by Migrante Canada

We look back at the celebration of Filipino Heritage Month in June and are amazed at the different activities organized by Filipinos from across Canada. There were Filipino flag raisings in many cities, Pinoy festivals, poetry readings, Filipino indie film screenings, art workshops, picnics, an annual walk for Landed Status, public online programs on national sovereignty and real independence, songs and dances, and other events in many major cities.

Migrante Canada pays tribute to Paulina Balisi Corpuz who successfully led the push for the City of Toronto to declare June as Filipino Heritage Month (FHM), the first city in Canada to do so. A community leader and organizer, Paulina gathered signatures and endorsements from June 2016 till August 2017. In November 2017, Paulina and City Councillor Neethan Shan introduced the FHM Motion, and the City Council passed it unanimously.

Paulina Corpuz and her work inspired Member of Parliament Salma Zahid to file a private member’s motion to make June as Filipino Heritage Month across Canada.

In 2018, the Canadian Parliament unanimously adopted Motion 155 which declared the month of June of each year as Filipino Heritage Month in Canada. It read “That, in the opinion of the House, the government should recognize the contributions that Filipino-Canadians have made to Canadian society, the richness of the Filipino language and culture, and the importance of reflecting upon Filipino heritage for future generations by declaring June, every year, Filipino Heritage Month.”

Paulina Corpuz was the President and co-founder of Philippine Advancement of Arts and Culture (PATAC), a member organization of Migrante Canada. She was a champion and advocate of many community causes, from arts and culture, education, workers’ rights and politics, a commitment that she continued even after immigrating to Canada in 1993. Paulina Corpuz passed away on November 6, 2022

What a wonderful legacy Paulina has left us. ###