Mable Elmore Makes History As B.C’s First Filipino MLA
VICTORIA— Voters in British Columbia made history in May by electing New Democrat Mable Elmore as the province’s first Filipino Member of the Legislative Assembly.
Elmore represents the constituency of Vancouver-Kensington after winning 9,930 votes in the May 12 
Mable Elmoreprovincial election. Her nearest competitor garnered 7,678 votes.
She was formally sworn in as an MLA on Monday, June 8. The swearing in ceremony was followed by a well-attended celebratory dinner put on by Victoria’s Filipino community.
“It’s an honour to represent the people of Vancouver-Kensington,” said Elmore. “And I’m also looking forward to bringing a Filipino-Canadian perspective to the legislature.”
Elmore is currently setting up her community office, which will be opened later this month. She is already dealing with a wide variety of concerns from her constituents on issues such as affordable housing, class sizes in schools, and workplace conditions.
“I am really looking forward to standing up for my constituents on the issues that matter to them,” she said. “Especially in tough economic times, people need a strong voice in Victoria.”
New Democrat Leader Carole James was excited to welcome Elmore to the team.
“As a party we’ve made a commitment to bringing more diverse community voices into the legislature. It’s exciting to have British Columbia’s first Filipino MLA join our team in Victoria.”
Elmore was born in Langley in 1969, four years after her mother immigrated to Canada from Cebu in the Philippines.
Elmore has lived in Vancouver for the past 20 years. For the 10 years prior to her election, she was a bus driver with the regional transit system. She is well known in the community as lifelong activist for peace and human rights.
