When Forrest Move, curator for Library and Archives Canada (LAC), first dug into the historical past of Filipinos in Canada, he was solely anticipating to search out some remoted or uncommon instances of people migrating from the Philippines.
However listed amongst early Twentieth-century log data that accompanied the Canadian Pacific steamship companies between Victoria, B.C., and Manila, Philippines, Move says, have been glimpses of the lives of individuals who lived at the moment, together with the primary dozen recorded Filipinos in Canada.
“Actually, we all know concerning the migration that started within the Nineteen Sixties and the colourful group that exists at the moment,” he says. “However to search for a few of the antecedents, to search for a few of the earliest Filipino settlers in Canada. I wasn’t anticipating to search out as a lot as I did.”
How the mission began
Sporting blue gloves, Move rigorously held the outdated ship manifests with each fingers from its field and positioned them onto the desk. Its corners are darkened, wrinkled, and the pages are sure by what appears to be like like a pink ribbon on the high left, stamped with a hanging, chipped crimson seal.
“This seal proper right here is the harbour service of Hong Kong indicating that the log had been sealed for inspection there,” he says, pointing on the crimson seal, including these logs have been saved by captains or officers of the Canadian Pacific steamships Empress of Russia and Empress of Asia, two of the transpacific passenger ships that journey between Vancouver and Manila through China, Japan, and Hong Kong within the Nineteen Thirties.
Flipping by way of the papers, Move paused on the web page with numerous purple, inexperienced and crimson stamps pointing to the stamp on the bottom-left nook. “Right here you see the British Consulate Normal in Manila, the date of arrival, 1931.”
For a lot of, it could be outdated log data; however for Move, it gives a glimpse into the lives of Canadians within the early Twentieth century and the lesser-known historical past of Filipinos in Canada.
In 1931, a person born in Manila travelled aboard these ships to go to his father’s cousin in Toronto.
In 1933, a Filipino lawyer visited Banff on trip.
In 1929, a Pentecostal missionary returned to London, Ont. from the Philippines.
“This was a larger journey than it might be at the moment whether or not for Canadian vacationers to the Philippines or Filipino immigrants to come back to Canada,” he says.
Intrigued by the hints, Move dug by way of the archives and accessible censuses as early as 1901.
The primary Filipinos on file
Twelve individuals of Filipino descent have been recorded within the 1901 census knowledge, in accordance with Library and Archives Canada.
One iron moulder named Mariano Gomez was recorded in Merrickville, Ont. He was, in accordance with the company, the one Filipino within the province on the time.
Picture from the Library and Archives Canada
Eleven have been in B.C.: 4 individuals in Vancouver, and 7 fishermen have been on Bowen Island, together with Fernando and Mary Toreenya, who got here to Canada in 1881.
Picture credit score: Library and Archives Canada
“There have been quite a lot of Filipino labourers I discovered in Vancouver, and that’s to be anticipated. This was a serious Pacific port,” says Move. “What I wasn’t anticipating was a small group in Bowen Island, a bit of means away from Vancouver, it’s a bit out of city even at the moment.”
Picture credit score: Library and Archives Canada
“We don’t essentially consider immigration to small-town Canada within the early a part of the Twentieth century, and but right here we discover a Filipino group in a really, very distant a part of B.C… One wonders how they ended up there, how the primary settler arrived in Bowen Island, and what satisfied him to encourage others to come back and be a part of him,” the historian provides.
In 2024, the Metropolis of Vancouver declared April 11 as Benson Flores Day, commemorating the person who’s believed to be the primary identified Filipino settler, 95 years after his passing.
Benson Flores was a fisherman, a beachcomber, and the proprietor of a ship rental enterprise on the island. He got here to British Columbia in 1861, 10 years earlier than the province grew to become a part of Canada.
Benson Flores. Picture courtesy of the Bowen Island Museum and Archives
The United Filipino Canadian Associations in B.C. (UFCABC) says these findings carry delight to Canada’s Filipino group.
“It’s the first time we’ve seen Filipinos on file,” says Clifford Belgica, UFCABC’s program director. “Earlier than this data got here out, we have been informed the primary wave of Filipinos have been within the Nineteen Thirties, you already know, tannery staff, after which the 50s, the nurses and so forth. However now we’re transferring ahead.”
Transcription errors, language obstacles have an effect on accuracy
In line with Statistics Canada, censuses started asking about a person’s birthplace, citizenship, and interval of immigration as of 1901.
“The historic census knowledge have been at all times a problem as a result of the standard of data is simply pretty much as good because the enumerators who crammed out the types,” says Move, pointing to the truth that enumerators sometimes spoke solely English and French. “They wouldn’t have been acquainted with Tagalog spelling or names, so we discover names which are transcribed in uncommon methods.”
Different challenges embrace the digitization of census data and the way people have been recognized.
“The optical character recognition programs used to transcribe these data aren’t excellent,” Move says. “One household in Quebec Metropolis have been recognized within the index as from the Philippines, however within the unique data, they’re in truth from Philadelphia.”
“This was merely a transcription error both in a part of human or software program system.”
One other problem, in accordance with the historian, is how the people have been recognized.
“One Filipino settler whom I discovered in Merrickville (Ont.) is recognized as being born within the Philippines and being ethnically Filipino. In one other census, he’s recognized as from Brazil,” Move says.
“I’m wondering if it’s a query of a language barrier or the sloppiness of the enumerator not taking the time to find out the place this particular person is from.”
Twentieth-century tourism and early Filipino-American experiences in Canada
Move factors to a 1934 tourism brochure advertising and marketing Asia to Canadian vacationers, selling Canadian Pacific steamship travels by way of nations corresponding to Japan and China, with its final cease on the Philippines, marketed because the “Pearl of the Orient.”
Photographs from Library and Archives Canada
However amongst these boarding these steamships in Asia are Filipino migrants travelling to the U.S. by way of Canada.
Filipinos in transit to the U.S. Picture from Library and Archives Canada
“Their first expertise in North America would’ve been touchdown in Victoria,” says Move. “Their first sight of North America would’ve been Vancouver Island or Victoria.”
Filipinos in transit to the U.S. Picture from Library and Archives Canada
Highlighting early Canada-Philippines ties
In an announcement to OMNI Information, the Philippine Embassy in Canada extends its appreciation to LAC for uncovering the historic data, saying, “these findings enrich our understanding of the deep roots and long-standing contributions of the Filipino diaspora to Canadian society, and function a reminder that Filipino migration to Canada started sooner than well known.”
“We proceed to ask establishments corresponding to Statistics Canada and different tutorial researchers to construct on LAC’s work and additional discover and doc the migration historical past of Filipinos in Canada,” the embassy provides.
“That is within the hope of strengthening the bonds between the Philippines and Canada and provoking the subsequent technology of Filipino-Canadians to take delight of their heritage.”
Making the previous seen and accessible
For these excited about looking out their household historical past, Canada’s census returns have been digitized and are searchable from 1825 to 1931, in addition to immigration data, together with passenger lists, by way of the Library and Archives Canada’s Family tree and Household Historical past webpage.
“When individuals take into consideration the gathering of LAC, the issues that may come to thoughts are the proclamation of the structure,” Move says. “However there are additionally tales of communities that may be teased out of census data, passenger data, small mentions in authorities correspondence that may in any other case be misplaced.”
Move says by way of the file, it’s essential to do not forget that Canada has at all times been a multicultural nation and that there are traces of vibrant communities from completely different components of the world settling at an early date.
