Sunil Sookram, an emergency medicine physician out of Edmonton, is one of eight candidates vying for Alberta's senate positions, a process currently unrecognized at the federal level.--SUBMITTED PHOTO
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Edmonton physician Sunil Sookram vows to work alongside those in power to get agenda items brought to bear if selected as one of Alberta’s choices for Senate representatives.
“I’m a bridge builder. I have spent most of my life collaborating and working with various teams to make it happen,” Sookram said.
If selected to the Alberta senate, he aims to bring forward and contribute toward helping three national issues that affect Albertans, including palliative/end-of-life care, taking care of first responders and veterans.
“As our population is aging, especially in some of these smaller communities, we need to figure out how to meet their needs potentially more at home, or closer to home,” he said. “I think first responder health is a big challenge right now. Our first responders have gone through a number of critical challenges recently that have led to increased suicide, mental health challenges.”
The third issue Sookram wants to address is veteran care, something close to his heart.
Sookram is a 30-year military veteran who has maintained a military and civilian medical practice at the Garrison Edmonton Health Clinic providing operational medicine to soldiers. Currently he is an attending Emergency Medicine Physician and a Trauma Team Leader at the University of Alberta Hospital.
“I would really like to continue serving our veterans who have spent and sacrificed a lot to serve our nation abroad and domestically, and I think their interests need a voice at the national arena. I intend to be that voice if I am selected,” he said.
He hopes bringing a young, fresh perspective to Senate can build better business processes and that they will find the opportunity to build bridges between Canada’s two levels of government, which “seem to be clashing right now,” he said.
Another proposal of Sookram’s is to form an Albertan caucus of senators and voted MPs within the nation’s capital. For him, this would further help speak for the needs of Albertans at the national level.
“With 40 people advocating at different levels, regardless of parties, regardless of ideology and regardless of politics, we can serve Albertans better that way, in a bipartisan way.”
Alberta’s senate election will be held Oct. 18 in conjunction with the Alberta municipal elections.
