Luso-Canada ‘First’: Mario Silva elected as Member of Parliament
In 2003, Mario Silva became the first Luso-Canadian to be elected to the Federal Parliament, representing the area of Davenport (Toronto). Mario Silva ran for the Liberal Party of Canada.
Silva, who was Toronto City Councilor from 1994 to 2003, was elected on June 28, 2003, but officially introduced as Member of Parliament on September 7 of that same year in a ceremony held at the House of Commons Reading Room. On that same day, Mario Silva was a special guest at the Portuguese Embassy, in Ottawa, where he was received by then Portugal’s Ambassador to Canada, João Pedro Silveira de Carvalho.
The occurrence coincidentally followed the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of Portuguese immigration to Canada.
“I will work diligently to be the voice of the Davenport Community in Ottawa. I will work closely with all residents to improve conditions in the community and in the country”, he stated at the time (statement published by Jornal Flash).
During his tenure as MP, Mario Silva was a member of various committees, parliamentary associations and interparliamentary groups. He lost his seat to Andrew Cash, in 2011.
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About The Author
Paulo Pereira
Paulo Pereira has worked in community media for over 20 years. He started as a reporter for Sol Portugues. Later, he became Editor of Team Desportivo, Director of Flash News, Director of Jornal da Aliança, Director of Luso-Ontario Magazine, and Editor at Correio da Manha Canada's newspaper. Paulo Pereira is also a co-founder of Associacao Migrante de Barcelos where he volunteered for many years as Secretary and Sporting Director. He also volunteered for Casa do Benfica de Toronto for close to a decade as member of the Board in roles such as Public Relations Director and Vice-President for Sports and Culture. Currently, he is the President of Project First Nations, a not-for-profit organization. In November of 2023, he was elected as a member of the Portuguese Community Council, representing the District of Toronto, which includes Ontario, Manitoba and Nunavut.