September 16, 2026 — When people ask me why we came to Canada, my answer is simple: we came for life itself.
In the Philippines, I had what many would consider a good life. I was a law practitioner and a college professor. I had respect, a profession I loved, and students who looked up to me. But behind that professional life was a private struggle that overshadowed everything. My beloved wife, Basilisa, was born with a congenital heart problem. Back home, she was in and out of hospitals. We lived in constant worry, watching her suffer, knowing that the medical care she desperately needed was not available to us. As a husband, there is no greater helplessness than watching the person you love struggle to breathe.
Felipe Pascual is a retired Board Member of Canada’s Veterans Review and Appeal Board.
Coming to Canada was not an easy decision. It meant leaving behind our careers, our families, our friends, and everything familiar. It meant starting anew at an age when most people are settled. Still, we chose hope over comfort – our shared leap of faith.
The early years in Canada were humbling. I will never forget them. A man who once stood in courtrooms arguing cases and in classrooms lecturing on law found himself working as a dishwasher in a restaurant kitchen. Later, I worked in a downtown hotel as a banquet porter, carrying tables and chairs for events I did not attend, and cleaning the empty halls long after the guests had gone.
It was hard work. Physically hard. Emotionally hard. There were times when my pride was tested. But I never saw that work as beneath me. That work meant dignity. That work put food on our table. That work was the foundation of our new life in a country that had opened its doors to us.
Canada did not ask what I used to be; it asked what I was willing to become.
The challenges were more than just work. We had to adapt to a new system, a new culture, and a new way of life. We had to prove ourselves again, with no connections and no shortcuts. The language, the harsh winter, the longing for home—all of it was part of the journey. What kept us going was our faith, our love for each other, and our conviction that we had made the right decision. Our transition was eased immensely by our eldest son, Johnny Rey. Having arrived in Winnipeg six years earlier, he was able to sponsor us and finally bring the rest of our family back together.
And then came the full blessing that changed everything. Here in Canada, my wife received the medical care she had been denied for so long. She received a cardiac pacemaker. For the first time in many years, she could live a normal life. She could walk without fear, sleep without struggle, and smile without pain. If Canada had given us nothing else, that alone would have been enough. That pacemaker did more than regulate her heartbeat—it gave us back our life together.
With that new strength, we began to rebuild. I went back to studying, volunteering, and serving. Slowly, doors began to open again. I had the honour of serving as a Human Rights Officer with the Manitoba Human Rights Commission, then as a Human Rights Commissioner, and finally as a Member of the Veterans Review and Appeal Board, where I capped off my career. From washing dishes to defending human rights and serving our veterans – only in Canada can such a journey happen.
Felipe Pascual and his family.
What lessons did I learn from this experience? I realized that immigration is not for the faint of heart. It breaks you and rebuilds you. It teaches humility, and proves that your character, not your title, is what truly defines you.
I discovered that Canada is a truly generous country. It does not just give you a place to live. It gives you a chance to live with dignity, no matter where you start.
