August 16, 2024 - Canadian Filipino Member of Parliament and Minister of Small Business Rechie Valdez went on an official mission to the Philippines in July, participating in bilateral engagements with government officials, women community leaders, entrepreneurship organisations, and leaders in the small business and start-up communities.
Valdez advocated for strengthening bilateral economic ties and highlighted opportunities for further cooperation in supporting small businesses in both countries in meetings with the Philippines’ Department of Trade and Industry Undersecretary Cristina A. Roque of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Group and Robert Bastillo, President and CEO of Small Business Corporation. They discussed their respective approaches to supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SME). Valdez also showcased Proto AI, a Canadian start-up that uses artificial intelligence to transform Filipino government agencies’ service delivery to people.
The Minister also met with Asian Development Bank executives to discuss Canada’s role in supporting the region’s economic and social development, including through the Canadian Climate and Nature Fund for Private Sector in Asia agreement which aims to help the region’s private sector companies in reducing pollution, transitioning to low-carbon options and improving climate resilience.
Valdez engaged with StartUp Village, a Filipino incubator that works with the Toronto Metropolitan University’s DMZ to support Canadian and Filipino startups in expanding into each other’s markets. DMZ is an entrepreneurial organisation that helps high-potential startups to grow and scale to world-class tech businesses.
Valdez, who represents the Ontario riding of Mississauga—Streetsville, also met with women-led SMEs and leaders to discuss the challenges and opportunities that exist for women in the entrepreneurial ecosystem and in politics. She shared her personal experience as a small business owner and connected with women entrepreneurs who were supported through Canadian international development funding to start their businesses.
In discussions with the Indo-Pacific Agriculture and Agri-Food Office (IPAAO) in Manila, Valdez discussed opportunities to support both Canadian and Filipino SMEs in the agriculture, agri-food and seafood industries. The IPAAO was created through the Government of Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy to focus on supporting Canadian agriculture and agri-food businesses in exporting to consumer markets in Asia, including the Philippines.
“As we celebrate 75 years of bilateral relations between our great nations this year, we will continue to work together on our shared priorities of creating more growth opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses and cultivating strong people-to-people ties for Filipinos abroad and in Canada. I am both proud and honoured to be Canada’s first Filipina Cabinet minister and member of Parliament, and I am committed to being a strong voice for the nearly one million Filipino Canadians who call Canada home,” Valdez said in a media release.
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