About
As a physician, a military veteran, and a dedicated family man, Dr. Sunil Sookram is ready to serve Alberta in a new way – as a Senator focused not on partisanship, but the real, diverse needs of Albertans today.
How it Started
Born in Guyana, South America, Sunil’s parents moved with him to England as just a baby in search of a more prosperous future. They made their way to Canada in 1977, where they lived the model immigrant experience – one of sacrifice, modesty and hard work.
Sunil understands the struggles and determination required of new Canadians because he experienced it firsthand.
Laser-focused on the Canadian dream, Sunil desired to contribute meaningfully to the communities and country he loved. He joined the Canadian Forces Reserve Force in 1988 and developed his military career while concurrently pursuing his career in medicine, graduating from Queen’s Medical School in 1996. Sunil moved to Edmonton in 1996 to pursue his medical residency and it has been his home since.
How it’s Going
Happily married to his wife, Jessica, with three active, young children, Sunil has spent his adult life in the service of others.
Sunil is an Attending Emergency Medicine Physician and a Trauma Team Leader at the University of Alberta Hospital with specialized expertise in Trauma, Aeromedical Transport, Aviation and Diving Medicine, EMS/First Responders, and Health Care Administration.
Sunil has also been a STARS Transport Physician for over two decades, providing care to seriously ill and injured Albertans, both in urban centres as well as in rural Alberta. He understands the challenges of rural healthcare through STARS transports and provides consultation remotely to his colleagues outside of Edmonton.
As an emergency doctor and through his EMS/First Responder roles, Sunil provides care to the most severely injured Albertans, and helps patients and their families from all over Alberta, Saskatchewan, B.C. and Northwest Territories at their worst times.
Sunil is especially proud of his military service and ongoing care to our soldiers in uniform. He rose to the rank of Major before retirement in 2018 after 30 years of service to Canada. Even today, he has maintained a military and civilian medical practice at the Garrison Edmonton Health Clinic providing operational medicine to our soldiers.
Sunil deeply understands the challenges veterans, military members and their families face.
As a frontline healthcare worker throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic, Sunil’s commitment to his community deepened. As part of the pandemic response, Sunil has spent shifts in the Alberta EMS Dispatch Centre providing frontline support to our Paramedics and Firefighters making difficult decisions in the field daily caring for patients.
Throughout the pandemic, Sunil has not lost sight of other pressing health crises affecting communities throughout Alberta, such as the opioid crisis, the mental health endemic, end of life care and geriatric health. These important health issues require frontline perspectives represented in Ottawa to develop meaningful future policy and legislation.
gle Content
As a physician, a military veteran, and a dedicated family man, Dr. Sunil Sookram is ready to serve Alberta in a new way – as a Senator focused not on partisanship, but the real, diverse needs of Albertans today.
Now, He’s Ready to Serve You
To better understand the business and leadership world of the present and future, Sunil recently completed the Queen’s University Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) program in 2020. This experience helped him understand small business and large corporation’s workflows, operations, and strategy development.
The future of Canada’s economic recovery is a thriving business world. It is important that legislators and policy developers understand this perspective. With his combined medical, military and business insight, Sunil brings unique perspective and understanding to the table.