John Horgan

Premier

Province of British Columbia

November 2020

Dear Premier Horgan,

We, the listed below members and friends of the Filipino community in British Columbia, congratulate you and your party on your historic re-election to government. We also applaud the ethnic diversity and gender balance of your caucus and look forward to these MLA-elects bringing forward the voices of the under-represented communities they come from.

One of these communities is the Filipino community and we are pleased to see Mable Elmore re-elected to her 4th term as MLA for Vancouver-Kensington.

Ms. Elmore remains the first and only MLA of Filipino heritage elected to the legislature and since 2009, she has worked tirelessly to bring forward the interests of both her constituents in Vancouver-Kensington and those of her community across the province. But more needs to be done.

Filipinos are the third-largest ethnic group in BC yet we still lack many institutional supports that can help our community thrive. As such, the Filipino community calls for:

· Provincial government support towards the creation of a Filipino Community Centre;

· Support for the introduction of Filipino language classes in public schools; and

· The appointment of Ms. Elmore to Cabinet.

A Filipino Community Centre is a decades-long dream of our community. And in the same way the Chinese, Jewish, Japanese or South Asian Community Centres work to preserve and highlight their cultures – a Filipino community centre will allow generations of Filipinos, and others in BC, to learn about Filipino culture, history and Filipino's role in helping to make BC a vibrant and dynamic province.

The introduction of Filipino language classes in public schools will also reflect how much value society places in the Filipino community in BC. And it will serve to connect more Filipino-Canadians, especially the younger generations, to their families and culture.

Lastly, we reiterate the call for Ms. Elmore to have a seat in BC's Cabinet. In this way, Cabinet can better reflect the many diverse voices of BC’s Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour communities. By appointing Ms. Elmore, your cabinet will benefit from her direct connections to a community that feels ignored by successive BC governments.

Filipinos in BC appreciate the re-election of your party to government. For our community, this may be a watershed moment where big strides towards our full participation in BC society can be taken by: providing funding towards a Filipino Community Centre; supporting the introduction of the Filipino language as a subject in public schools; and appointing Ms. Elmore to Cabinet.

Thank you for reviewing our petition and we look forward to your response.

Sincerely,
Members and friends of the Filipino community in BC