Creating a new path for genuine Settlement and Integration Presentation at the Metropolis Conference Ottawa, March 14, 2014 Cecilia Diocson – Executive Director, NAPWC

Counterspin conferences …… In the early spring of 2010, a network of progressive Filipino Canadian community organizations held a conference in Montreal to discuss the process of “creating and nurturing a new path for genuine settlement and integration” of Filipinos in Canada.

This three-year community-based research project was largely funded by Multiculturalism Canada in accordance with its mandate to: “assist in the development of strategies that facilitate full and active participation of ethnic and cultural communities … by assisting in the identification and removal of barriers to equitable access and by supporting the involvement of these communities in public decision-making processes.”

Project main concerns: Four key areas: Economic marginalization Combating systemic racism Enhancing women’s equality and genuine development Making the youth count

Some key findings and results … Filipinos are one of the fastest immigrant minority groups Filipino youth has second highest high school drop out rate International division of labour consigns Filipinos as providers of cheap labour in the global market for migrants and working people Immigration programs do not address structural and societal barriers to integration and settlement.

Conclusions and subsequent actions In the three year-period of project implementation, the project revolved around three main processes that had empowered many in the community and led to the next phase in our community work. These processes addressed the four key issues of (1) overcoming economic marginalization, (2) combating systemic racism, (3) enhancing women’s equality and development and (4) making the youth count in the community and Canada’s future – issues that we addressed as being part of the Canadian working class.

Three processes … The first process is knowledge production and capacity building. – Community-based participatory action research, academic collaboration, skills training in various aspects of community development, workshops and seminars and other educational activities were carried out successfully.

Three processes … The second process is the mobilization and initiatives for action. – Accumulation of knowledge and understanding of our situation in Canada led to and, in turn, was inspired by various community mobilizations and initiatives.

Three processes … The third process is organization building and consolidation. – The knowledge production and mobilization processes through collective and organizing efforts that inspire vision and direction.. – Vision and direction realized and sustained through systems and structures

Dialectics of the whole process … Interacting with and reinforcing each other, these three processes of knowledge production, mobilization and organization have become embedded in our work during the three-year period.

Back to the present … We have now embarked on the next phase of our community work taking into account the results of our research and learning the lessons of our past work. The first Counterspin conference fully summarizes our new direction in the struggle for genuine settlement and integration in Canada.

Counterspin statement …. “A new path for genuine settlement and integration is emerging in the progressive Filipino Canadian community…. a path leading to full participation and entitlement in a multi-ethnic and multicultural society within a world that is facing the crisis of neo- liberal globalization and the crisis of environmental degradation and climate change…a path critical of Canada’s official settlement and integration programs. We reject the path that consigns us as mere cheap labour appendages in the accumulation process of domestic and global capital. Instead, we will strive to create a new path that struggles against our economic marginalization and social exclusion; a new path that struggles against systemic racism; a new path that struggles to achieve women’s equality and development; and a new path that struggles for a bright future for the youth.” Thank you.