The Canadian Filipino community in Canada commemorated the 119th anniversary of the declaration of Philippine Independence with a series of festivities across the nation.

With the high interest of readers in the column Pathways for Skilled Immigrants, Canadian Filipino Net is co-sponsoring a Panel Discussion on “Pathways to Professions for Skilled Immigrants: How Not to Stumble in Paradise” on June 28, 6:30 – 8:30 pm at the Vancouver Public Library Central Branch in downtown Vancouver.

A 22-year-old Canadian Filipino is running to become a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in British Columbia. Jane Spitz, a political science major at the University of British Columbia (UBC),was acclaimed as the B.C. Liberal Party candidate for Vancouver-Hastings.

With a promise of uniting the Canadian Filipino community and representing their interests in the provincial government, Ontario barrister Antonio M. Villarin is seeking nomination as the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario’s candidate for Member of the Provincial Parliament (MPP) in the Scarborough Centre.

The Philippines Canada Trade Council (PCTC) recently held a forum where candidates from the two leading political parties in B.C. were invited to expound on their achievements, discuss issues, and assess where B.C. is today in terms of trade, housing and health care, among others.

The Philippines is looking to deepen its economic relations with Canada and took a significant step with the recent re-opening of the Philippine Trade and Investment Centre (PTIC) in Toronto.

There has been an abundance of written works about young immigrants and their travails in adjusting to life in Canada, but there appears to be hardly any told from the perspective of the elderly. This, exactly, is what the latest book, Tanglaw: Immigrant Seniors Find Their True North, accomplishes by chronicling inspiring stories of immigrant seniors.

Mable Elmore, who made history in 2009 by becoming the first Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) of Filipino descent in B.C., is seeking re-election to a third term in the provincial elections slated in May 2017.

Many people believe that millennials are weak, laidback, and have no backbone for hard work. That’s why they stay with mom and dad, unburdened by the pressures of making a living. And that saving rent will allow them to afford a party lifestyle.  

The year 2016 has come and gone. It's that time of the year again to review and reflect on the top news and events in a given month that have significant impact on Filipino Canadians, especially in Ontario’s Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

[Note from The Editorial Board: The CanadianFilipino.Net  is pleased to welcome journalist and arts aficionado Mel Tobias. Tobias writes his ‘Living in Canada’ column for the Philippine Star in Manila from his home base in Vancouver. He will contribute some of his reports to CanadianFilipino.Net.)

The Department of Canadian Heritage, through its Canada Periodical Fund/Business Innovation Component, awarded a contribution to the Maple Bamboo Network Society (MBNS), publisher of Canadian Filipino Net, to help raise awareness of the new digital periodical, which focuses on issues important to the growing Canadian Filipino community.

Filipino Christmas is never complete without the Christmas lantern or ‘parol’. On December 3, the ubiquitous parol took centre stage in the parol-making contest in Winnipeg, in preparation for the Paskong Pinoy in Canada on December 17.

In a speech at the Taste of Manila street festival, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke about multiculturalism:

Dr. Rey D. Pagtakhan was the first Canadian Filipino elected as Member of Parliament. He was a cabinet minister in the governments of then prime ministers Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin. Through this interview, the Canadian Filipino Net distills some pointers from his remarkable Canadian political journey.

The U.S.-based Center for Babaylan Studies and the Kathara Pilipino Indigenous Arts Collective Society in Canada are organizing a convention to draw attention to the bond between Filipinos and indigenous peoples of North America.