“Well, you know, it’s funny. I never thought that I would become an elected representative. I was just interested. I volunteered with the community. I enjoyed helping people, and it just kind of took me down this path of running for elected office where I was asked to run,” MLA Mable recalls.
She was an underdog candidate. “I was running against the star candidate and so no one thought I would win. It was a big surprise,” she says, adding that her victory was due to the strong support from the community.
Mable Elmore carved her legacy as the first and so far, the only person with Filipino roots to become a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in the Canadian province of British Columbia, representing the Vancouver-Kensington Legislative District.
“I made history to win the nomination. and become elected. But it was a collective history as well that the community participated in and was part of this history,” she adds.
First elected in 2009, MLA Elmore is now in her 4th term and remains the only one with Filipino roots. She was reelected in May 2013, May 2017, and October 2020. During the British Columbia Women’s Month 2014, she was recognized as among the Women Parliamentary Trailblazers.
In December 2022, Mable Elmore was appointed as the province’s Parliamentary Secretary for Anti-Racism Initiatives to the Attorney General. She had served as the Parliamentary Secretary for Seniors Services and Long Term Care and as Parliamentary Secretary for Poverty Reduction.
Mable’s mom, Maria Tabotabo who hails from Tuburan, Cebu, went to Canada in 1965 to work as a nurse. “She married my dad. He’s originally from Ireland. I’m a mixed race. I was born and raised in Langley, British Columbia.
She was 10 years old when she first visited Tuburan together with her mother and sister. This visit made a lasting impression on her. They stayed there for three months, during which the town fiesta was celebrated.
“There was a big celebration and the family prepared the food for many days. And you know, there were people lined up. So, I asked my mom why we were preparing so much food and why there were so many people who were coming to eat and carry food away. And my mom explained to me that the family has a tradition of helping those who are less fortunate,” she says.
This made an impact on her and influenced her when she was elected to represent her constituents and her electoral district which had the highest concentration of Filipino community as well as diverse immigrant communities. Her early experiences and her cultural connection to the Filipino community helped shape her approach to public service.
Before she joined politics, Mabel worked as a transit operator for 10 years. She became an active member of the Canadian Auto Workers Local 111 union and led successful campaigns as a transit advocate.
As the Parliamentary Secretary for Poverty Reduction, she was also the co-chair of the Advisory Forum on Poverty Reduction, which provided insights and guidance to the Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction in coming up with a poverty reduction strategy that would reduce overall poverty by 25 percent. At the time, British Columbia was the only province in Canada without a poverty reduction plan.
The Advisory Forum conducted consultations with various sectors across the province such as business leaders, and elected officials, and brought the community together to talk about the challenges of poverty and how they can collectively take steps that can break that cycle and provide support, she explained.
“I was able to bring in legislation and the official poverty reduction plan in British Columbia and take steps in reducing poverty,” MLA Mabel said.
As Parliamentary Secretary for Senior Services and Long Term Care, she oversaw a significant program for public health care.
The previous government had contracted out in private a good number of healthcare workers in hospitals.
She recalled that it was the largest mass layoff in Canadian history of immigrant women. “It was a 20-year process to bring them back in-house. They were bringing them back in to help with the health care system. So, workers had access to pensions, increased pay, better benefits, better opportunities,” MLA Mable said.
In her present position as Parliament Secretary for Anti-Racism Initiatives to the Attorney General, she is committed to bringing in anti-racism legislation.
“This is an area that I’m very passionate about in terms of providing opportunities for Filipino community, racialized communities to have the reality of institutionalized racism in British Columbia and Canada. So, we’re going to take good steps to level that playing field and ensure that we have opportunities. I think more success and more opportunities for racialized communities to be represented at all levels of leadership,” she added.
She also committed to building a Filipino cultural center. The Filipino community is among the largest immigrant community in Canada with 200,000 in British Columbia and about a million across the country so the connection to the Philippines is very strong.
On the cultural aspects, there will be a Lapulapu Day on April 27 across British Columbia. There will be a block party, like a street festival with around 100 vendors offering different goods and services. The event which will also feature Filipino, Canadian, and American artists is supported by the city of Vancouver. “They’re going to be lighting up the bridge in the town hall, in the city hall, and that covers the city side.” Last year, they also held a Lapulapu Day.
“I see a lot of potential in terms of the diaspora community (14:50) in British Columbia and Canada to help support and connect with the Philippines. There are those natural connections. There are family ties,” she said.
She also cited the possibility of providing support for local businesses in the Philippines such as capacity development and access to capital as well as trade opportunities.
