinity and I was proud to see two of my grandchildren on campus when I visited,” van Popta added, noting he attended Trinity during the 1980s when he recalled the campus and student population were much smaller than they are today.
Prior to entering a career in politics, van Popta completed his undergraduate education from Trinity Western University and then obtained a law degree at UBC.
He was a lawyer for more than 30 years, beginning his journey as an articling student at McQuarrie Hunter LLP, and eventually becoming the firm’s managing partner.
Active in the community, he has also held the position of director at the Surrey Board of Trade and the Downtown Surrey Business Improvement Association.
Describing himself as being dedicated to the service of others, van Popta also served two terms on the Langley Memorial Hospital board (1990-1998), and spent more than 10 years volunteering at Elim Housing Society, a seniors’ aging-in-place campus with locations in Surrey and Chilliwack.
In October 2019, he was elected to represent the riding of Langley-Aldergrove in Canada’s federal Parliament.
He’s since served within the standing committee on public safety and national security, and he is currently a member of the standing committee on justice and human rights.
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