23 February 2023- The Philippine Embassy in Ottawa, led by Charge d’Affaires, a.i, Jeffrey Peñamante Salik, in partnership with the Office of Filipino-Canadian Member of Parliament Rechie Valdez, hosted a roundtable discussion with Filipino Community Leaders in Ottawa on 23 February 2023 at the Mindanao Hall, Philippine Embassy, on issues and challenges faced by Filipino migrants in Canada.

MP Valdez is the first Canadian woman of Filipino heritage to get elected to the House of Commons, and only the second Canadian of Filipino heritage to sit as a member of Canada’s Parliament. She also serves as the Chairperson of the Canada-Philippines Interparliamentary Friendship Group.

The discussions focused on credentials recognition challenges faced by Filipino migrants, as well as other international development efforts between Canada and the Philippines, including areas in higher education cooperation, food security and agriculture, and health.

The meeting served as valuable inputs to the upcoming trip of MP Valdez to the Philippines, as a member of the delegation to be led by International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan this March, as announced by Global Affairs Canada.

The activity was attended by the officers and representatives from the Philippine Center Canada, Philippines Independence Committee of Ottawa Valley, and Filipino Canadian Lawyers Network.- END