Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the life and passing of an unsung community hero. Beverly Cowie was a member of the Anishinabe from the community of Hiawatha First Nation, a proud member of the Canadian Armed Forces and a military police officer.
Bev's career took her to the centre of many key national and international events, from providing security for the 1976 Olympics to Hong Kong in 1978 and helping bring Vietnamese refugees to Canada, to her time as a Middle East peacekeeper and to search and rescue missions in northern Quebec. After a distinguished 17-year career in our armed forces, Bev went on to graduate from both Trent and Brock universities, beginning the second phase of her life as a community advocate and volunteer.
What may be most remarkable about her life is that she did it all while being a single mother and role model to her two children, Chad and Richelle. Bev was an example of someone we as Canadians can be extremely proud of.