Filipino Canadians may have a showdown in Vancouver-Kensington

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      For the first time, residents of an electoral district will likely have a Filipino-Canadian representative in the legislative assembly, whether they vote B.C. Liberal or New Democrat.

      Gabby Kalaw, who was born in the Philippines and moved to Canada at the age of three, wants to run for the B.C. Liberal Party in Vancouver-Kensington.

      If nominated, the 34-year-old IT sales professional will challenge incumbent B.C. NDP MLA Mable Elmore in the May 2013 election. Elmore was the darling of the province’s third-largest visible-minority community when, in 2009, she became the first politician of Filipino heritage to win a seat in the legislature.

      “If you want community representation, it’s not just Filipinos,” Kalaw told the Georgia Straight during an interview in Gastown. “It’s about providing the values for everybody in the community. I want to run more than just as somebody who’s reflecting Filipinos. I reflect the values that your children are going to grow up with, the values that the children of the Chinese are growing up with, same with the South Asians and Vietnamese.”

      According to the 2006 census, 70 percent of Vancouver-Kensington’s residents belonged to ethnic minorities. Fifty-three percent of these were Chinese, 17 percent were Filipino, and 14 percent were South Asian.

      Kalaw claimed that many groups in Vancouver-Kensington feel left out by Elmore. “I feel I can do a better job representing everybody,” he said.

      Elmore said that she has reached out to the different ethnic minority communities in the constituency.

      “When I was elected, my view was that I’m representing all the constituents of Vancouver-Kensington,” Elmore told the Straight in a phone interview. “One of the priorities that I feel strongly about is to really ensure that all communities are engaged and feel welcome to avail of services.”

      The New Democrat MLA said that her constituency office has a staff member who speaks Cantonese and Mandarin. She added that informational materials available at her office are translated into Chinese and Punjabi.

      Filipino community commentator Ted Alcuitas noted that, on the one hand, an Elmore-Kalaw contest is a good thing if one looks at it through the lens of cultural pride. However, Kalaw could face criticism from Filipino-Canadians who see his challenge of Elmore as a sort of “betrayal”, Alcuitas said.

      “Personally, I don’t go for that kind of attitude,” Alcuitas told the Straight by phone. “If both candidates are qualified, let the best candidate win. We should not be voting based on ethnicity, without looking at the qualifications of the candidates. Perhaps this other candidate is better qualified than the incumbent.”

      The Filipino community is politically diverse. This was on display during the last B.C. NDP nomination battle in Vancouver-Kensington, which Elmore won. Rey Umlas, who served as the B.C. government’s liaison to the Filipino community in B.C. under then–New Democrat premier Glen Clark, supported Elmore’s rival, Jinny Sims, a South Asian Canadian who is now a federal NDP MP. For this, Umlas received criticism from some community members.

      “But I stood pat on principle and who I believed was going to be a better representative for Kensington,” Umlas recalled in a phone interview with the Straight.

      An Acadia University graduate, Kalaw isn’t a political novice. In the 2011 municipal election in Vancouver, he came close to winning a seat on the park board. Of the three Filipino-Canadians who ran for council and park board during that campaign, Kalaw earned the greatest number of votes.

      In recent elections, Vancouver-Kensington has alternated between New Democrat and B.C. Liberal representatives. It was held by then–NDP premier Ujjal Dosanjh until he was unseated by B.C. Liberal Patrick Wong in 2001. Wong was defeated in the 2005 election by New Democrat David Chudnovsky. Chudnovsky did not run for a second term in 2009.

      Syrus Lee, the B.C. Liberal who lost to Elmore in 2009, indicated to the Straight by phone that he’s not interested in running in Vancouver-Kensington next year.

      The ruling B.C. Liberals have been consistently trailing the New Democrats in provincewide opinion polls.

      “It will be a tough fight,” Kalaw said. “I’m the underdog. I understand that.”

      Comments

      5 Comments

      Tedd Alcuitas

      Oct 25, 2012 at 11:11am

      The looming showdown touted between two Filipino candidates in Vancouver-Kensington is nothing new for the Filipino-Canadian community in Winnipeg, Manitoba – home to the largest Filipino-Canadian population in Canada.

      While it is still a novelty here given that it was only three years ago that Filipinos elected their first MLA in the province, Winnipeg has long been the cutting edge when it comes to Filipinos’ political involvement in the country.

      As the community matures politically, it will attract more and more participation and as it grows in numbers as the latest Census reveals, the political arena will be hotly contested and political parties will have to adapt.

      In the last year’s Manitoba provincial election, the Tyndall Park riding was contested by three Filipino-Canadian candidates: Ted Marcelino, NDP, Roldan Sevillano, Liberal and Cris Aglugub for the Tories. The seat was won by the NDP.

      In the previous election in 2007, the riding of Wellington also saw three Filipino-Canadians vying for the seat ultimately won by Marcelino’s sister, Flor Marcelino of the NDP. She is Manitoba’s Minister of Culture, Heritage and Tourism.

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      James G

      Oct 25, 2012 at 2:47pm

      I think this is a poor move by Mr. Kalaw. He proved a formidable candidate in the municipal election and simply put, he has much more to offer the B.C. Liberals than they have to offer him. Why run in a difficult riding against a popular incumbent for a party that may not even exist much longer? Juliet Andalis has still not recovered from her run against Jenny Kwan in 2005 and seems destined to be an also-ran.

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      GZLFB

      Oct 28, 2012 at 1:51am

      Kalaw shows great wisdom, exposing and refusing to go for the exploitation and cultural pander that often gets used. Even know he's a Liberal, without supporting the party, I would endorse his campaign assuming nothing better wasn't available on the ballot. He'd make it easier to vote BC Liberal. I know him, he is a helpful, well mannered, and respectable man. Even honest, I hope these things don't make him unelectable. - Gölök Z Buday, tentative Independent West End Exploratory Candidate. I'd hate to rely on the Hungarian vote alone when I ran, even if not refusing it.

      He is saying what MLK did about content of the Character.

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      Indira Singh Fajardo

      Oct 28, 2012 at 4:46pm

      Filipino-Canadians of Vancouver Kensington should welcome with cultural pride the announcement of Mr. Gabby Kalaw that he is running for MLA of the Riding. This is proof that there is abundant supply of Public Servant-Wannabees from the lot.

      Who to vote for boils down to qualifications. Educational accomplishments and professional experience are credentials of great value to being a member of the Legislative Assembly.

      Once Mr. Kalaw officially runs, he has to promise to appoint in his constituency office staff members who are trained to provide true service to the entire Riding constituency. This brand of service requires more than just speaking ethnic languages.

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      Mike Klassen*

      Nov 1, 2012 at 6:38am

      As a resident of Vancouver-Kensington I'm excited to have this contest in our riding. Of course, we are looking for an MLA who will represent everyone in this diverse and vibrant part of our city. I have always found MLA Elmore approachable, and have appreciated her efforts to connect with our community events. The fact that she was the first-ever elected member of the legislature who was of Filipino heritage is an important milestone for a proud and growing community.

      I had the pleasure to work closely with Gabby Kalaw throughout 2011, and have maintained a friendship with him since. Gabby impresses me with his intelligence, creativity and his sense of humour. I will be supporting his candidacy as I think he will make an excellent MLA to represent the whole of Vancouver-Fairview.

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