CanadaPinoys

Newcomers to Canada have the flexibility to bring personal goods “to follow” into the country without paying duty. Deciding what items to bring with you on the plane, and what to ship as cargo “to follow” can be tricky. Likewise, you may have to create a list of personal belongings that will accompany you upon your arrival, and also another list of personal items to follow. It is always good to check Citizenship and Immigration Canada (www.cic.gc.ca) for the most current information.

The must-have items to bring are the following: essential documents (health, travel, certificates, etc.), a good selection of clothes that are appropriate for the climate, and funds that will cover your first few months stay. A laptop computer to get you connected to the internet will also be useful. If you don’t have a laptop, there are community centers and government services where you can access the internet (in Toronto, the public library is a good option).

During my first year in Canada, my friend suggested that I speak with a financial advisor to get me acquainted with the various investment tools available. He directed me to an independent advisor (he is not affiliated with any of the major banks). Best of all, his services were free (I didn't have to pay him any consultation fee.) Independent financial advisors usually make their money from commissions that they draw from the financial institutions where you invest your money. The other type of financial advisor charges a consultation fee for his time. These are both generally accepted industry practices.

Now let'sgo back to how you can be smart and save even more, and I will relate my story with my financial advisor later. Like most immigrants, you will need to bring sufficient money to help you settle down and cover living expenses while looking for employment. As I suggested in my other article entitled, Opening a Bank Account, you will want to open 2 types of accounts immediately after you land in Canada. You will need to decide what type of Canadian checking account package to sign up for. At the start, I will recommend that you pick the checking account that allows you unlimited transactions a month for a minimum balance (usually $3,500 or more). Since you won't have a Canadian credit card, I will recommend that you use your bank card for purchases at stores (so you don't have to keep too much cash on hand). You will want to keep additional spending money on top of the minimum monthly balance required by the bank. If you fall below this amount, the bank will automatically charge you the monthly fee which is around $13.  (Just imagine, $13 per month over one year is $156! You will need to find a bank that pays an annual interest of 4.4% on $3,500 before it makes sense to pay the monthly fee.)

Now if you brought in $10,000 and keep it mostly in your checking account or US dollar account, you will start to realize that the interest rates are painfully low! To give you an idea of current rates (as of 2010-07-14), the annual interest rate of a Scotiabank Canadian checking account is 0.000% for amounts below $10,000. Yes, you're reading it correctly - it's zero! The annual interest rate for a Scotiabank US Dollar Savings account is 0.010% for amounts below $5,000. Now, there are other investment avenues available to you, but you are still probably at the point where you want to be able to access your cash relatively easily and you feel you are not yet ready to take the plunge in RRSPs, RESPs, etc. (At this time of this article, I would not recommend GICs. This does not give you a lot of return for your money, and it restricts your access to your money.)

If you are on this website, chances are you have already made a decision to apply for immigration to Canada. However, let us assume for a moment that you are still trying to decide. Or maybe you are new to Canada, and you are now realizing that starting a new life in Canada is not what you had imagined, and you are now starting to question your decision. It seems like a no-brainer for Filipinos to migrate to Canada if given the opportunity. There are a lot of obvious benefits. Canada has a lot of programs to ensure a smooth adjustment for newcomers. However, let us explore both sides of living away from the Philippines so you can review your reasons for moving to Canada.

As I ponder about myself and my intention to get immersed in this CanadaPinoys website, I ask myself - Am I proud to be Filipino?  To be honest, I have difficulty answering this question. Uprooting my family and risking everything to move to a new country to ensure a brighter future for my children does not sit well with feelings of pride for the country I left.

However, if I were asked if I am proud to be Canadian, then I would immediately say, "Yes". Just like a slogan used in a series of Molson beer commercials that ran a few years ago, I can now relate to it and say, "I am Canadian!" Our family experienced great difficulty starting out in this country. We had lost nearly everything during our first few months due to unforseen circumstances. However, our lives did improve for the better. A number of government services and programs helped us with settling down and building our lives from the ground up. Even though our early days when we could barely cover our living expenses, I can distinctly remember how much I appreciated the opportunity to live in Canada. Water is clean and readily available. (This was not the case living in Paranaque.) Electricity is reliable (we hardly experience any brownouts). The air is clean (We don't have worry about dust, and thick smog that blankets the city every day.) I feel safe and secure (I don't have to worry about being kidnapped or wrongfully ticketed by corrupt policemen). You see the picture... 

Having lived in Canada for over 9 years now, my perspectives have evolved. I have started to feel more Canadian than Filipino. When Canada hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics in February this year, I definitely felt proud to be Canadian. We won a total of 26 medals.  Canada ranked 3rd  in total number of medals won by a country. Closer to home, the recently concluded summit meetings of the G8 in Huntsville and G20 in Toronto has me thinking to myself that we (as Canadians) are real participants and leaders in dealing with global issues. Yes there are many debates about the effectiveness and accountability of these high profile meetings. There are issues about leaders' promises not fully being realized and the billion dollars spent on security for the event. My Filipino side can't help but think - where is the Philippines in the global stage? Will we be relegated to merely recipients of aid from the richer nations, or can we hope to a time when the Philippines becomes a participant and even a leader in shaping the global agenda?

The on-going FIFA World Cup Soccer games is another example of contrast. While economically speaking, the Philippines ranks 132 in terms of GDP per capita (CIA Factbook), it is surprising that many countries that rank lower in the list have been able to get very far in this sport:

Country (CIA Factbook rank)
Cameroon (138)
North Korea (139)
Ivory Coast (142)
Nigeria (144)
Ghana (153)

But the reality is I am a Filipino-Canadian. I have just begun this process of re-examining my roots. As I search the internet, I begin to remind myself and realize that there are Filipinos that have shown excellence in their chosen fields:

Manny Pacquiao (Boxing)
Efren Bata Reyes (Billiards)
Arnel Pineda (Journey)
Jabbawockeez (Dance Crew)
Allan Pineda Lindo (Black Eyed Peas)
Peter Valdes - (co-Founder Tivoli Systems, an IBM Company)
Josie Natori (Fashion)
Monique Lhuillier (Fashion)
Jonathan and Julien de Guzman (Soccer)

For now my conclusion is this - While the Philippines as a country has not shown its leadership in the global arena, there continues to be Filipinos that demonstrate excellence on a personal level. I have no passion or interest in politics, and as such, I do not foresee myself getting involved in Philippine politics.  I do want to achieve excellence in what I do, but this is a personal commitment that goes beyond being a Filipino. So am I proud to be a Filipino? I want to be.