First Filipina-Canadian cabinet minister ever in Canada is a Mississauga MP
Published July 26, 2023 at 1:04 pm
Mississauga-Streetsville MP Rechie Valdez added another “first” to her resume today (July 26) in Ottawa when she was sworn in as the first Filipina-Canadian cabinet member in the country’s history.
The rookie MP, elected to the federal seat in September 2021 to become the first-ever Filipina-Canadian to hold that post, was one of seven new cabinet ministers officially welcomed to their positions Wednesday in the nation’s capital by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other dignitaries.
A visibly emotional Valdez recited the oath of office inside Rideau Hall much to the audible delight and applause of many of her colleagues in attendance.
Valdez, 43, takes over as minister of small business.
In total, Trudeau dropped seven cabinet ministers in his latest shuffle, including Mississauga Centre MP Omar Alghabra, who from January 2021 to earlier this week served as federal transport minister.
Saying he didn’t plan to run in the next federal election, Alghabra stepped aside from his high-profile cabinet post on Tuesday of this week in advance of the Trudeau shuffle.
This week’s cabinet makeover also saw multiple current ministers change posts or add to their portfolios.
Mississauga-Streetsville MP and Minister of Small Business Rechie Valdez.
Having already made a significant impression both in her own community and in Ottawa, Valdez jumped onto the international stage last fall.
She was one of four Canadian women, identified as “trailblazers,” to be named recipients of the prestigious “Most Influential Filipina Woman in the World” Award.
The award has been handed out annually for nearly two decades by the U.S.-based Foundation for Filipina Women’s Network (FWN). It was launched in the U.S. in 2006 and expanded its search globally in 2013.
Since the award was introduced, 13 Canadians have been honoured.
In an interview with insauga.com last year, Valdez spoke on a range of subjects. One point she emphasized was that she wasn’t going to spend much time on a “learning curve” in federal politics, but instead was looking forward to a “direct climb upwards” as a first-time Member of Parliament.
Valdez handily defeated her Conservative opponent in the September 2021 federal election as part of a Liberal sweep in Mississauga to become the first-ever Filipina-Canadian to be elected a Member of Parliament.
The former corporate banker and entrepreneur, and present-day mother of two, is the second Filipino-Canadian to be in the House of Commons. Rey Pagtakhan represented the Liberals in Winnipeg North from 1988 to 2004.
Stepping inside the House of Commons for the first time–and every time since–has been something special for the self-described community builder.
“Sitting in the House of Commons is a real privilege…a magical experience,” Valdez told insauga.com in the March 2022 interview.
Valdez, who spent 15 years in corporate banking, also boasts a wide range of entrepreneurial and community service experiences.
As she puts it, she “became a baker, podcaster, non-profit executive, apparel marketer and basketball newbie in a few short years, just before turning 40.”