FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ottawa, Ontario, August 2, 2017 – The Honourable Tobias C. Enverga Jr., Senator from Ontario, voiced his concern and disappointment upon learning that recent statistics show that Filipino immigration to Canada is down by 18% from the year 2015 to 2016.
“It troubles me greatly that within just one year this substantial drop occurred with regards to Filipinos coming in to Canada,” stated Senator Enverga. “Canada and the Philippines have a long and rich history that continues to be a great benefit to both nations. Filipinos have long been an integral part of Canadian society and Canada’s proud multicultural fabric. It is truly unfortunate to see that such a large drop in numbers could occur over such a brief period of time.”
Since 2010, the Philippines has been the number one source of Canadian immigration in each year, except for one. In 2015, the last year under the previous Conservative government, a high benchmark was set as an incredible 50,816 Filipinos came to Canada. The most recent statistics available show that in 2016, the first year under the current Liberal government, that number has dropped to 41,785, or is down by 18%.
“Although the Philippines continues to be a main source of immigration to Canada, it is my hope that this downward trend will not be commonplace under the current government. I will continue to work to strengthen the special bond that Canada and the Philippines enjoys,” concluded Senator Enverga.
In the recently released 2016 Census, Statistics Canada indicates that since 2011, Canada now has 103,940 more Tagalog speakers. That is an increase of 31% of Tagalog speakers in Canada over 5 years, the vast majority of which were welcomed under the previous Conservative government.