Stitching History: Filipina Garment Workers In Winnipeg

This research project examines the working experiences of Filipino women who moved to Winnipeg in the 1960s and 1970s to become garment workers. Findings are drawn from oral history interviews with Filipina garment workers who arrived between 1968 and 1974. The participants, who have become pioneers in Winnipeg’s Filipino community, will be a part of Canadian history that has, so far, been poorly documented. This paper will also examine the garment industry in Winnipeg prior to the arrival of the first Filipina garment workers, as well as the push and pull factors which led to their migration from the Philippines.