Rechie Aileen Valdez: A Woman of Power and Great Substance

I can’t stress enough how much our world needs strong women. A tribe of strong women creates a better world for everyone to live in. Women who possess inner strength help communities overcome a variety of challenges such as stereotyping, harassment, and inequality. Strong women contribute significantly to our society by empowering and inspiring others to better themselves and thus, help build a thriving world. 

Throughout centuries, unstoppable and strong women have left indelible marks for others to follow. These powerful women helped shape the world and brought positive social change that cemented their legacy in history. Women of power such as Queen Elizabeth 1 and 2, Jane Austen, Marie Curie, Ada Lovelace, Margaret Thatcher, Indira Gandhi, Golda Meir, and the list goes on, changed the state of affairs and definitely paved the way for other women to have their turn in helping make a crack at the glass ceiling.

(Photo courtesy of Ms. Rechie Aileen Valdez)

One truly remarkable strong woman of Filipino descent, Rechie Aileen Valdez is definitely bringing her positive influence and changing Canada for the better as a public servant and following the footsteps of powerful women in politics before her. Rechie is not just any politician, she is the first Filipina Canadian woman, and second Filipino Canadian after former Manitoba Liberal MP Rey Pagtakhan, to be elected as a Member of Parliament in Canada. Rechie was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 2021 federal election representing Mississauga—Streetsville as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.

(Photo courtesy of Ms. Rechie Aileen Valdez)

Rechie is also a successful entrepreneur and television personality, spending a few years both in the financial sector and the food industry prior to becoming a public servant. She owned a baking business, had competed in The Big Bake on Food Network Canada, and hosted and produced a television show Fearlessly Creative on Filipino TV. Outside business and politics, Rechie plays basketball as a hobby, where she once held a basketball fundraising activity for Montreal Children’s Hospital and SickKids in Toronto. She truly is passionate about making a huge difference and impact on our society by helping people on a daily basis.

THE BAKING ENTREPRENEUR AND TELEVISION PERSONALITY

(Photo courtesy of Ms. Rechie Aileen Valdez)

As mentioned above and before becoming Canada’s first Filipina woman MP for Mississauga, Rechie owned a baking business and competed in The Big Bake; she also hosted and produced Fearlessly Creative on a Filipino TV channel. 

Rechie shares a brief background on how she became an entrepreneur, “My entrepreneur career began when I baked my daughter’s first birthday cake. Baking her first birthday cake allowed me to discover my creative passion in baking. That is when my first business was born where I specialised in birthday cakes, dessert tables and eventually became a published baker and I even appeared and competed on the Food Network’s the Big Bake.”

When asked what was the most significant barrier in her career when she was in the private sector, Rechie answers, “I had challenges moving up the corporate ladder because I faced stereotypes that were embedded in some of my colleagues, and I, myself, had to chart my own path in a leadership role since there were not any others before me that I could seek guidance from.”

With regard to who inspired her to be an entrepreneur, Rechie says, “It wasn’t a specific individual that inspired me as an entrepreneur, it was actually the creative journey itself in self-discovery that motivated me. For example, I enjoyed the challenge of bringing my customers’ vision to life for each order. It pushed me to bake desserts, practise new baking techniques, build my customer base, and grow the business each and every day.”

TRANSITIONING FROM PRIVATE SECTOR TO PUBLIC SERVICE

(Photo courtesy of Ms. Rechie Aileen Valdez)

Rechie is generous enough to share what it’s like to transition from the private sector to public service, “With my experience as a small business entrepreneur, it allowed me to connect with people, create events that brought community together which were predominantly focused on women entrepreneurs, gender equity in sports, and in business development. It’s through these events that inspired me to run for public office so that I can continue to serve the community and help bring the community together.”

Why did you choose to be a part of the Liberal Party? What motivated you to step up and become an MP? Rechie divulges, “I chose to be a part of the Liberal Party of Canada because it is a party which is aligned to my core values and who I am as a person. I was motivated to serve as a Member of Parliament because it created an opportunity for stronger representation in the House of Commons. As the first Filipino woman Member of Parliament, I have the honour of serving 118,000 constituents in my riding, as well as the 970,000 Filipino-Canadians in Canada.”

Once again, I had to ask her: who inspired you to be a politician and why? Rechie answers, “While growing up, politics was not something I was actively engaged in. When I decided to run in the 2021 election, I drew inspiration from my family, friends, colleagues, and community.”

(Photo courtesy of Ms. Rechie Aileen Valdez)

When asked how to describe her leadership style and how she leads her constituents, Rechie shares, “My leadership style is based on effective and timely communication. I work towards instilling a culture of trust amongst my team. I also try to find ways to enjoy the experience with my team and have fun.” 

I was curious to know if her leadership style is different from her male counterparts? Rechie says, “My leadership style is very different from my male counterparts. I create a work environment and workplace where you can be who you are, and I emphasise the strengths of each member of my team. I do my best to be different, to switch things up, and try new things every day.”

I just had to poke her further: have you experienced resistance when you are leading men? How did you develop your leadership skills? Rechie answers, “I do not experience resistance when leading men. I developed my leadership skills through all my life experiences, learning from other leaders, choosing and practising the best qualities that work for me.”

LIFE AS AN ELECTED MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT

(Photo courtesy of Ms. Rechie Aileen Valdez)

In the Canadian political arena, there aren’t many elected Filipino women political figures, so I asked Rechie what barriers do Filipino women/public servants face in today’s political scene in Canada? Rechie says, “Part of it is due to culture. Culturally, politics is not a service that is encouraged. That alone will prevent Filipinas from aspiring to run in office or serve in political capacities. As I mentioned, representation is very important. We need to see more Filipinas in political or leadership positions, to help the next generation to see what is possible. In addition to that, we need support systems in place to support Filipino women to be set up for success.”

When asked how can women public servants “work across the divides” of opinions? Rechie answers, “Women can accomplish many great feats when we work on common interests and when we are able to get to a place where we can hear everyone’s perspectives. After listening to everyone’s opinions, we can work together to come up with a compromise that can work for everyone, that still achieves the common goal.”

In your own opinion, how can we stop gender bias? Rechie shares, “Education is key. Discrimination, bias, and hate stem from ignorance. The more that we are able to educate people and discuss the issues around gender bias, the sooner that we can learn how to deal with it and get better.”

(Photo courtesy of Ms. Rechie Aileen Valdez)

With great power comes great responsibility so I wanted to find out how she navigated power structures EARLY in her career versus LATER in her career when she had a more formal leadership role (as an MP)? Rechie says, “I learned about power and authority early in my career. Over the 26 years of experience that I’ve gained across different industries, businesses, and organisations, I was able to accumulate knowledge and an understanding on how to navigate through various situations. The key is to learn from each experience. Thus, when you enter your career later in your life, it can get easier for you, with or without any title.”

As an elected Member of the Parliament, how do you push for systemic change around ideas that are new or not popular? Rechie answers, “As an MP, it is important to engage people and maintain continuous dialogue. Having these conversations allow you as an MP to determine what the feedback and input is on topics or policies. It helps create ideas that are new and may not necessarily be popular, albeit they are what would be the right measures or mechanisms to implement as time progresses.”

(Photo courtesy of Ms. Rechie Aileen Valdez.) With Philippine Ambassador to Canada, Her Excellency Ambassador Andrelita Austria (centre) and Senator F Gigi Osler (left).

The political world is cut-throat. Have you ever been so discouraged, you wanted to quit? How do you encourage women to not give up? Rechie muses, “The political world is not easy, nor is it a walk-in-the-park. As a woman, there are additional barriers that we face which cause a deterrence to push forward. I focus on my “why” and “who” I’m doing it for. I shift my mind to focus on the positive impact that I am making locally in the riding and across Canada. As women, we can’t give up our dreams. When times get tough, that is time for us to dig deep and continue to persevere.”

Power changes people inevitably — even the smallest dose of power can change someone. Has power changed you? How do you balance power and leadership without alienating or upsetting your constituents? Rechie responds, “I don’t believe it has. In my victory speech on the night of the 2021 election, I said, “It is a two-way conversation and an open dialogue. In everything that I do, I will remain open to listening to the constituents in the riding of Mississauga—Streetsville.” That is a commitment I made because I understand the importance of an MP being able to balance representing the constituents who elected them to that position.”

(Photo courtesy of Ms. Rechie Aileen Valdez.) With her husband, Christopher Valdez and their two kids.

Life as we all know it, is divided into different parts and it can definitely be a tough balancing act trying to find time in everything: how do you balance career,  your personal life and passions? Is there even such a thing as balance? Rechie acknowledges, “I always make time for “me time” which includes doing things that I enjoy, to allow myself to recharge and keep going. I always make time for my family, my husband, Christopher Valdez, and our two kids. I believe women can have it all, as long as you are able to prioritise what’s important to you versus what you are responsible for.”

Rechie fiercely believes in empowering women. She believes that quality relationships with female peers and mentors can help provide young girls the skills and tools to make the most out of their lives and create a bright future for themselves. What advice would you give to the next generation of women leaders? Rechie replies, “You are enough. Believe in yourself and be kind to yourself.”

(Photo courtesy of Ms. Rechie Aileen Valdez)

Rechie Aileen Valdez definitely embodies and defines a woman of power and great substance. She’s proven to be persistent, brave, passionate, knowledgeable, skilled, self-sufficient, optimistic, and mentally tough. But above all, Rechie Aileen Valdez possesses inner strength and sees her roadblocks not as deterrents that she can’t overcome, but rather as stepping stones to better herself and help empower other women. Moreover, she doesn’t see other women as threats, she embraces them to be a part of her sisterhood tribe.