Toronto, Ontario
Conservatives’ Julius Tiangson makes another try
Teodoro Alcuitas
Editor, Philippine Canadian news.Com
Failed Conservative Julius A. Tiangson is making another run to win a seat in the federal riding of Toronto York in the by-election on October 26, 2020. He made his first run in the 2015 election in Mississuaga Centre.
He is running against the Liberal’s Ya’ara Saks, a Jewish-Canadian woman and policy consultant.
The native of Davao and father of three is a businessman who has led and founded businesses and non-profit organizations in Canada for the past 30 years, according to his campaign materials.
Liberal Dr. Rey Pagtakhan of Winnipeg was the first and only Filipino elected to the Canadian Parliament. He was elected in 1988 and served until 2004.
After Pagtakhan’s retirement, no Filipino has served in the Canadian Parliament until the appointment of Tobias Enverga of Ontario to the Senate in 2012. Tobias sat as a Conservative and died in 2017.
Tiangson was also involved in the formation of the Filipino International Network (FIN) – a volunteer driven organization that connects Filipino Contract Workers in the Middle East, Asia and Europe. Through FIN he has travelled and established a network of migrant workers in United Kingdom, France, Cyprus, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea, and Mexico.
He is a committed citizen who actively participates in community organizations and political engagement. His advocacy on behalf of the temporary foreign workers particularly those who are in the Live-in Caregiver Program of Canada, new immigrants and youth lead him to run as a Member of Parliament for Mississauga Centre in 2015.
He is currently the President and CEO of Portico Group Holdings Inc., which is a group of companies involved in Wealth Management, Real Estate Development and Mobile Water Desalination and Filtration Technology. He recently formed Aspire Impact Capital, Inc., a social impact investment capital fund that provides mezzanine funding to businesses that addresses pressing social issues of affordable housing, water treatment, health care, sustainable energy and micro-finance in Asia and the Gulf States.
Tiangson is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for community involvement. He is married to Bunny Tiangson, blessed with three adult children – Dana Mae, Francis and Nathan.
Toronto Centre
Liberal Marcia Ien (left) Annamie Paul ( Composite: The Carribean Camera.com)
Lawyer Paul Jonathan Saguil failed to get nominated. (Campaign photo)
Another Filipino political aspirant, lawyer Paul Jonathan Saguil, was not able to get nominated for the Toronto Centre riding vacated by former Finance Bill Morneau who resigned abruptly. Broadcaster Marcia Ien is running for the Liberals and will face the newly-elected leader of the Green Party,Annamie Paul.