A coalition of Filipino Canadian organizations brought a $100-million federal investment proposal to Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Oct. 20, calling for greater government support to strengthen the community’s economic participation across Canada.
The Filipino Canadian Coalition’s Hill Day initiative brought together representatives from organizations including Mabuhay District in Manitoba, the Filipino Canadian National Congress, Toronto-based Pwrforward and youth-led organization Kabangka.
The coalition developed its pre-budget submission through community consultations and a national survey aimed at identifying economic challenges facing Filipino Canadians.
Allan Pineda, a director of Mabuhay District, said the initiative was an opportunity for organizations across the country to work toward common goals.
“I like what this coalition is doing, because everybody’s involved,” Pineda said.
He said bringing organizations together was particularly important because many Filipino Canadian communities face similar challenges, regardless of where they are located.
“Wherever you’re from, we all have the same problems,” he said.
“Now, we can actually communicate with each other and try to fix all these issues in the community.”
Making the case for federal investment
The coalition’s proposal calls for federal funding to strengthen Filipino Canadian entrepreneurship and develop resources that would help businesses and community organizations grow.
Pineda said the proposal was informed by research examining economic participation among Filipino Canadians, including gaps in entrepreneurship and employment opportunities.
He pointed to figures used by the coalition suggesting that Filipino Canadians have lower rates of entrepreneurship than the broader Canadian population.
“What we’re trying to do is help support entrepreneurship groups and projects across Canada with the funding to try to get that to the national average,” he said.
Pineda said the coalition is considering several areas of investment, including a knowledge hub, an entrepreneurship ecosystem fund and financing support for businesses.
However, he acknowledged that the details of how funding would be distributed have not been finalized.
“How that’s distributed and determined is to be determined,” he said.
The coalition has also drawn inspiration from existing federal initiatives supporting entrepreneurship among underrepresented communities.
For Pineda, the proposal represents an opportunity for Filipino Canadians to advocate collectively for resources that could strengthen their economic participation.
“We should have done this a long time ago,” he said.
Giving Filipino Canadian youth a voice
While the proposal focuses on economic development, youth-led organization Kabangka wants to ensure younger Filipino Canadians have a role in shaping how those opportunities are created.
Mahalia Baguio, Kabangka’s vice-president, said her organization contributed research and perspectives on the barriers grassroots youth organizations face when accessing funding.
Baguio led preliminary research informing the submission, while Kabangka chair Jezeth Esmas coordinated Hill Day logistics and represented the organization in Ottawa.
“Ultimately, young people need more than opportunities created for them,” Baguio said.
“They need an active role in shaping those opportunities, and the resources and support to make the most of them.”
She said younger Canadians are often excluded from decisions about programs intended to support them.
“Too often, decisions are made on behalf of young people without meaningfully involving them in conversations about their needs, rights, and futures,” she said.
Baguio identified complicated funding applications and limited awareness of existing programs as barriers facing young people and grassroots organizations.
She said these challenges can be especially difficult for newer organizations without the administrative resources needed to navigate government funding requirements.
“Funding opportunities need to be more accessible, transparent, and designed with young people in mind,” she said.
The importance of mentorship
Kabangka also emphasized the importance of mentorship and earlier access to professional networks.
“Rather than waiting until young people graduate and begin navigating the workforce, we should be connecting them with professionals earlier,” Baguio said.
“(We need to help them) explore career pathways, build networks, and develop the confidence and skills to take their next steps,” Baguio said.
She said consultations revealed overlapping concerns among entrepreneurs, community organizations and younger Filipino Canadians.
For youth, those gaps can mean fewer opportunities to pursue business ideas, access mentorship or develop professional connections.
“We see this proposal as an opportunity to address those gaps, not through one-size-fits-all solutions, but by creating more accessible pathways and investing in the community-led organizations that understand and serve these needs,” she said.
Building momentum beyond Parliament Hill
According to Pwrforward executive director Charmaine Ramirez, 17 Filipino Canadian business and community leaders participated in Hill Day and met with 14 members of Parliament.
She described the response from federal representatives as encouraging but emphasized that the coalition’s advocacy would require continued engagement.
“We’re very happy with the response, but the work continues,” Ramirez said.
Pineda said the coalition has begun receiving letters of support from some MPs, although the proposed $100-million investment has not been approved.
He described the gathering as an important step toward strengthening relationships among Filipino Canadian organizations.
“I’m already collaborating with two or three people that I met there. One from Toronto, one from Montreal. So it’s already happening,” he said.
First federal advocacy experience
Baguio said the initiative was Kabangka’s first experience participating in federal advocacy at this level.
“We’ve spent nearly a decade creating spaces for Filipino/a/x-Canadian youth. This was our first time participating in federal advocacy at this level, but hopefully not our last,” she said.
She emphasized that the coalition’s work should continue regardless of the outcome of the current budget process.
“We don’t have a solidified roadmap yet, but we look forward to staying engaged and continuing these conversations beyond Hill Day,” Baguio said.
Ramirez also stressed the importance of maintaining conversations with policymakers and ensuring that Filipino Canadians have opportunities to communicate their needs directly.
“We need to continue to come to the table as a community and share what it is that we need and share what it is that we are contributing to Canada,” she said.
Pineda similarly acknowledged that securing federal investment could take years and require continued engagement with policymakers.
“We just have to keep pushing, growing the group, growing the idea, getting more people involved,” he said.
For Baguio, the initiative also demonstrated the importance of young Filipino Canadians taking part in decisions affecting their communities.
“More importantly, it showed us that we don’t have to wait for a seat at the table; we can help build one,” she said.
Luis Miguel De Castro is a Changing Narratives Fund-Local Journalism Initiative reporter at Mabuhay Canada and a journalism graduate at Humber Polytechnic in Toronto. Originally from the Philippines, he is passionate about community storytelling, multimedia journalism, and amplifying Filipino voices through meaningful local coverage.
