In the 1970s, when the Filipino families began to immigrate in large numbers to BC and Canada, parents were told to only speak to their children in English. They were told their child will become confused if they learn a different language at home. Wanting to be good parents, they listened. And so a generation of Filipinos in Canada grew up without learning Filipino.

It’s been a long-time dream of the Filipino community in BC to have a community centre located in the lower mainland of British Columbia.

Representation matters. For BC’s more than 130,000 Filipinos, the need to be reflected in the province’s most powerful public policy decision making body is great. The lived-experience MLA Elmore would bring to the Cabinet table as the only MLA of Filipino-descent would have deepened and enriched the government’s understanding of this fast-growing community - and resulted in better and more effective policies and decisions.