Land of Opportunities: Greener Pastures in the Great White North

In this series, three Filipino families share their stories with the Philippine Canadian Inquirer about moving from the Pearl of the Orient Seas and living in the Great White North.

The Mercado Family (left to right) – Audrey, Daddy Arnold, Mommy Nomie, and Nikos.

We Filipinos are most famous for being hospitable and for our insanely close family ties.

This is why many Filipinos grab the opportunity to provide a better future for their spouse and kids, and sometimes even their extended family, the moment it knocks on the door. And when it comes to providing a better future, Canada is one of the top choices for Filipino families.

In this series, three Filipino families share their stories with the Philippine Canadian Inquirer about moving from the Pearl of the Orient Seas and living in the Great White North.

Meet the Mercado Family.

Arnold and Nomie Mercado moved their family to Winnipeg, Manitoba almost four years ago after a relative nominated them in the country’s immigration program. They chose to push through with their plans in order to provide better opportunities for their kids, Nikos and Audrey. Aside from enduring four to six months of winter in this part of the country, they revel in its generosity in terms of employment opportunities, life-changing healthcare system, and accessible educational programs.

“Students can finish their post secondary education on their own by working and availing of student loans and grants.” Nomie shared. “Parents with children 17 years and below have child tax benefits depending on their income.” she added.

As soon as their kids settle down with families of their own, Nomie and Arnold wish to return to the Philippines for good. By that time, hopefully the Philippine government has solved the problem on corruption.

“A big portion of our salary here goes to taxes, but I am not complaining because of the benefits we are receiving from the government.”

Nikos, a rhetoric and communications major in the University of Winnipeg, is perpetually grateful to Canada’s excellent healthcare system for taking care of his dad.

“[My dad] has a rare type of cancer, and the treatment he needs is very expensive, but the government takes care of it for us. We don’t have to pay for anything.”

As a student, Nikos enjoys resources that are not readily available in Philippine schools. “The thing that I like here is the University’s rich resource collection. Finding a book or online journal is so easy, because all would be readily available from the library. We even have an online journal database where we can have online access to scholastic publications instantly.”

Having experienced studying in the University of the Philippines – Los Baños, he did notice a perceivable difference between him and his western classmates.

“A Filipino student will always work harder than the students here in the West. In the Philippines, we were always disciplined by our professors to work and study hard. They would always push us to do better.”

Nonetheless, Nikos is surely enjoying his great education. In fact, he has very little to worry about after his graduation since the Canadian government is doing its best to help people find employment, even providing free skills training to increase their chances of getting a job.

With all these opportunities for workers and students, Nikos still can’t help but miss his home.

“I still want to go back to the Philippines. The things I miss the most about the Philippines are the food and the camaraderie. I miss my friends and hopefully I can be with them again, even just for a short vacation.”