Canada's Filipino Community Hit Hard by Truck-ramming at Festival

About One Million of Country's 40 Million Identify as Being of Filipino Ethnic Origin

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VANCOUVER - The election eve truck-ramming that killed 11 people and injured dozens more in Vancouver sent waves of grief across Canada's Filipino community, integral to the country in part through many members' roles as caregivers.

A man drove through a crowded pedestrian zone during a Filipino cultural festival in the city, which is in the province of British Columbia, on April 26. Officials have arrested a suspect they said had a significant history of mental health issues, and said there was no evidence of terrorism in the attack that struck just before the April 28 general election.

The victims ranged in age from five to 65, officials said. Five-year-old Katie Le was killed with both her parents, Richard Le, 47, and Linh Hoang, 30, according to a Go Fund Me page that raised US$250,000 (S$327,300) for the family. Also among the dead was teacher and counsellor Kira Salim from a middle and secondary school, education officials announced.

Nearly one million of Canada's 40 million people identify as being of Filipino ethnic origin, and more than 172,000 Filipino Canadians are in British Columbia, according to the 2021 census.

Their influence extends across Canada as caregivers. Many Filipinas have carved out their place in the country by raising other people's children. Still others tend to the elderly, or have found careers as nurses or medical technicians.