The people of Alberta lost a friend last night. I lost a friend last night.
Manmeet Singh Bhullar was a man who felt very deeply the importance of putting others ahead of himself. And last night he died as he had lived, helping others. Last night he was making the drive from Calgary to Edmonton in snowy Alberta weather, as he had done so many times before. But this time was different, this time as he selflessly stopped to help another motorist who had rolled into the median, Manmeet was struck by a semi-truck that had lost control. Despite being taken to hospital by ambulance, he succumbed to his injuries. News of his death sent a shock wave through social media. Friends and colleagues shared their grief. I cannot imagine the absolute deep sadness that his wife, Namrita, and his family are going through today.
Manmeet lived in the same community as we did when our girls were young. He attended Chief Justice Milvain School with our daughters, only a couple of years ahead of our eldest. Later, I got to know him through his involvement in politics and community issues. He worked tirelessly with the young people in his community, first founding Calgary's Dashmesh Mission to support at-risk Sikh youth and then going on to help found the non-denominational Inspire Youth Development Society to provide support for youth in the broader community. He has always been a man with a strong sense of fairness.
I remember a conversation we had several years ago, when he was still in his teens, about how he wanted to be a different kind of politician. He didn't want to be like some who enter politics with an eye to their own personal gain. No, Manmeet wanted to enter public life in order to help others. In particular, those who couldn't help themselves. He wanted to be their voice. And he was.
As Minister of Human Services, he helped parents of children in care get back their voice. He worked to rewrite the law that banned them from speaking out when they felt they had been wronged and their child died as a result. No parent should have to go through this horror and only by hearing from people who have been through it can we change things so no one else has to know the pain of losing their child in a system that is there to protect their safety.
Most recently, he was working to help Sikh and Hindu families in Afghanistan who are faced with religious discrimination and threats of violence on a daily basis. He spoke of children who have not been able to attend school for seven years. As he had always done, Manmeet continued to be an advocate for children and their families when he saw injustices being done.
Even during his last day, he was working to make things better as he attended the Alberta Men's Survey Results Launch at the University of Calgary. His last tweet tells us a lot about the man:
"Childhood/past Trauma is a major barrier to healthy relationships. The world needs more healing"Yes, as we remember his kind and gentle ways over the next days, we will all need more healing.
RIP my friend.
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