At least nine people were killed after an SUV was driven into a crowd at the Lapu Lapu day festival in Vancouver on Saturday.
Lapu Lapu day festival
The festival is celebrated in the central Philippines and by the wider Filipino diaspora. There are nearly 134,000 Filipinos living in Vancouver, Canada’s second biggest Filipino community.
Lapu Lapu day honours Datu Lapu Lapu who defeated Spanish forces led by Ferdinand Magellan at the Battle of Mactan in 1521 – seen as a symbol of resistance to colonisation. Lapu Lapu day received official recognition by the government of British Columbia in 2023.
Police response
Police said that they were investigating a “mass casualty incident,” and had arrested a 30-year-old Vancouver man at the scene.
Although an official motive has not been revealed, police said it was “not terror-related.” Canadian prime Minister Mark Carney said he was “devastated” by the incident, which took place two days before the country’s general election.
Wider implications
Canada’s reputation for being a haven for immigrants has put it in the firing line with the Trump administration. The number of non-US citizens emigrating from the US into Canada has been increasing steadily from 3,728 in 2010 to 17,353 in 2023.
The Canadian elections have great significance to its immigrant population. The 1% cap on immigration is likely to remain in place until housing has been expended. The Temporary Foreign Worker Program has been heavily criticised by the right with a crack-down on fraud for both foreign workers and foreign students being promised. Temporary residents make up 7.3% of the Canadian population.
While immigration remains a rallying point for the right across the world, the fear that incidents such as on Lapu Lapu day will become more commonplace grips the minds of those who travelled far to create new homes and contribute to their local economy. If the West is not careful, the uncertainty following the tariff war will add to the concerns of growing anti-immigrant ideology and will fundamentally reduce the attractiveness of the West to the talent it needs. Pandering to the right may win votes, but it will most certainly ruin economies and support China’s bid for global hegemony.
