In this file photo, Senator Tobias Enverga, right, is pictured with then Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Father Ben Ebcas of the Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Parish, left, during an announcement about further Canadian support for the Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan on Monday November 18, 2013.Aaron Vincent Elkaim/The Canadian Press
Conservative Senator Tobias Enverga, the first Filipino-Canadian to serve in the Senate, died suddenly on a parliamentary trip to Colombia this week, according to his office.
Mr. Enverga, 61, died in the Colombian city of Medellin on Thursday morning of what was believed to be a heart attack. His office said his wife, Rosemer, was by his side when he passed away. He was attending a meeting with the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas, an all-party parliamentary association formed of MPs and senators.
"Always a beacon of light and hope, Senator Enverga truly cherished the opportunity to serve the people of Canada and did so with great pride," read a statement from his office on Thursday.
Liberal MP Bob Nault, chair of the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas, was on the trip with Mr. Enverga. Mr. Nault had dinner with Mr. Enverga, Canadian Ambassador to Colombia Marcel Lebleu and the parliamentary delegation on Wednesday night.
"We were out for dinner last night. Everything was normal. He was himself," Mr. Nault told The Globe and Mail during a phone interview from Medellin on Thursday.
Mr. Nault said the delegation knew something was wrong early on Thursday morning when one of the staffers rushed up to the 11th floor of their hotel, where Mr. Enverga was receiving CPR.
"Because there was nothing they could do to save Tobias, we wanted to make sure that Ms. Enverga was looked after."
Ms. Enverga will fly back to Ottawa with her husband's body on Friday.
Mr. Nault said the ParlAmericas group held a minute of silence for Mr. Enverga on Thursday.
In a statement, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Mr. Enverga actively promoted "the values of multiculturalism, diversity and inclusiveness" and was well respected by his colleagues in the Senate and House of Commons.
Mr. Enverga's Conservative colleagues remembered him as a man who loved Canada and his Filipino community.
"He had a character about him which sort of oozed the human values of decency and someone who cared a lot about being in Canada, being a Canadian, and you could see that with his work in the Filipino territories and communities," Conservative Senate Leader Larry Smith said.
Fellow Conservative Senator Vern White sat beside Mr. Enverga in the Red Chamber, where he shared many memories of the vibrant senator.
"You could tell he enjoyed the debate," Mr. White said.
"Whenever he spoke, he kind of jumped up and he yelled, 'Honourable senators!' at the top of his voice. He used to scare the crap out of me some days. And then, of course, I would tease him and tell him I was going to put tape over his mic."
Senate Speaker George Furey said Mr. Enverga, who was "known affectionately as Jun," will be remembered as a "tireless champion for multiculturalism" and an advocate for people with disabilities. Mr. Enverga's daughter Rocel has Down syndrome.
Mr. Enverga was appointed to the Red Chamber in September, 2012, by then-prime minister Stephen Harper.
Last year, he sponsored a bill in the Senate, S-218, designating the month of October "Latin American Heritage Month." The legislation is currently at third reading in the Senate.
Prior to his appointment, the Philippines-born senator worked as a project manager at the Bank of Montreal for more than 30 years. He was the first Filipino-Canadian elected to public office in the City of Toronto in 2010, where he served as a school trustee for the Toronto Catholic District School Board.
In 2010, he founded the Philippine Canadian Charitable Foundation.
He was awarded the Queen's
Mr. Enverga leaves his wife and three daughters Rystle, Reeza and Rocel.