Editor' Note: at the end of each year, CFNet reviews all the articles it has published and selects for its yearend review articles that were the most read, most liked or had the most impact.  This year those articles were mostly related to Covid-19 which has occupied the mind of almost everyone in the world.) 

Since launching in 2016, Canadian Filipino Net (CFNet) has gone from strength to strength.

Year 4 marks another milestone for the online publication of Maple Bamboo Network Society (MBNS), a Vancouver-based nonprofit dedicated to celebrating Canadian Filipinos. 

Every night at 7 on the dot, a noise barrage erupts in Vancouver and vicinities as a grateful population shows its gratitude to frontline workers who are risking their lives to make it safe for everyone. All employees whose jobs have been deemed essential have to continue working in pandemic to provide their necessary services to those who need them. These frontline workers are the modern-day heroes in this Covid-19 lockdown.

The Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver is inviting all Filipino Canadian groups in British Columbia, Yukon and Northwest Territories to register their organizations with the consulate. 

Almost all of the Catholic churches in Canada’s dioceses are closed, and Eucharistic mass celebrations are cancelled since the Public Health Agency of Canada recommended the cancellation of in-person gatherings due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19), the pandemic that is raging around the world, impacts not only the health of our collective community and our individual community members but also our economic livelihood and security.

The John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights (JHC) and Edmonton Transit (ETS) invite members of the Filipino community in Edmonton to participate in community engagement for a forthcoming Paint the Rails (PTR) mural project planned for the ETS’ Clareview station beginning this spring. 

Pinoys on Parliament (PoP) holds its second annual national youth leadership conference on February 22 and 23 in the Ottawa Art Gallery and University of Ottawa. The theme for this year’s conference is Magkasama highlighting panel discussions on politics, leadership in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and Filipino Canadian identity.

The Embassy of Canada in the Philippines recently awarded the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) to 11 local groups to implement projects that further inclusivity and accountable governance, including promoting human rights, women’s empowerment, gender equality, and respect for diversity.

It’s like a mini-United Nations at Sault Ste. Marie Civic Centre in Ontario.

In June 2019,  Canada celebrated for the first time it's Filipino Heritage Month following the passage of the motion M-155 by the House of Commons the previous year. It is a historical milestone in the lives of over 850,000 Canadians of Filipino heritage, some of whom have been instrumental in this national advocacy, starting with Filipinos in major cities around Canada shaking their political representatives to recognize the contribution of Filipinos in Canada.

The Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver will hold a year-end event, called “MaligayangPasko, Vancouver!”,to be held at St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Centre at 550 West 14th Avenue in Vancouver on December 6, from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.

An event in Toronto will honour a Filipino hero who waged the first revolution in Asia against Western colonialism.

As in many election campaigns, it is easy for voters to get lost in the midst of the mudslinging and scandals prevalent during campaign period. 

But what are Canada’s major political parties promising to do to make life better for the average Canadian?