Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honour the life of a prominent member of the B.C. Sikh community who, I am sad to say, passed away.
Jagat Uppal, known as Jack, arrived in Canada in 1926 as part of the first wave of Sikh immigration to the province. Following his father's death, Jack left school at age 13 to help support his family and spent much of his time in sawmills, where he eventually became an owner and leader in the industry.
He used his experience to help fellow Sikhs get their start in B.C. and held an open door policy for anyone who needed help.
Not only was he a selfless boss, friend, father, and husband; he was also perhaps best known for his tireless fight for equality. Jack helped lead the charge in the 1940s to secure the right to vote for Indian settlers in Canada, which was finally granted in 1947.
This is especially poignant this year, the 100th anniversary of the Komagata Maru incident, for which our Prime Minister was the first leader to officially apologize on behalf of the Government of Canada.
On behalf of all British Columbians, I want to extend my condolences to the Uppal family and thank Jack for being a role model and an inspiration to all.