Vancouver, B.C.
Pang-apat na term
The only Filipino elected politician in B.C. seeks fourth term
Teodoro Alcuitas
Editor, Philippine Canadian News.Com
Mabel Elmore, who made history as the first and only Filipino to be elected to the B.C. Legislature in 2009 is seeking a fourth term in the coming provincial election on October 24th.
Elmore, who is openly gay, is representing the urban riding of Vancouver-Kensington which she has held for three terms as a New Democrat.
She served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction under the previous government.
Born to a Cebuana nurse and Irish father, Elmore grew up in Winnipeg and later took up her university education at the University of B.C. with a Physical Education degree.
She spent years of community organizing with Filipino women in Vancouver before working with Translink as a bus operator. As a bus operator, she got into union organizing, launching her political career in 2009 when she won the nomination for Vancouver-Kensington under a highly contested battle against Jenny Sims of the Teacher’s Union.
During her term, she has advocated for migrants and workers rights and is often seen in public rallies with Filipino caregivers.
In 2015, she tried to jump to the federal arena and run unsuccessfully against Jenny Kwan in Vancouver East.