PHL eyes job opportunities for Pinoys in Canadian Maritimes

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said job opportunities are available for Filipinos in the Maritime Provinces of Nova Scotia as well as Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada.

In a news release, Philippine Ambassador to Canada Leslie Gatan said: “The Canadian Maritimes are brimming with unprecedented economic activity (that would have) the potential to radically change the economic and demographic landscape of Eastern Canada.”

The Maritime provinces —  also called the Maritimes or the Canadian Maritimes — is a region of Eastern Canada.

Once dependent on the fishing industry, high economic activity in the area is due to the booming oil and gas industry, stimulating the manufacturing and services sector across the region.

 

The proximity of offshore oil and natural gas production in the Hibernia, the Terra Nova, and the White Rose oil fields is “literally fuelling econ.omic activity that is driving population growth and commercial development," said Gatan.

The maritime area is getting a further boost from shipbuilding activity in the Halifax shipyards in Nova Scotia, which will be ground zero for a 30-year $25-billion military shipbuilding contract from the Royal Canadian Navy.

 

“In the event the Maritime Provinces would need help not only from within Canada but also from without, the Philippines  stands ready to partner with the Maritimes,” Gatan said.

According to the travel site Rough Guides, "Canada's Maritime Provinces – Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island – are the country's three smallest provinces and their combined population of around two million has been largely confined to the coasts and river valleys by the thin soils of the forested interior."

Rough Guides noted that the economies of the Canadian Maritimes "were prospering from the export of fish and timber and the success of their shipyards."

 

Gatan said Filipinos in the Canadian Maritimes are highly regarded due to their work ethic and friendliness.

 

The Filipinos also received praise for the high quality of work they perform. He also welcomed the possibility of engaging the services of Filipino manufacturing expertise and worker skills.

 

“We will pursue win-win collaborations to the extent possible,” said Gatan.

 

There are 667,674 Filipinos in Canada according to the 2010 stock estimate of the Commission of Filipinos Overseas (CFO)