(L-R) Consul General Zaldy Patron, Associate Minister of Immigration and Multiculturalism Mohammad Yaseen, and Minister of Transportation Rajan Sawhney led the raising of the Philippine flag at the McDougall Centre in Calgary on 2 June 2022 to mark the start of the Filipino Heritage Month.

Calgary, 2 June 2022 – To mark the start of the Filipino Heritage Month, which is being observed throughout Canada every June, the Alberta Government organized a flag-raising ceremony at noon time of 2 June 2022 at the McDougall Centre, the Calgary office of the Alberta Government.

Representing Alberta Premier Jason Kenney at the event were Associate Minister of Immigration and Multiculturalism Mohammad Yaseen and Minister of Transportation Rajan Sawhney. Consul General Zaldy Patron, in turn, represented the Philippine Government. The three officials raised the Philippine flag on the ground of the McDougall Centre.

In his remarks, Consul General Patron expressed his gratitude to the Government of Alberta, led by Premier Kenney, for organizing the flag-raising ceremony to honor the 175,000-strong Filipino community of the province.

He also highlighted the positive contributions of the Filipino community to the economic growth and cultural diversity of Alberta.

Likewise, Consul General Patron underscored the active role that the Philippine Consulate General plays in promoting Filipino culture and heritage in the province through major cultural diplomacy projects, such as the installation of the Dr. Jose Rizal Monument in Nose Creek Regional Park in the City of Airdrie on 23 October 2021 and the promotion of Filipino cuisine through the successful Filipino Restaurant Month in Canada that was held in April 2022. END.

(L-R) Associate Minister of Immigration and Multiculturalism Mohammad Yaseen, Minister of Transportation Rajan Sawhney, and Consul General Zaldy Patron during the flag-raising ceremony at the McDougall Centre in Calgary on 2 June 2022.

Consul General Zaldy Patron delivering his remarks at the McDougall Centre in Calgary on 2 June 2022 in observance of the Filipino Heritage Month.

Some members of the Filipino community of Calgary who joined the flag-raising ceremony at the McDougall Centre in Calgary on 2 June 2022.