Charan Gill of Surrey was a volunteer who worked for social justice for the disadvantaged, the poor and immigrants for 25 years. In 1978 he co-founded the Canadian Farmworkers Union to improve the human rights, health and safety and employment standards of farm workers.

He was an executive member of the B.C. Human Rights Coalition and President of the B.C. Organization to Fight Racism. He founded the Progressive Intercultural Community Services Society and the Rainbow Community Health Co-operative, which works to meet the social and health needs of hundreds of people in his community.