Jim Hillyer

Jim Hillyer was a Canadian politician who served as a member of Parliament for Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, and later Medicine Hat–Cardston–Warner.

In 2011, he was elected to the House of Commons and reelected in 2015. He served until his death in March 2016. He was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia at age 28 and underwent treatment. In 2008, he was diagnosed with tethered cord syndrome and tumors inside his spinal cord. He underwent neurosurgery on his spinal cord and despite his chronic complications from the surgery, he continued his career.

He worked “tirelessly” to end “the normalization of prostitution.” He joined forces with former MP Joy Smith to create legislation to prevent human trafficking. He was an advocate for First Nations peoples across Canada.

Hillyer broke his leg in a ski accident in 2013. In February 2016, he had surgery for a bone infection. He returned to Ottawa to vote in the 2016 Canadian Federal budget on March 22, 2016, and the following morning he was found dead in his Ottawa office from sudden heart failure.

Hillyer was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He and his wife, Livi, had four children.