![](https://philcongencalgary.org/public/blogs/2023/12/ph-consul-general-calls-on-alberta-minister-of-trade-immigration-and-multiculturalism20231212114158.jpg)
Calgary, 13 January 2023 – Consul General Zaldy Patron paid a courtesy call today on Alberta Minister of Trade, Immigration and Multiculturalism Rajan Sawhney at the McDougall Centre, the provincial government’s office in Calgary.
Consul General Patron briefed Minister Sawhney on the key provisions of the Philippines-Alberta MOU on the Recruitment of Filipino Nurses, which was signed on 6 October 2022, and sought her support for its implementation.
The Ministry of Trade, Immigration and Multiculturalism is one of the Alberta government agencies involved in the MOU’s implementation.
Minister Sawhney expressed appreciation to the Filipino nurses and healthcare workers for their important contributions to the province.
Consul General Patron also shared with Minister Sawhney the major cultural diplomacy projects of the Philippine Consulate General (PCG) in Calgary in 2022 and invited her to join some of the cultural activities of the PCG and the Filipino community this year.
He encouraged Minister Sawhney to visit the Dr. José Rizal Monument in Nose Creek Regional Park in Airdrie, Alberta, which has been designated as a Philippine Historical site by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.
The Rizal Monument in Airdrie, unveiled on 23 October 2021, was a project initiated and led by the PCG and undertaken in partnership with the Airdrie City Council, Filipino Airdrie Association, Rizal Monument Project Team, 46 major sponsors, and 201 brick donors
Following the successful conduct of the 1st Conference on Filipino Language and Culture on 15-16 October 2022 in Calgary, Consul General Patron asked Minister Sawhney’s support for the introduction of the Filipino Language and Culture subjects to more Alberta High Schools.
The conference, attended by 30 Filipino language teachers and educators in Calgary, Edmonton, and Saskatoon, was a joint project of the PCG with the National Commission for the Culture and the Arts of the Philippines, University of the Philippines Diliman, Philippine Cultural Center Foundation, and Filipino Canadian Saranay Association of Alberta.