After fighting back tears as she took the oath of office during the swearing-in ceremony, Rechi Valdez now explains what was going through her mind.

”I knew in that moment what it meant, not just for me and my family, but, of course, the almost one-million Filipino-Canadians across this country,” Valdez said.

She was born into a Filipino family that had immigrated to South Africa before moving here.

”I grew up in shorts and a t-shirt, and then I came to this incredible country in the middle of winter, December 1989.  I remember getting off a plane and putting a jacket on for the very first time.”

The 43-year-old Valdez adds her experience has prepared her to advocate for small business owners, because after working in banking for 15-years, she opened an independent bakery in 2016, that she ran before capturing the riding of Mississauga-Streetsville in the 2021 election.