Politics: Young scientist Phil De Luna seeks Toronto seat for Greens

Updated: April 3, 2022, 4:01 P.M.

Updated: May 21, 2021, 5:53 P.M.

Toronto, Ontario

If science could send a man to the moon, could it send a Filipino-Canadian to Parliament?

Toronto, Ontario

With files from Ysh Cabana in Toronto

Teodoro ‘Ted’ Alcuitas in Vancouver

The youngest-ever research director and a leading scientist in clean tech innovation is entering the political arena to push his ideas even farther.

“Technology is not enough but government policies can do much better and faster,” he told PhilippineCanadianNews.Com (PCN.Com) in an interview following his announcement of his candidacy under the Green Party of Canada. De Luna will run in the  Toronto-St. Paul riding currently held by Liberal Carolyn Bennett.

The 29-year-old De Luna is the second to announce his candidacy in federal politics following lawyer Paul Jonathan Saguil who is seeking nomination for the Liberals in Toronto Bramptom.

The award-winning scientist is one young man in a hurry and is passionate about his goals.

De Luna is focused on three main issues: “supporting our essential workers, housing affordability, and green jobs that leave no one behind. “These topics are deeply personal for me. My fiancée is an operating room nurse at Sick Kids and an essential worker. Many of my fellow Filipino-Canadians often occupy low-paying but essential roles. My generation is increasingly feeling squeezed out of the housing market and is wondering, will we ever afford a home?”

“I’m running because we must move faster to combat the threat of climate change and sustainably renew our society and economy,” he says.  “I’m running because we need more diversity in parliament and more science in policy. I’m running because I want to lower the barriers for other non-traditional candidates to consider running, because a diverse government is a robust and resilient one.”

“He is precisely the kind of hard working, creative, honest, and determined individual any party or constituency would want in parliament.” said former Conservative Senator Hugh Segal, among one of many prominent endorsers of De Luna’s candidacy.

“His experience in the world of science, research, technology and environment, reflects the expertise we need in government now more than ever,” Segal adds. 

Under the leadership of Green Party Leader Annamie Paul, the Green Party recently launched the Time to Run campaign to recruit diverse, progressive community leaders as candidates for the federal election. 

The second generation aspiring politician believes technology is under-utilized and wants to make politics a level playing field.

And that’s how he will utilize it to help his campaign – raising the much needed financial contributions. 

“Our party does not accept corporate donations, so we really need the grassroots contribution – $2 or $5 or whatever one can afford,” he appeals. 

Family behind him

Asked if his family is supportive of his run given that he is giving up a lucrative government job, he said he convinced his mom and dad including his fiancee after explaining his reasons. 

“If we don’t have good people to run (in politics)  then what will we have left? Even if I don’t win I hope I inspire others,” he told his mother.

Phil De Luna Campaign website: phildeluna.com Toronto-St. Paul’s Green Party website: stpaulsgreens.ca/ Green Party of Canada website: greenparty.ca/en

Young Fil-Canadian scientist to run for federal elections in Toronto-St. Paul 

By Ysh Cabana

TORONTO—Phil de Luna, 29, has set sights in a seat in Canada’s Parliament by announcing he is running for the Green Party in Toronto-St. Paul.

“The pandemic has really showed how important leadership in government is, especially in times of crisis,” said de Luna. “It’s also showed us how important it is to listen to science. We need more science in politics. We need diverse voices and opinions and people in the parliament.”

The first-time Filipino Canadian candidate and aspiring politician is bidding on his expertise on “evidence-based policy”  with his background as a clean technology innovator. His research work on materials science and engineering is published across different media, earning him a Governor General’s Gold Medal in 2019.

He was named a Forbes Top 30 Under 30 and became the youngest scientist to head the National Research Council on new clean energy technology. For the last two years, he served on the board of the carbontech non-profit Carbon Management Canada, worked with the OECD on collaborative platforms for materials discovery, worked as a mentor to help science-based startups scale, and with the Canadian Commission for UNESCO on artificial intelligence to advance sustainable development.

Born in the Philippines, de Luna moved to Windsor, Ont. at the age of 5. He grew up learning the “value of hard work and education” from his father who was an autoworker and mother working in customer service. 

“I believe that in Canada, anyone can achieve anything they want, but I also know the importance of having examples of people who look like you to show you what is possible,” said de Luna. “I never knew many Filipino-Canadians in academia, the startup world, or in executive positions in the private or public sector, but I hope I’ll see more in parliament soon.”

De Luna’s announcement came with a video on twitter explaining he chose the Greens for the values and what the party is about. He said that his platform will focus on addressing climate change, housing affordability, caring for society’s most vulnerable, and creating innovative jobs for a sustainable future.

The Toronto-St.Paul riding which has a population of more than 100,000 has been held since 1997 by Liberal MP Carolyn Bennett, a physician and the current Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs.

Related reading:

Phil De Luna (Ph.D.) is the youngest Program Director at the National Research Council of Canada