Understanding the Filipino Vote in Manitoba

Perla Javate moved to Winnipeg, Canada, in 1976, when it only had several thousand Filipinos, according to the Manitoba Historical Society.

But 2021 data from Statistics Canada shows that Filipinos make up 11.11 per cent of the city’s population, making Winnipeg the city with the highest concentration of Filipinos in Canada.

Javate, the president of the Philippine Heritage Council of Manitoba, says many Filipinos come in through various immigration pathways, but reconnecting with loved ones remains the primary motivator for the move.

“Family reunification is the first and foremost reason for it. Our population has grown through that avenue,” Javate says. “We’re now probably having our fourth, if not fifth generation of Filipino Canadians.”

Manitoba also has the highest proportion of Filipinos compared to its total population among all the provinces and territories in Canada, according to the Philippine Embassy in Ottawa.

Experts say the Filipino community engagement is undeniable, a reason why their vote should not be ignored.

“The Filipino-Canadian community in Winnipeg, in all parts of Winnipeg, is very engaged in the community. They don’t stand away from the community,” says Christopher Adams, adjunct professor of political studies at the University of Manitoba. “They’re very involved at the community level, so a politician really has to pay attention to this special population.”

‘The one that stands out at all times is immigration.’

Javate says the challenges faced by the community in the 80s remain the top issues for newcomers today, mainly immigration and credential recognition.

“We are very particular about bringing our support system over,” she says. “So all other issues surrounding immigration are very important for our community.”

Kris Ontong, a community worker and co-founder of the online media initiative Barangay Canada, says he experienced some of the immigration issues faced by the Filipino community in Manitoba first-hand.

“Being a professional engineer [in the Philippines], I now work as a community worker here because it’s very difficult to have your credential recognized,” he says. “You have to go through a process and in some cases, people have to go back to school just to have your credentials recognized.”

Beyond immigration and foreign credentials, key issues affecting Winnipeg are also at the top of Filipino voters’ minds during this election.

“They’ll tell you affordable housing, homelessness will be a problem,” Ontong says. “Public safety is one of their concerns. Then related would be policing. The third would be infrastructure.”

However, according to Adams, understanding how Filipinos vote in Winnipeg is not as simple as identifying the issues they care about.

“A lot of new Canadians have been more oriented to the Liberal Party of Canada, in large part because the governing party that facilitates new Canadians or immigrants into Canada, often there’s a connection between the government and its party and the new Canadians,” he says. “But just because you’re Filipino-Canadian doesn’t necessarily mean you vote Liberal. You might have a conservative view about the world and traditional values and attitudes.”

Community engagement vs. voting engagement

In a 2022 Statistics Canada report based on data from 2020, Filipinos are among those least likely to vote in the elections in the prior elections of any level of government.

However, community leaders are seeing a change in the upcoming federal election on April 28.

“If you conduct a man-on-the-street interview and ask them what are the issues right now in your riding and who are the candidates you’re considering,” Ontong says. “You would find that they’re very aware of the various candidates and the platforms of the parties they represent.”

For example, he cites the riding of Winnipeg North, where Filipino Canadians are now participating in candidates’ door-to-door campaigns.

Filipino-Canadians can have an impact on close-race ridings: analyst

Adams says some communities with “heavy Filipino-Canadian voting” can affect a close election, especially regarding individual candidates in ridings.

“I’m thinking Winnipeg North is one of those, but also other areas,” he says. “I was looking at Winnipeg Centre, Leah Gazan is fighting to protect her NDP seat. They have about a third of that riding is Filipino-Canadian or Southeast Asian.”

Adams also highlights that Filipino Canadians have a presence across Winnipeg and may be able to turn the tide regarding close races.

“Winnipeg West might be really close. Winnipeg South might be close, and St. Boniface-St. Vital might be close,” he adds. 

“There are close seats where the Filipino-Canadian community can influence those tight races as to who wins that election in the local level.”