PH Consul General Asuque Calls On Calgary MP Obhrai

Consul General to Calgary Gilberto G.B. Asuque (rightmost) and Deputy Consul General Zaldy B. Patron (middle) paid a courtesy visit to MP Deepak Obhrai (leftmost) at the latter’s Constituency Office in Calgary, Alberta, Canada on 11 September 2018. (Calgary PCG photo)

CALGARY 24 September 2018 – Philippine Consul General to Calgary Gilberto G.B. Asuque met with Member of Parliament (MP) for Calgary Forest Lawn Deepak Obhrai at the latter’s Constituency Office in Calgary on 11 September 2018 to explore ways for bringing consular services to Filipino-Canadians in the MPs district. 

Consul General Asuque and MP Obhrai also discussed a wide range of topics, including the Filipino diaspora in Canada, the bilateral relations between the Philippines and Canada, and Canada’s relations with ASEAN.

MP Obhrai spoke highly of the Filipino-Canadians, especially the 5,000 Filipino-Canadians out of the 100,000 residents in his riding. He described the Filipinos as hardworking, reliable, and law abiding. He sees the continued growth in people-to-people ties between the Philippines and Canada and he regards the two countries as strong partners in ASEAN.

The Consul General briefed MP Obhrai about the concept of ASEAN Smart City Network and informed him of the Consulate General’s ongoing promotion for Winter Escapade 6 travel tour to the Philippines on 28 January-04 February 2018.

MP Obhrai had been in the Philippines a number of times to represent Canada in bilateral meetings during his almost 10-year tenure as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

He is the longest-serving Conservative MP in Canada’s 42nd Parliament. The MP was first elected MP for Calgary East in 1997 and got re-elected five times before getting elected for the seventh time in October 2015 to represent the newly-formed Riding of Calgary Forest Lawn.

Under the administration of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, MP Obhrai was appointed as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (2006), Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Cooperation (2008), Parliamentary Secretary for International Human Rights (2013). He was also appointed to Her Majesty’s Privy Council for Canada in 2013. END

For more information, visit www.calgarypcg.dfa.gov.ph.