Madam Speaker,

[Member spoke in Tagalog and provided the following translation:]

[English]

Hello, I am the member for Winnipeg Centre. I am proud to represent my fellow Winnipeg citizens. They work hard. They make a difference. Filipinos are Winnipeg.

The first Filipinos immigrated to Canada in the 1930s. In the 1950s, 10 Filipinos were recorded in Manitoba. The first generation of Filipino Canadians were working as nurses, teachers and other professions in the health sector. By the 1970s, most Filipinos came to Winnipeg to work in health, clerical, sales and manufacturing fields. By the late 1970s, more Filipinos came to join relatives under the family unification programs the Canadian government had put forward.

During the 1980s, Canada saw another wave of Filipino contract workers, with many employed as live-in caregivers.

The Filipino people have made an important contribution to the life of Manitoba and Canada. There are over 80,000 people of Filipino heritage in Winnipeg. These are our fellow citizens who make a difference each and every day to the people of Winnipeg and Winnipeg Centre. Around one out of 10 Filipino people in Canada call Winnipeg home.

The Filipino community has a centre in Winnipeg called the Philippine Canadian Centre of Manitoba. It provides services to the Filipino community and supports events, like Folkorama. The Filipino community is so important to Winnipeg because, for instance, Folkorama, a major cultural event, would not be able to go forward without the volunteerism and activism of the Filipino people.

In Winnipeg, they are involved in the newspaper business, as journalists, reporting on local news but also international news. We have the Pilipino Express News Magazine, the Filipino Journal, the Ang Peryodiko and Artista. There is also a radio station, CKJS, which offers much Filipino information, broadcasting and servicing Filipino people in their language.

I have had the opportunity, since being the member of Parliament for Winnipeg Centre, to stand next to my brothers and sisters from the Filipino community and to hear about their dreams and wishes. The Winnipeg Filipino population is largely concentrated in the north end of Winnipeg North and also the west end. In Winnipeg Centre, the neighbourhood around Sargent Avenue and Arlington is 45% Filipino. In the neighbourhood around Sargent Avenue and Wall Street, it is 47% Filipino.

I have held a town hall in my riding on Filipino issues. I have also had the opportunity of travelling to the Philippines to meet with senators and congressmen and women from there, learning about what we can do in Canada to work better together to ensure trade and jobs and ensure that more people can have a good and safe life in Canada.

The Filipino community contributes to the economy. They are hard workers. They are involved in our churches. They make a difference. The hardest workers come from the Philippines. It is an honour and I am proud to serve my fellow citizens of Filipino heritage.

Salamat.

Robert-Falcon Ouellette

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