Atin Ito First Filipino Community Newspaper in Ontario
The first female Canadian senator with Filipino heritage would use her voice and position in the Parliament to break the stereotype on the Filipino people as she noted that a lot of young Filipinos in Canada are now dreaming bigger than ever.
Speaking before select reporters at a reception held by Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines David Hartman on Wednesday night, Senator Flordeliz ‘Gigi’ Osler, who is currently in Manila, said she wants to ensure that back in Canada, Canadians would “appreciate all of the talents, all of the skills, all of the potential” that Filipinos are able to bring to the table.
“We are more than nurses. We are more than migrant workers. We are talented professionals. We are smart, we can achieve so many things,” Osler, a renowned surgeon in the Canadian city of Winnipeg, said.
“And so part of what I hope to achieve back home is to break some of the stereotypes, to show both Canadians and Filipino-Canadians what is possible and what you can achieve by… working hard, studying hard,” she added.
Born to immigrant parents from the Philippines and India, Osler is in the Philippines for the second time for an inter-parliamentarian forum with Philippine lawmakers. Her first time in the country was when she was still seven years old.
She took the inspiration to become a nurse, then a surgeon, from her mother, who was also a medical worker.
Osler said a lot of young Filipino-Canadians are now dreaming big and wanting to achieve things more than what their parents had, including becoming lawyers, doctors, professionals and business tycoons.
And she believed, “the time is right for the Philippines to continue to grow and show the world our possibilities.”
“And I think that’s a dream we all have to continue to nourish for young Filipinos here at home and back in Canada,” she said.
Filipino migration
Currently, Osler said, Canada is seeing “more and more Filipino migration” there, particularly of health care professionals as the Philippines is being looked up to with regards to such a field.
While Canada appreciates the value of Filipino health care workers, she said the Canadian and the Philippine governments must also ensure that the Philippines has a sustainable healthcare system.
She said there is a lot of potential for reciprocity to work on by both countries.
“We have to ensure the Philippines has a sustainable healthcare system, health care professionals, get the education, the training, the faculty development and continue education to support healthcare in the Philippines,” she said.
“Canadians are excited to see the people-to-people, the country-to-country, ties between the Philippines and we are recognizing how important the Philippines is as a partner nation,” she added.
— Joseph Pedrajas
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Credit belongs to: www.mb.com.ph
