Rechie Valdez, who made history this week when she became the first Filipino-Canadian woman named to the federal cabinet, took an unusual path to high political office, transitioning from banking to baking to Parliament.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Gov.-Gen. Mary Simon look on as an emotional Rechie Valdez is sworn in as Small Business Minister during a cabinet shuffle, Wednesday, July 26, 2023 in Ottawa. Valdez, who made history this week when she became the first Filipino-Canadian woman named to the federal cabinet, took an unusual path to high political office, transitioning from banking to baking to Parliament.
Her promotion this week to serve as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s minister of small business marked a breakthrough for Filipino-Canadians, a community that has raised concerns about what it calls its under-representation in government. Valdez said Filipino-Canadians hadn’t had a voice in federal politics since Winnipeg MP Rey Pagtakhan — who in 1988 became the first Filipino-Canadian to become an MP — was defeated in the 2004 election.More than 957,000 Canadians identified themselves as having Filipino roots in the 2021 census, including more than 757,000 people who were born in the Philippines and immigrated to Canada, according to Statistics Canada.
“Eventually, once I was able to master my recipes, I then registered my business and became an official small business entrepreneur.” Grant Gonzales, co-founder of the Filipino Canadian Political Association, called her appointment “inspiring.” “Racialized people often can’t rely on intergenerational networks that have benefited others,” he said.Sign up for the CHEK Now daily email newsletter to get breaking news and the day's top stories sent to your email.“We’re immigrants, we’re first generation, we’re second generation Canadians. We don’t have those well-established networks that often are so critical to help propel people into elected office.
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