Filipino-Canadian Rechie Valdez’s election to Canada’s House of Commons is a victory for Filipinos.
She was the first woman of Filipino heritage and the second of Filipino blood to be elected to the House of Commons in Canada.
The Monarch, the Senate, and the House of Commons make up Canada’s Parliament. Rey Pagtakhan, who represented Winnipeg North in Manitoba from 1988 to 2004, was the first Filipino-Canadian elected to Parliament.
Valdez was born to Filipino parents in Zambia, Africa, and her family moved to Canada in 1989.
Valdez’s election brings to an end a seventeen-year gap in which no Filipino immigrants or Filipino-Canadian citizens were represented in Parliament.
Valdez ran for Mississauga-Streetsville in the September 20, 2021 election.
“This is a ‘we’ moment,” Valdez declared in her victory address, as reported by OMNI News: Filipino Edition.
CBN News also mentioned Valdez praising the company’s success “as a Filipina,” which he describes as “as a gigantic cherry on top.”
Throughout the campaign, Valdez posted on Instagram and sent out messages emphasizing the importance of choosing who to vote for.
“Representation matters because it’s important to bring our unique needs forward. Together, we will be a voice for you at the decision-making table,” Valdez stated.
One of the current difficulties facing the Filipino community in Canada is the difficulty in having Canada recognize the educational achievements of Filipinos from their backgrounds, and Valdez says that this is one of the things she wants to bring awareness to and promote.
During the campaign, Valdez stated that she wants to set an example for women, the community in which she lives, and the future generation who aspire to be in politics.
Growing up, Valdez saw the sacrifices that her parents had to make in order to provide her with a brighter future in Canada.
Valdez has spent several vacations in the Philippines and enjoys Filipino dishes such as lugaw, adobo, and caldereta. Her most recent visit to the Philippines occurred prior to the outbreak of the pandemic. She was on a family holiday in Palawan with her relatives.
She advises those that have shared her dreams, “You need to believe in yourself, you need to believe in who you are. Believe in all of those which grounds you, because that is the single most important thing you can do to navigate in this world.”
Moreover, she reminds us all to “Always remember where you come from.”
Source: https://www.facebook.com/rechiea.valdez/posts/243713994351296, https://www.instagram.com/rechie.valdez/, https://linktr.ee/rechievaldezliberal
Photo Credit: https://www.facebook.com/rechiea.valdez/
