Envoy: More Pinoys needed in Canada

Ambassador Christopher Thornley, the Canadian envoy to the Philippines, said more jobs await Filipinos in Canada because they are well-educated and have good communication skills. According to a report posted on the news site Pinoy-OFW.com on Friday, Thornley said Canada is looking for more healthcare professionals, lawyers, teachers, and trade people. In the report, Thornley said the Filipino community is now the "largest among the ethnic groups" in Canada. With about 500,000 migrants, Filipinos have outnumbered Indians and Chinese. Thornley noted that most of the 250,000 slots for immigrants last year were handed out to Filipinos. "We issued more resident visas to Filipinos last year than all the other nationalities," he told Pinoy-OFW.com. Trade relations Aside from hiring more Filipinos, Thornley said in the report that Canada is also interested in developing trade relations with the Philippines, especially on agriculture, outsourcing, food, technology, insurance and other financial services. He told Pinoy-OFW.com that Canada has renewed confidence in the Philippines because of the Aquino administration's campaign against corruption. On tourism, Thornley said there should be more flights between Canada and the Philippines because Canadians love the country's warm weather and the people's ability to relate with them. "Canadians feel more comfortable traveling to places where people understand and can communicate with them," he said in the report. - RJMD/VVP, GMA News