Hundreds attend state memorial for Alberta MLA Manmeet Bhullar

WATCH ABOVE: Hundreds of people packed the jubilee auditorium to capacity today for the state memorial service for Manmeet Bhullar. The young Calgary MLA was killed in a crash on Monday after stopping to help another driver. As Carolyn Kury de Castillo reports, so many people wanted to pay their respects, even the massive venue wasn’t big enough.

CALGARY – Former Alberta premier Jim Prentice took the stage as master of ceremonies and Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi also paid tribute at a packed public memorial service for an provincial politician killed while helping a motorist in a snowstorm.

Prentice told mourners at Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium on Sunday that Manmeet Bhullar would have been “surprised and humbled at the response to his death.”

“He did not fear death. His faith was absolute. He always said that he would return to God when he was needed,” Prentice said, paying tribute as other speakers did about Bhullar’s Sikh faith.

The large gathering speaks to the enormous impact the gentle giant had on Albertans.

Bhullar died Monday, when he was struck by a passing semi truck as he stopped along the QEII Highway to help a fellow motorist.

Dozens of people donned T-shirts with Bhullar’s face on them for the special memorial Sunday morning. Some carried signs, describing Bhullar as a human rights warrior.

Bhullar’s sister, Tarjinder Bhullar, and brother Appy Bhullar delivered a eulogy at the service.

“Never when my parents immigrated to this country over 40-years ago, could they have imagined that one day their son would be this loved by Canadians, Albertan and Calgarians as one of their own,” said Tarjinder Bhullar, Manmeet’s sister.

His sister spoke of her desire to keep up the work Bhullar was doing, to help religious minorities in Afghanistan.

“Until then, I will do everything I can to make sure that what  you started is completed. For now, rest, because you have earned it. Rest my peaceful warrior,” said Tarjinder Bhullar.

Manmeet’s wife Namrita ended the service thanking god for the years she had with her husband.

“Thank you for taking him while he was doing what he loved the most.  Not everyone dies a hero. He not only passed away a hero, but he lived as one,” said Namrita Bhullar.

Kanwar Pannu with the Calgary Hawks described Bhullar as a man who cared for the community.

“We have games at the Genesis Center in the northeast so he came all the time whenever we had a game,” Pannu said.

“He was a great man. It’s definitely a great loss to us.”

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Other speakers included Calgary’s Mayor Naheed Nenshi, who talked about how Bhullar’s turban has been an inspiring message to other Canadians.

“It says to every single kid in this community that it doesn’t matter what you look like, or where you come from, or what you wear on your hear or who you worship or whom you love, it doesn’t matter,” Nenshi said.

As human services minister in 2014, Bhullar took action following a newspaper’s investigative series revealing that 45 children had died in government care over a 14-year period. Bhullar put through changes allowing names and cases to be made public in the future.

“He stood up for the most vulnerable people in our society, for children in care. He said ‘We’re not doing right by them,'” Nenshi said. “That was the point where I saw those broad shoulders soften a little bit.”

There was also be a video message from the Minister of National Defence Harjit Singh Sajjan.

READ MORE: ‘This is a sad day’: Alberta Legislature mourns death of MLA Manmeet Bhullar

Nenshi tweeted Sunday morning to say that downtown Calgary landmarks will be lit up in navy blue Sunday evening, which is Bhullar’s favourite colour.

Bhullar was the PC MLA for Calgary Greenway. He was 35 years old and is survived by his wife Namrita Rattan.

The government said about 2,375 people attended the service and another 400 watched it online.

With files from The Canadian Press.