When everyone is reflected in our community, we are all better for it.

Our Mission

Filipinos, and other under-represented communities, play an important role in Canadian society. We live in small towns and big cities. We work in homes and in hospitals, in factories, farms and everything in between. We make our communities stronger… but are our interests and voices genuinely heard by our country’s policy makers? We feel undervalued, it is time for us to be heard.

Beyond Representation is a progressive community-driven movement of individuals and organizations committed to advocating for changes in society that will benefit us all.

When everyone is reflected in our community, we are all better for it. We want meaningful action that goes beyond empty gestures. Let’s move Beyond Representation, para sa lahat (for everyone).

Our Values

Beyond Representation is rooted in the practice of solidarity. We operate on the values of:

Anti-racism, anti-colonialism, and anti-oppression
Building community and strengthening friendships
Listening with empathy and a sincere search for mutual understanding
Equity of participation and independence of thought
The ability to make change through the power of storytelling, organizing and empowerment

Our Campaigns

In November 2020 Beyond Representation had a petition which was signed by over 2,500 people and dozens of organizations over five days calling on the BC NDP government to:

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Introduce Filipino language classes in BC’s public schools

In the 1970s, when the Filipino families began to immigrate in large numbers to BC and Canada, parents were told to only speak to their children in English. They were told their child will become confused if they learn a different language at home. Wanting to be good parents, they listened. And so a generation of Filipinos in Canada grew up without learning Filipino.

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Financially support the creation of a Filipino Community Centre

It’s been a long-time dream of the Filipino community in BC to have a community centre located in the lower mainland of British Columbia.

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Appoint Mable Elmore as a Minister to the Premier’s Cabinet

Representation matters. For BC’s more than 130,000 Filipinos, the need to be reflected in the province’s most powerful public policy decision making body is great. The lived-experience MLA Elmore would bring to the Cabinet table as the only MLA of Filipino-descent would have deepened and enriched the government’s understanding of this fast-growing community - and resulted in better and more effective policies and decisions.

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In addition to these calls, we are asking the provincial government to:

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Have greater representation of people from all backgrounds in BC’s Public Service

BC’s public service includes boards and commissions. It is important that these decision-making bodies reflect the communities they serve.

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Collect race-based data

The collection of race-based data is greatly needed to ensure the creation and implementation of effective public policies.