by Robbie Pangilinan

Vancouver - The new councilor of Vancouver Hector Bremner thanks the Filipino-Canadian community for supporting him in the recent Vancouver city council by-election.

“Thank you to the Fil-Canadian community for their support; they are the fastest growing community in Canada today,” said Bremner in an exclusive interview with ETOnline Manila Metropolitan Vancouver correspondent Tom Choy.

“I believe what unites the people of this nation, regardless of race or region or party, young or old, rich or poor, is the simple, profound belief in opportunity for all - the notion that if you work hard and take responsibility, you can get ahead,” shared the newly-elected councilor.

But for Bremner, politics is just a small part of his life. Outside of the political sphere, he works in communications and public policy. His whole life is devoted to his family – his Filipina wife and their two children.

“My family life is my life. My work, my political activity is because of them and for them.  And, certainly, I could not do anything without them. So, I am very grateful for their love and support, as well as every minute I get to spend with them,” said Bremner

“Her being Filipina has brought a lot of richness to my life, and I couldn’t imagine not having the energy and the love she and her family have offered me,” added the councilor.

Asked whether he will allow his children to also go into politics, Bremner says he just hopes that as they get older, they will be inspired to give back and work hard to make their society a better place. And he hopes his children see this in his actions and advocacies.

“I think that if anyone cares about their community, they should stand and take action, that said, nobody should run just to be in power, they should run to truly make a difference. So, as for allowing my children to go into politics one day, I would wholeheartedly support them, but only if they had a true cause,” he said.

Bremner sees that Vancouver has the land assets that can be leased for 99 years to build affordable housing, and so he thinks that the approval process for multi-purpose buildings needs to be hastened to cope with affordable housing demand.