CALGARY- They are the largest group of immigrants arriving in the Calgary area, yet people from the Philippines are forced to rely on Canadian consulate services—which are in Vancouver.
Now, a group representing the temporary workers is trying to get Ottawa to set up a Philippine consulate office in Alberta.
Elena Sebastian, who currently lives in Sherwood Park, is one of the people who would benefit. She needs to get her passport renewed by the end of the month, which means taking an expensive trip to Vancouver in the height of the Christmas travel season.
“A lot of people come from as far as Fort McMurray to get those services, and they would lose their daily wage but also have to travel that far,” she says. “It is difficult for other temporary foreign workers to cope with the situation, because of the financial aspects.”
Migrante Alberta represents Filipino workers, and has started a petition asking the federal government to provide services in Alberta. They are also requesting weekend services for workers like nannies, who can’t get time off during the week.
“They practically work 24 hours a day,” says Marco Luciano from Migrante Alberta. “When the baby cries at night, it’s the caregiver that picks them up. And of course, having that one day to take care of themselves and to take care of their businesses that they need to is important, and they can only do that on the weekends.”
Currently, outreach consular services do come to Calgary and Edmonton several times a year, but spots fill up quickly.
“It’s pretty difficult for Filipinos to reserve their time for the outreach, and if you didn’t go to the outreach then you have to wait for another two months.”
Calgary Northeast MP Devinder Shory agrees something needs to change.
“I believe they have a point, because the community here in Calgary is large and if they have a consulate I welcome that and I will be supporting their cause.”
About 32,000 Filipinos became permanent residents in Canada last year. Migrante Alberta will present their petition in Ottawa next year.
With files from Carolyn Kury de Castillo
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