Canada
Opinion
By: Tony A. San Juan, OCT-Retired.
The autumnal chime and colors are upon us. Within the Canadian landscape, the political climate especially in the city environs is now breezing. Eight Filipino Canadians in six Canadian cities and one town are in the election “warpath”. These beautiful, bold, and brave Filipinos composed of six Filipinas and two Pinoys are running for civic elective seats.
On October 18, 2021, Grace Yan is seeking the mayoralty post in Calgary, Alberta. Also in Alberta, Pinoys Neil Tuazon and Jyn San Miguel would like to become Councillors in Grande Prairie and Canmore, respectively. In Edmonton and Lethbridge, Giselle General and Rufa Doria are vying for City Council seats, while in Whitehorse, Yukon incumbent City Councillor Curteanu is up for reelection on October 21, 2021. In the City of Montreal, two Pinays, namely France Stoner and Stephanie Valenzuela are running for Councilor in the Snowdon district and the Darlington district in both the Borough of Cote des Neiges – Notre Dame de Grace, respectively on November 7, 2021.
GRACE YAN, a Fil-Can Calgarian, is running for Mayor ” for a fresh New Calgary”. Grace believes “that public service is a responsibility that we all share and we should all be willing to contribute our time and best effort toward the well-being of the community in which we live, work, and play”. She was born in Manila, the Philippines and her family emigrated when she was young. She has lived in Calgary for over 40 years and has worked in the business sector for 20-plus years. She is aware of the needs of the community, the resources available, and the public concerns that face our city. Having sat on various boards, she achieved one of the Distinctive Women of Canada, Women of Inspiration – Inspire Award, and Mount Royal Alumni Achievement Award Nominee. “My commitment is to serve the citizens of our great city and contribute to its growth and prosperity”, G. Yan pledged.
NEIL TUAZON, the president of the Filipino Association of Grande Prairie in Alberta, is running for the City Council of Grande Prairie. Neil aims to “create a safe, caring, diverse, more inclusive and welcoming City”. His campaign platform includes “creating city-supported community sports programs to help take the financial strain off parents, building better roads and infrastructure, and constructing a local drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility offering a pre-treatment education program”. Neil also wants to promote sports for young kids and to subsidize sports program. He is deeply passionate about improving people’s lives and believes that “Public service is the voice and representative of the people.” Happily married for 25 years to his wife Minerva, they and have two grown children, Edward and Albert. A sports guy, a former track and field athlete, Neil likes to go biking and do nature walks.
JYN SAN MIGUEL is a Fil-Can candidate for the town council of Canmore, which has a population of 13,992 according to the 2016 federal census with nearly 400 Filipinos. Canmore is located within the Treaty 7 Region of Southern Alberta, the 9th-largest town in Alberta and an hour’s drive from Calgary and 300 km. from Edmonton. The 32-year old J. San Miguel came to Canada with his family 12 years ago. Jyn, a former resident of B.C., started his working life as a housekeeper and works seasonally as a settlement worker and a contractual artist. He professed to be a traveler, blogger, personal trainer, singer, and artist who shares his talents with the community. A member of the LGBTQ community San Miguel states that. “it is time that our indigenous community, immigrants, persons of color, and LGBTQ+ members feel as valuable as everyone else.”
GISELLE GENERAL, a first-time candidate, and a 46-year old woman is running in the sipiwiyiniwakward in West Edmonton. Giselle wants to be a trailblazer and deplores the lack of representation in the City of Edmonton’s political life. She wants to “prove that an orphaned immigrant and a woman of colour can be in a leadership position” in Edmonton. She wants to inspire her fellow Filipinos to “care a bit more about municipal politics, and breaks some glass ceilings along the way.” Sponsored by a relative, Giselle and her brother came to Canada in 2007 from Mountain Province, the Philippines. With a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Alberta, she worked at a non-profit organization and helped the community through multiple causes. Giselle served on the boards of the Rio Terrace Community League, Edmonton Transit Service Advisory Board, and Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues, and volunteers as a columnist of the Alberta Filipino Journal.
RUFA DORIA is vying for a seat in the Lethbridge City Council in Alberta because she wants to “restore the ABC’s of leadership to City Council”: “A” – For attention to the core of community problems and the voices of our citizens, “B” – For business-minded decisions and policies to support our local economy, “C” – For the community, bringing people together. Rufa stated that the main reason that prompted her to run is “because I have never seen identities and experiences like mine represented at the city level. I believe the people in positions of leadership should also reflect a professional representation from the population.” From the Philippines, Rufa immigrated to Canada in 2004. She has a Ph.D. in Bioresource Engineering from McGill University. Rufa is the current president of the Filipino Canadian Association of Lethbridge, served as vice-president of the Southern Alberta Ethnic Association up to 2019, and was also a member of the Irrigation Council in Alberta until June 2021. She says “she loves Lethbridge and wants to be a part of helping the city to flourish.”
JOCELYN CURTEANU, is the first Filipino woman to be elected to a municipal council in the Yukon Territory. As an incumbent Councillor of the City of Whitehorse, Yukon, Curteanu is campaigning for re-election for a fourth term in the city council. She has served on the Whitehorse council since first elected in October 2012. She was re-elected in 2018 for her third term. Jocelyn who originally immigrated from the Philippines in 1976, has lived and worked in British Columbia, Yukon, and Alberta, In 2011, she finally settled in Whitehorse, Yukon Territories with her husband and four children since 2011. She has been employed with the Government of Canada for over 20 years and currently works with the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency. She is proud of having contributed to a better relationship between the city and First Nations. Councillor Jocelyn Curteanu believes that it is “important for good governance to have a balance on Council of old and new, and people with different backgrounds and perspectives.”
FRANCE STOHNER is running for City Councilor in Montreal under the Courage— Équipe Sue Montgomery Party in the Snowdon electoral district of the Borough of Cote-des-Neiges– Notre Dame-de-Grace. Stohner is running in whose district has a huge Filipino Canadian community. If elected, she would be the first visible minority to sit on the council of the Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Borough. She would also be the first Filipina to hold a public office in Quebec. Born in the Philippines, Stohner is a mother to a 17-month-old son. France now works as a mental health counselor and continues to champion equality and justice as a long-time community organizer, and new mother. A neighborhood with one the strongest Filipino populations in Montreal. She strives to nurture a culture of politics that is more attentive, accessible, and exemplary of the multifaceted communities she serves.
STEPHANIE VALENZUELA, a Filipino-Canadian Montrealer, is the City Councilor candidate for the Darlington district in the Cote des Neiges – Notre Dame de Grace Borough under the Ensemble Montreal. A McGill University political science graduate, she is the current Director of Communications of the Filipino Heritage Month Society and has worked with organizations in the Black, Jewish, Tamil, and Bangladeshi communities. Stephanie speaks four languages and brings a wealth of experience in issues on housing and intercultural relations. Many believe that Stephanie would be one of the 2 women of Filipino heritage to be elected to the Montreal City Council. The Filipino population comprises some 36,000 persons in the Borough or over 20% of the entire population.
When elected, City Councilor candidates Stephanie Valenzuela for Darlington District under the Ensemble Montreal Party and France Stohner for Snowdon District with Courage— Équipe Sue Montgomery Party will both articulate voices for their respective communities and for all the diverse communities in Montreal. Likewise, the six Filipino-Canadian candidates in Alberta and Whitehorse, Yukon hope to win and to represent the interest and issues of their respective constituents for a more productive service and better life in their cities and town.
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