12 June 2013 - History was made in Ottawa today as both chambers of the Canadian Parliament crossed party lines in unprecedented rites at Parliament Hill to celebrate the 115th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence upon the initiative of the Honorable Tobias Enverga, Jr., the first and only Filipino-Canadian sitting in the Senate of Canada.
On the steps of Parliament Hill's Center Block, the Scarborough Ontario Seniors Association rondalla played beloved folk songs before a happy crowd of Filipinos from Toronto and Ottawa. Among the honorable Members of Parliament who joined the festive gathering and conveyed their personal greetings were CIDA Minister Julian Fantino (Vaughan), Minister of State for Seniors Alice Wong (Richmond), Andrew Saxton (North Vancouver), John Carmichael (Don Valley West), Joe Daniel (Don Valley East), Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway), Kevin Lamoureux (Winnipeg North), Wladyslaw Lizon (Mississauga East-Cooksville), Lawrence Toet (Elmwood-Transcona), Isabelle Morin (Notre-Dame-de-Grâce--Lachine), Erin O'Toole (Durham) as well as the Honorable Senators Dennis Glen Patterson (Nunavut), Asha Seth (Ontario) and Yonah Martin (British Columbia).
A giant Philippine flag courtesy of the Knights of Rizal-Toronto Chapter was proudly unfurled in the full view of tourists and other visitors to the Parliament. In formal ceremonies, the Philippine and Canadian flags were raised at the historic East Block Courtyard where Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, Senator Enverga and Philippine Ambassador Leslie B. Gatan delivered remarks for the occasion.
In his speech, Ambassador Gatan thanked the Canada-Philippines Parliamentary Friendship Group led by Senator Enverga for staging a bigger celebration of Philippine Independence Day this year against the backdrop of glowing reports on the Philippine economy. Despite the country's robust fiscal position and GDP growth, he called attention to the continuing need for job-generating investments to support inclusive growth.
"I believe that this is the first time we've ever had a national flag raising here on Parliament Hill," Minister Kenney said in response. He hailed the Philippines as Canada's top source country for immigration and cited developments under the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper that have brought "bilateral relations to their highest point ever" and acknowledged the role of Filipinos in building Canadian history.
Finding common ground in their ties and friendship with the Philippines, Senator Enverga recognized the importance accorded by the Harper Government to Filipinos while MP Kevin Lamoureux (Liberal) expressed appreciation for the important contributions of Filipino-Canadians. "Canada needs the Philippines more than the Philippines needs Canada," he said. MP Andrew Saxton conveyed the hope that this year's celebration would be an annual tradition while MP Joe Daniel looked forward to developing more meaningful bilateral ties between Canada and the Philippines.
In the afternoon session of the Senate of Canada on the same day, Senator Enverga rose to honor the Philippines' national day and to pay tribute to the more than half a million Filipinos contributing to the Canadian economy and representing Canada's fourth largest visible minority. He took pride in the fact that Filipino-Canadians posted the highest employment rate not only among immigrants to Canada but also among Canada-born citizens. He recalled Prime Minister Harper's visit to Manila last year as supportive of the Aquino government's goal of inclusive growth.
Finally, at the House of Commons, MP Bob Dechert (Mississauga-Erindale) and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, made the following statement:
"Mr. Speaker, today Canadians of Filipino heritage celebrate an important date in the history of their community. 115 years ago, the Filipino people under the leadership of Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed independence from more than three centuries of Spanish colonial rule.
Today, Canada is proud to be home to one of the largest Filipino communities in the world. Last year, Canada welcomed a record number of immigrants, visitors, students from the Philippines, with the number of immigrants increasing by 146% since 2004. Canadians of Filipino heritage have made enormous contributions towards the building of our country. In 2012, our Prime Minister travelled to the Philippines and met with President Benign Aquino, a historic moment in the relationship between our two great countries.
Mr. Speaker, today and in the coming weeks, Filipinos across the country will celebrate Independence Day with family and friends - including here on Parliament Hill and my riding of Mississauga-Erindale.
On behalf of our Conservative caucus, I invite all Canadians to join in wishing all Filipino-Canadians a happy Philippine Independence Day."
"The standing ovation from Members of the Parliament that followed Mr. Dechert's greetings affirmed Canada's affection for the Philippines and the depth of the friendship between our peoples. It was a proud moment for me and a reassuring gesture for Filipino-Canadian constituencies whose representatives in Parliament purposefully create spaces to nurture their Filipino heritage alongside their Canadian citizenship," Ambassador Gatan remarked. END