Filipino Heritage Day in Canada on Parliament Hill

Trisha Matabalan, Philippine Canadian Inquirer
June 16, 2026

(Photo courtesy: rechie.valdez/Instagram)

CANADA – On June 15, 2026, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism) Rechie Valdez shared her gratitude for the Filipino-Canadians across Canada as they celebrated Filipino Heritage Month on Parliament hill. There, she joined them in raising the Philippine flag for Filipino Heritage Month.

“As Canada’s first Filipina-Canadian federal Cabinet Minister, I carry our community with me,” she stated.

In line with this, Valdez mentioned the growing relations between the two countries. The Philippines and Canada are slowly and steadily working towards the Canada-Philippines Free Trade Agreement, and the Minister of National Defense, David McGuinty, also recently signed a defense cooperation agreement with the Philippine Secretary of National Defense, Gilbert Teodoro Jr.. In her social media post on Instagram, she also thanked Ambassador Chan-Gonzaga and the Embassy of the Philippines for hosting the event and for their efforts in strengthening ties between countries throughout the years.

“Maraming salamat po, and mabuhay!” she concluded her post.