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Macario Fat, Filipino Canadian war veteran (born 2 January 1886 in Barili, Cebu, the Philippines; died 24 November 1936 in Victoria, BC). Fat was a soldier with the Canadian Expeditionary Force. He was one of the few Filipino or Asian Canadians to be able to serve during the Great War.

Dr. Rey Pagtakhan, PC, politician, physician, professor (born 7 January 1935 in Manila, Philippines). Rey Pagtakhan is the first Canadian of Filipino origin to become a member of Parliament. He was a Cabinet minister in the governments of Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin. Pagtakhan served as a member of Parliament from 1988 until his defeat in the 2004 election.

Petronila Cleto, writer, social activist (born 18 October 1945 in Nueva Ecija, Philippines; died 11 January 2018 in Toronto, ON). Petronila Cleto was also known by her nickname, Pet. She was most notable as a film critic from the Philippines. She was a poet, playwright and journalist. As a women’s rights activist, she helped found the Filipino women’s group GABRIELA.

See also Filipino Canadians.

Conrad Santos, Filipino-Canadian politician (born 26 November 1934 in Bulacan, Philippines; died 29 February 2016 in Winnipeg, MB). He was the first Canadian of Filipino origin to be elected to a legislative assembly in Canada. From 1981 onward, he was elected five times as an MLA (see Members of Provincial and Territorial Legislatures). He represented the ridings of Burrows, Broadway and Wellington in Winnipeg until he was defeated in 2007.

Tobias Enverga Jr., senator, civic leader (born 2 December 1955 in Quezon province, Philippines; died 16 November 2017 in Medellín, Colombia). He was the first Canadian of Filipino origin appointed to the Senate. He was also the first Filipino Canadian elected to public office in Toronto, having served as a TCDSB trustee in Ward 8 in 2010.

Flor Marcelino, Filipino Canadian politician (born 5 October 1951 in Manila, Philippines). She became the first racialized woman to be elected as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba in 2007. She represented the ridings of Wellington and Logan. Marcelino also became the first racialized person to hold a cabinet position in the province from 2009 to April 2016. She acted as interim leader of the Manitoba New Democratic Party between May 2016 and September 2017.

Philippine cuisine is gaining popularity in Canada due to the growing size of Philippine communities in the country. Philippine cookery has been adapted to suit the Canadian palate and is enjoyed by people of diverse backgrounds. Its dishes are distinct, as they draw culinary influences from Spanish, Mexican, Chinese, Indian and other Southeast Asian traditions mixed with Indigenous food practices in the Philippines. Philippine dishes are often named after their cooking techniques, with their flavour profiles defined by sourness, saltiness and sweetness.

Filipinos have been in Canada as early as the late 19th century. Migration from the Philippines to Canada significantly increased from the 1960s onward. (See Immigration to Canada.) In the 2016 Census, 837,130 people reported being of Filipino ethnic origin. Filipino Canadians are the largest group of Southeast Asian Canadians. Among Filipino Canadians, women outnumber men by 56 per cent to 44 per cent. The Philippines was the most common country of birth among people who immigrated to Canada between 2011 and 2016.

Benson Flores, fisherman, trapper, beachcomber (born around 1848 in the Philippines; died 11 April 1929 in Vancouver, BC). Flores is likely the first known Filipino immigrant to Canada on record.