May 1, 2024 — The federal government of Canada has committed to help in the establishment of a Filipino cultural centre in British Columbia.
This is the first time that Ottawa has made such a commitment, and the pledge was included in the 2024 national budget unveiled in the House of Commons on April 16, 2024.
The government stated in the budget bill that it aims to become a “funding partner for … a new cultural centre in British Columbia”.
Moreover, the federal government promised that it will “contribute to build … a new Filipino cultural centre that will create a designated space for the Filipino community to come together and celebrate its culture and heritage”.
Federal government made pledge for a Filipino centre in Budget 2024.
The federal commitment in the 2024 budget follows a similarly historic move by the B.C. provincial government in 2022.
Under the leadership of Premier David Eby, the province has mandated the advancement of a Filipino cultural centre.
In a December 7, 2022 mandate letter, Eby instructed Mable Elmore to support the Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, and “advance emerging museum programs and proposals, including … a provincial Filipino cultural centre”.
Elmore is a Member of the Legislative Assembly of B.C. for Vancouver-Kensington, and she is also Parliamentary Secretary for Anti-Racism Initiatives.
In addition, Elmore is the first and only B.C. MLA of Filipino heritage. She was first elected in 2009.
The creation of a Filipino cultural centre enjoys wide support, including that of the City of Vancouver.
On June 14, 2023, Vancouver city council unanimously endorsed a Filipino centre through a motion forwarded by councillors Lenny Zhou and Rebecca Bligh.
The 2021 Census counted over 174,000 Canadian Filipinos in B.C.
[Editor’s note: Carlito Pablo works as senior constituency advisor to Vancouver-Kensington MLA Mable Elmore.]
Canadian Filipino Net is an independent, non-profit digital magazine produced by volunteer writers, editors, and webmasters. Your donation will go a long way so we can continuously publish stories about Canadian Filipinos. Click on a donate button and proceed either through PayPal, Debit, or Credit Card.
