Portuguese Canadians

Portuguese Canadian

Notable Portuguese Canadians: Nelly Furtado • Mário Silva • Brian Melo
Total population
Portuguese 410,850 Canadians Roughly 1.3% of Canada's population
Regions with significant populations
Toronto, Ontario:  171,545 Montreal, Quebec:  46,535 Mississauga, Ontario:  31,795 Vancouver, British Columbia  20,335 Kitchener, Ontario:  17,220 Hamilton, Ontario:  14,110 Cambridge, Ontario:  10,685 London, Ontario:  10,525 Winnipeg, Manitoba:  10,315 Ottawa, Ontario:  9,910 Edmonton, Alberta:  7,760
Languages
Predominantly English, French(in Quebec) and Portuguese and/or its dialects.
Religion
Predominantly Roman Catholic

Portuguese Canadians (Portuguese: luso-canadianos) are both Canadians born with Portuguese descent or citizenship or Portuguese born with Canadian descent or citizenship . According to StatCan, in 2006, there were 410,850 persons of Portuguese descent living in Canada, or 1.3% of the nation's total population. Most Portuguese Canadians live in Ontario 282,865 (69%), followed by Quebec 57,445 (14%) and British Columbia 34,660 (8%).

History of Portuguese in Canada

The Portuguese Canadian community, chose 2003 as the year to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their officially-sponsored immigration to Canada. The Honourable David Collenette, Minister of Transport and Minister Responsible for Canada Post, said that "the Portuguese Canadian community is a vibrant group that enriches the Canadian mosaic with its history, language, culture and work ethic." He added that Canada Post was proud to be issuing a stamp honouring Portuguese Canadians during the month of June when cultural celebrations honouring the life of 16th century poet Luís de Camões, considered to be Portugal's greatest poet, are taking place in many communities across the country.

Portugal played a pioneering role in the explorations of the New World in the 15th and 16th centuries. In the 15th century, Prince Henry of Portugal, better known as Henry the Navigator, established a school of navigation in Sagres, in the Algarve region of Portugal. From this school emerged explorers who found their way to the Indies, South America, North America and Africa, including Gaspar Corte-Real, who was one of the earliest discoverers of Canada. Corte-Real explored the northeast coast of "Terra Nova", naming Conception Bay, Portugal Cove, and Labrador, named after Portuguese explorer João Fernandes Lavrador.

During the 1950s, a large number of immigrants from the Azores and Madeira, fleeing political conflict with the regime of António de Oliveira Salazar, moved into the downtown core of Canada's major cities such as the area of Portugal Village in Toronto, Ontario and further west along Dundas Street to Brockton Village. The stretch of Dundas Street passing through Brockton Village is also known as "Rua Açores". From the 1970s, increasing numbers of Brazilians moved into the same area.

Montreal has the second most populous number of Portuguese immigrants with an estimated 47,000. Most started immigrating in the 1960's and settled in the Le Plateau-Mont-Royal mainly around Saint Laurent Boulevard and Rachel Street. Many Portuguese stores and restaurants are located in Little Portugal.

Hamilton, Ontario also has a solid Portuguese community concentrated in the downtown core around Barton and James Street and nearby the St. Mary's Roman Catholic church. This area in Hamilton is known as "Jamesville" and is shared with a neighbouring Italian population.

Notable Portuguese Canadians

Historical

• Pedro da Silva - First post courier in New France.

Film and television

• Louis Ferreira - Actor (sometimes credited as 'Justin Lewis') that has appeared on nine different TV series to date.

Literature

• Anthony de Sá - Novelist and short story writer.
• Erika de Vasconcelos - Novelist

Music

• Keshia Chanté - Singer, songwriter, and actress.
• Nelly Furtado - Singer, songwriter, and actress.
• Anthony Gomes - Canadian blues and blues-rock guitarist and singer.
• Brian Melo - musician, winner of Canadian Idol season five.
• Lucas Silveira - Singer/guitarist of rock band The Cliks.
• Danny Fernandes - Pop/R&B singer and dancer; younger brother of Shawn Desman.
• Shawn Desman - pop singer and dancer.

Philanthropy

• Ana Lopes - Chair of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra's Board of Directors; Vice-chair of the CAMH Foundation's Board of Directors.

Politicians/ Law

• Paul Ferreira - New Democratic Party Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for York-South Weston from February 2007 to October 2007.
• Peter Fonseca - Minister of Labour of Ontario and member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament (2003).
• Keith Martin (PC, MP, BSc, MD) - Physician and politician.
• Mário Silva - former Liberal Member of Parliament for the Davenport region in Toronto and former Toronto City Councilor.
• Charles Sousa - Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Mississauga.
• José Costa - First portuguese prosecutor for the City of Montreal.

Sports

• Daniel Fernandes - Portuguese-Canadian footballer who participated in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
• Mike Ribeiro - Professional ice hockey player for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL).
• John Tavares - Professional ice hockey player drafted first overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Islanders; has been interviewed by media from Portugal and speaks the language fluently (half Portuguese, half Polish).
• John Tavares - Professional lacrosse player for the Buffalo Bandits; uncle of John Tavares (ice hockey).
• Justin Azevedo - Professional ice hockey player in the Los Angeles Kings' hockey organization.
• Drew Doughty- Professional ice hockey player for the Los Angeles Kings; part Portuguese.
• Steve Martins - Former professional ice hockey player for the Hartford Whalers, Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Islanders, St. Louis Blues and Ottawa Senators.
• Emanuel Viveiros - Former professional ice hockey player for the Minnesota North Stars.

Miscellaneous

• Emanuel Jaques - Victim of a high-profile murder in Toronto.

Groups

Some Portuguese-Canadians adopt the name Luso-Canadians for their local social and business clubs in reference to Lusitania, the ancient name associated with Portugal under the Roman empire. The attendance growth of organizations indicate the growth in small business and universities throughout the community. Leading as a national voice one can find the "Congresso" Luso-Canadiano National Congress.

Portuguese-Canadian business groups

• Federation of Portuguese-Canadian Business and Professionals

Portuguese-Canadian Educational groups

• Portuguese Association of Ryerson, PAR

Portuguese Publications

• Lusitania - Canada's monthly celebrating the Portuguese world.
• Portugal News - News from Portugal, in English and Portuguese.
• Voz Lusitana - Portuguese/English monthly newspaper.

See also

• List of Portuguese people
• Luso American
  • List of Portuguese Americans
• Portuguese British
  • List of Portuguese Britons

Further reading

• Teixeira, Carlos; Victor M. P. Da Rosa (2009), The Portuguese in Canada: diasporic challenges and adjustment, University of Toronto Press, ISBN 978-0-8020-9833-7, http://books.google.ca/books?id=XEjAaU3aZugC&lpg=PP1&dq=Canadian%20History&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=true 

External links

• Distinguished Americans & Canadians of Portuguese Descent