Remarks by
The Honourable Anita Neville, P.C., O.M.
Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba
PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE BALL
Victoria Inn
Saturday, June 22, 2024, 6:00 p.m.
(please check against delivery)
Manitobans and members of the Philippine Heritage Council, it’s a pleasure to join you for this celebration of the Philippine Independence and of Manitoba’s Filipino community.
As Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, I acknowledge that we are gathered in the heart of Treaty One land and the homeland of the Red River Metis – and that this province is the ancestral and present-day home of the Anishinaabe, Anishininew (ANISH-IN-INEW), Cree, Dakota, Dene, Nehetho (NE-HET-HO) Nation, Inuit and Metis peoples.
Today, Winnipeg is home to more than 77,000 members of the Filipino community – giving this city and this province the largest per capita Filipino presence in Canada.
And so given the contributions of this community in all areas of culture, leadership, industry, health care, education and other field, I am pleased to be here as the first Lieutenant Governor to bring greetings at this annual celebration.
Over the course of my life, I’ve been fortunate to meet and to work with many members of the Filipino community.
As many of you know I served on the Winnipeg School Board. I heard at the time from Filipino voters whose children attended schools in our division – and they impressed on me their passion for learning as the key to their children’s future.
When I served in Parliament, one of my colleagues was the first Philippines-born Member of Parliament in Canada – the Honorable Rey Pagtakhan.
And of course as a lover of Winnipeg’s cultural scene, I’ve long enjoyed the contribution members of this community make to the arts – from Folklorama to Rainbow Stage and the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre.
The strong community spirit of the Filipino community is evident in the 32 member organizations of the Philippine Heritage Council of Manitoba – and in the strong family and community ethos evident to anybody who’s ever witnessed a big, joyful Philippine community picnic at a park or beach.
That spirit is a great strength and an inspiration – to this community and to all of Manitoba.
As the theme of Filipino Heritage Month puts it, community spirit is a legacy to youth.
May this spirit glow in the hearts of young and old in years to come.
Thank you. Merci. Meegwich. Shalom. And Mabuhay! (MAH-BOO-HI)
