FLOR MARCELINO: New Opposition Leader in Manitoba

FLOR MARCELINO: New Opposition Leader in Manitoba

By Mila Astorga-Garcia

Filipino-Canadian Flor Marcelino was recently appointed interim leader of the Manitoba NDP. Marcelino has represented the riding of Logan as an MLA since 2007.

Marcelino takes on this new position in challenging times for the Manitoba NDP as the party is still hurting from an election loss almost a month ago, that dropped them to just 14 seats in the Legislature. Before that the NDP was Manitoba’s ruling party for 17 years.

Favoured for her being a team player, according to NDP colleagues, Marcelino has also held important cabinet positions since 2009, the latest being the Minister of Multicuralism and Literacy. She was chosen both by the caucus and the party executive to lead the NDP until a permanent leader is chosen.

“She was chosen by caucus. She’s someone that everyone around the table feels they can work with,” according to Party Secretary Keith Bellamy, as reported in The Winipeg Press.

Marcelino fills the post of former Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger, who resigned as NDP leader after the party’s election loss.

Born in the Philippines, she migrated to Canada and has resided with her family in Winnipeg since 1982. Before she became a politician, Marcelino ran a small business and was editor of a community newspaper, aside from being a community advocate for social causes.

The Philippine Reporter contacted Marcelino for an interview regarding her promotion to Manitoba’s NDP leadership, a significant milestone in her political career.

The Philippine Reporter: What were the considerations that led to your being chosen for the Interim Leadership of the NDP in Manitoba? For how long would this be interim; how can this be made permanent — is there a process?

FLOR MARCELINO: Pleasantly similar to how I became an MLA in 2007, I did not plan to be an interim leader of the Manitoba NDP. Then, I accepted the invitation to go into politics because of my deep belief in the core values of the Manitoba NDP: social inclusion, justice, and helping society’s most vulnerable. I have always fought hard to maintain these values. These values have guided me in my work in my constituency and as a Minister of the Crown. When our party leader stepped down recently, I knew it was time for me to step up and keep doing this work for Manitobans. As the first woman of colour elected to the Manitoba Legislature, I am a role model to the Filipino community and other ethnic groups. I felt it was important to take a leadership role to help our party through this difficult transition as well as inspire immigrants to this province that are a core part of our identity and future.

I will be the interim leader until our members elect a new leader. I am humbled and honoured by the chance to lead this party for the time being and am not seeking to be elected as leader.

TPR: What are your plans as interim head of the NDP in Manitoba that will help strengthen the Party. What would you consider its priority challenges that you would attend to as leader, why, and how do you intend to do this?

FM: My plan is first and foremost to listen to our members and build trust. We are a grassroots party and the last election indicated to us that we need to return to these roots to cultivate a strong community of progressive Manitobans who have a shared vision of a Manitoba where no one is left behind. I want to hear from NDP members and concerned citizens in all regions of our province what they want to see the Official Opposition do. Secondly, I would like to work towards unity and reconciliation in our party.

My priority challenges are helping our new Caucus work effectively together in the House and in our communities. I am very proud to be leading such a diverse team with a wealth of experience and passion for the issues that matter. They are looking to me for leadership to funnel this energy in a way that best serves Manitobans. Three of our representatives are brand new to politics and many are taking on new roles as critics. It is up to me to guide our way forward as a team. I do this by promoting an open and collaborative approach to decision-making. We are all learning from one another and contributing our collective strengths to presenting a unified and effective opposition.

I believe I am the first person of colour to be interim leader of Manitoba NDP and the first woman of colour to lead NDP in any other province or territory. Manitoba Liberal Party elected a woman of colour as their leader but she resigned last week. As for a Canadian of Philippine descent, yes, I am the first in Manitoba and in any other parts of Canada.

TPR: Such leadership in Big P Canadian politics has never been reached by a a Filipina. This is a most welcome development. How do you see this in terms of its significance to the participation of Filipino-Canadians in Canadian politics.

FM: I am the first Filipina to be in a leadership role in a major political party in Canada and I pray many more will follow suit. When you look at the Manitoba Conservatives, they only have one member that is not Caucasian and Brian Pallister said publicly that gender parity is not something he is concerned about. But in the Manitoba NDP, we are an incredibly diverse group. We are hearing a lot of exclusionary and racist rhetoric around the world these days, but New Democrats have been blazing the trail to welcome politicians from all backgrounds. I was the first female woman of colour in the Legislature, my colleague Mohinder Saran was the first Indo-Canadian to be a Cabinet Minister in Manitoba, half of our caucus are Indigenous and people of colour. I am grateful to be in a party that is supportive, open, and inclusive.

Manitoba and Canada have a strong history of people breaking ground and I am proud to follow in the footsteps of other Filipino women and immigrants who worked hard for my generation and those following to have the opportunity to fulfill their potential and change the political landscape in Canada, which benefits everyone.