EXPLANATORY NOTE

The month of June in each year is proclaimed as Filipino Heritage Month.

Bill 185 2017

An Act to proclaim the month of June as Filipino Heritage Month

Preamble

Members of Canada's Filipino community have contributed to all aspects of Ontario's prosperity and diverse heritage for generations.

As migrants, the first Filipinos came to Canada in 1930. In the 1960s, immigration of Filipinos from the United States and the Philippines started to surge, and these migrants settled in Canada as nurses, physicians, healthcare technicians and administrators and later as workers in the garment industry.

Through family reunification programs, from the 1970s through to the 1990s Filipinos came to Ontario to join their relatives in order to prosper, contribute to Ontario and raise their families.

More recently, Ontario has become home to thousands of Filipino contract workers who have settled in the province after having completed the federal Live-In Caregiver Program, and who have sought to migrate their dependents to Ontario and become Canadian citizens. 

Today, Ontario is home to approximately 340,000 Filipino-Canadians.

Filipino-Canadians contribute to all facets of Ontario's economy and society across many fields: medicine, education, science, administration, the food industry, business, arts and culture and sports. 

Notably, Filipino-Canadians have helped build Ontario into a multicultural success story by their willingness to integrate into Canadian society.  Their friendly, artistic and compassionate nature, their strong work ethic, as well as their love for family have contributed positively to the social fabric of Ontario, breaking down barriers to dialogue, integration and genuine friendship within and among the different communities in which Filipino-Canadians have made their homes. Filipino-Canadians continue to help foster growth, economic stability, peace and social cohesion throughout Ontario.

June is an important month for Filipino-Canadian culture as Philippine Independence Day is on June 12. This is a day to celebrate democracy, freedom and culture for Filipino-Canadians across the country, but especially in Ontario. 

Proclaiming Filipino Heritage Month provides a commemorative opportunity to educate and raise awareness within Ontario about Filipino-Canadians and the important roles they have played and continue to play in support of the well-being of Ontario, socially, culturally, economically and politically.

Proclaiming Filipino Heritage Month enables Canadians born of Filipino descent, naturalized Filipino-Canadians, Filipino landed immigrants, and Filipinos in Ontario who are temporary migrants contributing to Ontario's economy to affirm that they belong to the province of Ontario and confirms their integration as contributing members of Canadian society. 

Proclaiming Filipino Heritage Month also enables all Ontarians an opportunity to reflect on, celebrate and appreciate the history, heritage and important contributions that Filipino-Canadians have made and continue to make in communities across Ontario.

The Province of Ontario hereby acknowledges and affirms the contributions that Filipinos have made toward the vibrant social, economic, political and cultural fabric of our province by proclaiming June to be Filipino Heritage Month in Ontario.

Therefore, Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, enacts as follows:

Filipino Heritage Month

1 The month of June in each year is proclaimed as Filipino Heritage Month.

Commencement

2 This Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.

Short title

3 The short title of this Act is the Filipino Heritage Month Act, 2017.