Come June 2021 and the Province of Ontario, Canada, will officially kickoff the celebration of Filipino Heritage Month every year in June itself – thanks to a Bill passed by the Ontario Legislature recognizing the contributions of Filipinos not only to Ontario but also the Canadian society.
Philippine Consul General Orontes Castro later thanked the Ontario Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) Doly Begum for her sponsorship of Bill 21–also called the “Filipino Heritage Month Act.”
Begum had initially introduced the bill on October 20, 2020 until it received Royal Assent and came into effect on May 20, 2021. The Bill highlights the positive impact including the numerous economic contributions of the Filipino Canadian community to Ontario, Canada and the world.
RELATED STORY: JOBS UP FOR GRABS: Jollibee crew in Canada get PHP1.3 million annually
“Today is the day Bill 217 – An Act to Proclaim the month of June Filipino Heritage Month — will be receiving Royal Assent this afternoon. So excited to share this win with Filipino Canadian community, can’t wait to celebrate the first official Filipino Heritage Month,” Begum tweeted after the measure’s approval.
Similar motions have been undertaken in the past to promote the Filipino Heritage Month Act of the Province of Ontario and these included the Filipino Heritage Month passed by the City of Toronto in November 2017 and by the House of Commons of the Parliament of Canada in October 2018.
Begum’s fellow Ontario MPP and leader of the opposition New Democratic Party Andrea Horwath congratulated her and the Filipino community for their efforts and for the passage of the legislative measure.
READ ON: Canada to grant permanent residency to 90,000 students, foreign workers
Begum is among the young generation of Canadians elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario during the 2018 provincial election and was recently appointed to a new critical role for Citizenship, Foreign Credentials, and Immigration Services, amidst NDP warnings of a dire shortage of healthcare professionals during the pandemic.
Begum’s new portfolio looks into foreign credentials held by many new Canadians seeking employment for which they are qualified, instead of taking on underemployed work. (AW)
