(This is part 2 of a column on Medisina at Politika by Dr. Pagtakhan. Part 1 appeared on the February 1st edition of CFNet.)

Filipinos overseas are encouraged to register for the Philippines’ forthcoming national elections to be held on May 9, 2022. 

Following the election of a federal minority government, the Liberals hope to translate election promises into actionable work plans for each of the federal ministries. In his mandate letters to each minister issued in December 2019, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau noted that “Canadians sent the message that they want us to work together to make progress on the issues that matter most…People expect Parliamentarians to work together to deliver these results.”

With the proposed federal ban on single-use plastics, many retailers have started transitioning to reusable food ware and encouraging customers to use reusable options such as bringing their own coffee mugs and containers, water bottles and cutlery. 

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is advising travellers from the Philippines not to bring pork or pork by-products.

 Most Filipinos in Canada are found in major urban centres, where many jobs and economic opportunities are found.

A new study shows that little if not zero progress has been made in reducing racism in labour market outcomes for visible ethnic minorities in Canada.

On June 10, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a proposed federal ban of “harmful” single-use plastics in an effort to reduce the 3 million tons of plastic waste tossed out by Canada every year. 

Becoming a citizen is a significant milestone in the lives of many immigrants in Canada.

However, a new study by Statistics Canada has found an overall decline in the rate of acquisition of citizenship in the past 20 years.

The department in charge of Canadian arts and culture has a new minister.

Steven Guilbeault has been named as Minister of the Department of Canadian Heritage.

The economy of the Philippines may not be in the same league as advanced countries, but its people can be counted among the best.

The party that campaigned on a pledge to reduce immigration and abolish Canada’s multicultural policy did not win a single seat in the October 21, 2019 federal election.

The Philippine National Bobsled Team will start their training in Whistler, BC, starting this November.  Welcoming them to Vancouver, the Philippine Consulate General is holding a reception in their honor on Wednesday,  November 13,  2019 at 5.30 pm at the Consulate reception area.

Statistics Canada on September 30, 2019 released a report showing that Canada recorded its highest population increase ever in 2018-2019.

October 1, 2019 - Some of us who are Filipino immigrants to Canada still remember a time when we went to a polling place, generally a school, to cast our votes – pressing our thumbs on purple ink pads while election officers, usually teachers, wrote our names and addresses on very large books. Some elections went on late into the night. In some places where there were power outages, voting was done by lamplight or candlelight. Voting in Canada is figuratively and literally a world away from those times.  

Manitoba went to the polls on September 10 and delivered a second term for the Progressive Conservatives of Premier Brian Pallister.

Voters in two constituencies also handed victories to two Canadian Filipino politicians.