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The Filipino community in Alberta in Canada has made a new push for more Filipino language classes in schools in the province.

The latest Canadian census showed that Filipino immigrants in Alberta grew by more than 47,000 since 2016.

Statistics Canada also reported that Filipino is now the language most spoken at home for almost 70,000 residents of Alberta. This was up significantly from the more than 55,000 also in 2016.

For Dr. Josephine Pallard of the Saranay Foundation of Edmonton, Canadians are now realizing that Filipinos speak several dialects.

She added that Filipino-Canadian youth should learn more of their language, as it would help them have a better grasp of their heritage.

"It's the preservation and the retention of heritage language and culture and tradition," Pallard said. "If you do not know how to identify yourself, then you are not really who you are.”

Alberta is home to 175,000 Filipinos, and is the second largest growing community in the province. But only a few schools offer Filipino language classes.

The Philippine Consulate General in Alberta and Saskatchewan previously held a conference in Calgary for teachers' training on Filipino language.

The event was held in partnership with the Philippines' National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the Saranay Foundation of Edmonton, and the Philippine Cultural Foundation of Calgary.

"The idea is to make them more effective in teaching Filipino language and culture to overseas Filipinos who were not born in the Philippines but would like to learn the language," said Consul General Zaldy Patron.

The event organizers and participants hope that the Alberta government will help them in bringing Filipino language classes in more schools.