Nichola Goddard honoured by first Canadian female astronaut

The first Canadian woman in space came to Prince Edward Island this weekend to honour the memory of the first Canadian woman killed in combat.

Capt. Nichola Goddard, 26, was killed while fighting Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan in 2006.

On Saturday night former astronaut Roberta Bondar was the keynote speaker at a dinner in Charlottetown to raise money for a foundation set up in Goddard’s name.

Tim and Sally Goddard, who now live on P.E.I., said when their daughter joined the military, her goal was to help others overseas.

They are trying to keep her goal alive by raising money for projects abroad.

"Some of the money will be used for solar lights in birthing centres and first aid stations in Papua New Guinea,” said Sally.

That's where Goddard was born and her parents say she was proud of it.

"After she was killed, the prime minister of Papua New Guinea gave us a letter of condolence from the people of Papua New Guinea. And it was while we were talking with him and his staff, that this idea came up,” said Tim.

That idea has drawn support from all corners of the country, from their new home on P.E.I. to national icon - Leonard Cohen donated artwork to auction off.

Bondar spoke in Goddard’s memory.

"It's trying to not just honour the work that Nichola was doing in the armed forces, but really to honour what she was doing for humanity and reaching past, beyond Canada,” she said.

Goddard is the first Canadian woman to be killed in action since the Second World War, and the first female combat soldier killed on the front lines.