Vision of Canada
One could have dropped a pin and it would be heard, as there was silence as all eyes and ears were on International Women’s Day 2012 keynote speaker Angela Baines as she held a paper with those words. All at once, and while Baines was recounting her immigrant story in Europe and Canada, everyone started thinking about their own stories, their entry into Canada and the similar challenges that they faced as women.
Slice of Life
And it’s a fact disclosed to Filipino professionals – lawyers, doctors, accountants, architects, engineers, and many others — before they ever embark on a plane to Canada to claim First World lives.
But too often, these foreign-trained professionals refuse to believe it. They can’t believe all the hours they’ve spent in school, training, and work will ultimately mean nothing. They can’t believe their lives will change that dramatically, or that they won’t be given a chance, at the very least, to show what they can do.