Rey Pagtakhan

Family and Education

Dr. Rey Pagtakhan was born Reynaldo Daluz Pagtakhan in Manila. He was one of 11 children of Victor N. Pagtakhan and Fabiana Daluz. He grew up in the town of Bacoor, Cavite province, just outside of the Filipino capital. His father worked as a jeepney (refurbished American jeeps used as public transportation) driver and became a self-taught accountant. His mother sold second-hand goods. The Pagtakhan family operated a bakery.

Rey excelled as a student. He graduated valedictorian from elementary school. He initially aspired to become a journalist or lawyer (see Law). But after finishing secondary education, he had a change of mind and applied for a pre-medical course at the University of the Philippines (U.P.).

While studying medicine, he served as a research associate in pediatrics at the U.P. Philippine General Hospital. His research paper won an award from the Manila Medical Society in 1962. Soon after graduation, he set up a general practice of medicine in his hometown of Bacoor.

By 1963, his success in medical research earned him residency and fellowship in pediatrics at the Washington University Medical Center in St. Louis, Missouri. There, Gloria L.L. Visarra also studied to complete her Master of Science in Dietetics degree. The two had met as early as 1960 and they married on 31 October 1964. They raised four sons.

Immigration and Medical Career

Dr. Rey Pagtakhan came to Canada in 1968. He chose to immigrate, as his US exchange visitor visa was expiring that year. He and his family arrived in Emerson, Manitoba, on a cold January morning. They received their Canadian citizenship about six years later.

He joined the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Medicine as a lecturer in 1971 and became a full professor of pediatrics and child health in 1985. From 1971 until 1988, he worked as a children’s lung specialist at the Children's Hospital of Winnipeg. His wife became a therapeutic dietician there. He also served as director of the Manitoba Cystic Fibrosis Centre between 1974 and 1978. Between 1987 and 1988, he was the president of the Manitoba Pediatric Society. He also authored several articles in scientific journals and contributed chapters in medical texts.

Community Affairs

Dr. Rey Pagtakhan was very active in community affairs. He was a citizen member of the Winnipeg Police Commission in 1983–86. During that period, he served as the national president of the United Council of Filipino Canadian Associations in Canada. He helped revive the group, which had initially been formed in the early 1960s. As its national president, he became the Filipino community’s representative to the Canadian Ethnocultural Council (CEC) — a coalition of 37 national ethnocultural organizations in Canada. He served as vice-president of the CEC from 1986 until 1988.

As well, he was an advisor to the Philippine Association of Manitoba after serving as its founding president in 1970. He was key in forming the Philippine Canadian Centre of Manitoba and served as its president. He was also part of the official delegation of the Canadian International Development Agency’s Program Planning Mission to the Philippines in 1986.

That same year, Pagtakhan won a three-year term as a school trustee in the St. Vital ward in Winnipeg. By the end of the decade, it came as no surprise when he decided to take on the challenges of national politics.

Federal Politics

Dr. Rey Pagtakhan was first elected to the House of Commons in the 1988 federal elections. He ran as a Liberal Party candidate in Winnipeg North — historically, a New Democratic Party seat. Nonetheless, he tried to defeat incumbent New Democrat David Orlikow, who had held the riding for 26 years. Pagtakhan won. He made history as the first Filipino-born member of Parliament. Working-class immigrants made up a major part of the constituency, with the largest groups coming from the Philippines.  As a Liberal, MP Pagtakhan started as a member of the official opposition and his party’s assistant critic on health and welfare as well as on science and technology. Pagtakhan was re-elected for a second term in 1993.

In 1997, the electoral division of Winnipeg North was renamed Winnipeg North-St. Paul, where Pagtakhan ran again as the Liberal candidate. He won another term in 2000. In total, he remained the borough’s MP for more than 15 years.

Under Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, MP Pagtakhan was appointed as parliamentary secretary on 23 February 1996. He held the position for two years. He chaired the standing committees on Citizenship and Immigration (see Immigration Policy in Canada), and on Human Rights and the Status of Disabled Persons (see Human Rights; Disability). From 2001 until 2002, he served as one of four junior secretaries of state within the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (see Global Affairs Canada.). He became a key figure in Canada's dealings in the Asia-Pacific region as secretary of state (Asia-Pacific).

In 2002, Pagtakhan received his new posts as the minister of Veterans Affairs and senior regional minister for Manitoba. He served on the Cabinet committees on Economic Union, Social Union and Government Communications. He also served as secretary of state (science, research and development) from 26 May 2002 to 11 December 2003.

Under Prime Minister Paul Martin in 2003, MP Pagtakhan was named minister of Western Economic Diversification.

In 2004, Pagtakhan ran again as a Liberal candidate in Winnipeg North. However, he lost to Judy Wasylycia-Leis, whom he had once defeated in the 1993 federal elections. (See also Voting Behaviour in Canada.)

Political Legacy

In the late 1980s, Dr. Rey Pagtakhan led the call for a public investigation of the tainted blood scandal. At that time, concerns about the blood supply were high. Thousands of people had cases of AIDS, hepatitis C and other diseases linked to contaminated products. The subsequent Krever Inquiry led to the creation and operation of Canada’s modern blood donation system.

He championed the preservation of universal medicare and the cause of immigrants. He helped secure funds for building the Seven Oaks Wellness Institute. Pagtakhan also helped secure Winnipeg as the site for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. He was instrumental in creating the University of Winnipeg’s Global College and Dialogue Centre. He served as its founding director in 2004.

He has been a columnist for the Filipino Journal (formerly Silangan) since the 1970s. He contributes regularly to Pilipino Express, and to the online portal Canadian Filipino Net with his bimonthly column, Medisina at Politika [Medicine and Politics]. In 2020–21, he devoted his column almost exclusively to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Awards and Honours

• Fellow, American College of Chest Physicians (1976)
• Philippine Presidential Citation for Outstanding Filipino Overseas (1997)
• Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, from the University of the Philippines (2001)
• Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal (1977), Golden Jubilee Medal (2002) and Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012)
• Doctor of Science, honoris causa, from the University of Perpetual Help Rizal JONELTA Foundation School of Medicine (2010)
• Member of the Order of Manitoba (2017)
• Community Champion Special Award, Canadian Race Relations Foundation (2018)
• Golden Balangay Lifetime Achievement Award (2019)

A playground at 369 Beliveau Road, Winnipeg, was named Dr. Rey Pagtakhan Park in his honour. It is located in the St. Vital ward, where he had lived since 1972.