TORONTO – Today, the Filipino Canadian Political Association (FCPA) congratulates Rechie Valdez on her historic victory, becoming the first Filipina-Canadian MP and the first person of Filipino heritage to serve as MP from Ontario. She will represent the riding of Mississauga–Streetsville as a member of the Liberal caucus.
“Rechie Valdez’s win in Mississauga–Streetsville is a significant step forward in achieving greater representation of Filipino-Canadians in Parliament, and will inspire Filipino-Canadians across the country, regardless of partisan affiliation, to run for office at all levels of government,” said Grant Gonzales, FCPA Co-Founder.
Valdez’s election puts an end to the 17-year absence of Filipino-Canadians in the House of Commons. Prior to her election, the Hon. Dr. Rey Pagtakhan was the first and only Filipino-Canadian to serve as MP, representing a Winnipeg riding as a Liberal.
The FCPA is proud of all Filipino-Canadian candidates across all of the federal political parties who put their name forward for election. We acknowledge the growing interest of Filipino-Canadians to represent their communities in the House of Commons.
With the Filipino-Canadian population approaching a million and as the third largest immigration group in Canada, the federal political parties must continue to prioritize the nomination of Filipino-Canadian candidates in competitive ridings.
“Filipino-Canadian influence in electoral politics continues to grow rapidly, especially as more new immigrants settle in large urban centres. The 2021 federal election is a wake-up call to all federal political parties – to win our support, we need seats at the table,” concluded Gonzales. (filcanpolitics@gmail.com)
