Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to a South Asian pioneer, Satinder Kaur “Sindi” Hawkins, who tragically passed away this week after an extended battle with leukemia.
In 1996, Sindi became the first Punjabi woman ever elected to any legislature in Canada. She served as a minister and deputy speaker of the house.
Sindi was a colleague, a friend and someone who was loved by everyone she came in contact with. She was a uniter of people and viewpoints by using her nurturing spirit as a nurse and her analytical training as a lawyer, and became one of the most effective politicians British Columbia has ever had.
She will forever serve as an inspiration to future generations. I speak for all of my colleagues in this House in saying that Sindi will be dearly missed.