Portuguese-Canadian History & Portuguese Communities in Canada

Lusocanada is a research and media platform dedicated to Portuguese-Canadian history, communities, and cultural heritage across Canada.

  • Jordan Mota – Making a Difference in the Arctic Circle

    Jordan Mota is a young Portuguese Canadian living in Nunavut where he works as a union representative. Although he has moved far from his place of birth and from the influences of his heritage, he still maintains some of the traditions his parents taught him.

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  • Portuguese Canadian Dictionary

    The evolution of language is a fascinating aspect of human culture, and the Portuguese Canadian community offers a unique insight into this process. With integration into Canadian society, Portuguese individuals have not only adapted to the English language but have also creatively molded it to fit their own linguistic heritage.

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  • Pioneers: An Old Bond Reignited by Family Ties

    This is the story of two pioneers who, in 1954, met aboard a ship heading for Canada and later lost contact. They were reconnected by chance when family members married ten years after they disembarked in Halifax.

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  • Sino-Luso Connection – Interacting and Growing Together

    The recently founded Sino-Luso Connection is led by Lias Cheong and Harris Rong. It intends to facilitate cultural exchanges between the Portuguese, Chinese, and Macanese in Canada, and strengthen the bonds between these communities.

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  • Where the Indigenous Don’t Call the Shots

    he following is a series of excerpts from ‘Where the Indigenous Don’t Call the Shots’ (translation from the Portuguese version named ‘Lá, onde os índios não mandam), a book recently released by a former Portuguese immigrant to Canada. The author has requested to remain anonymous until the book is released in Canada, at the end…

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  • Macau – the Merging of Two Worlds

    Macau is a Special Administrative Region located in southern China, near Hong Kong, that was under Portuguese administration from 1557 to 1999. The Macanese who arrived in Canada from the 1950s (the early stages of immigration) to the end of the 20th century, did so with a Portuguese passport. Thus, their story is part of…

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  • ELLIOT LAKE: Once a Vibrant Community

    Elliot Lake once had a vibrant Portuguese community with a folklore dance group and a local television program, among many other activities. It is not so any longer.

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  • Pioneers: The Extraordinary Story of António Rodrigues

    António Pereira Rodrigues was born on July 25, 1925, in the village of Ázere, Arcos de Valdevez. As a member of the Portuguese Navy, he saw the world. To escape Salazar’s regime, he chose Canada as his permanent home. In 1956, less than a year after his arrival, he brought the union to his workplace…and…

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  • Marie-Josephe Angélique – slave born in Madeira accused of burning Old Montreal

    Marie-Josephe Angélique was a slave in New France (Quebec) who became famous for allegedly burning part of present Old Montreal. Born in Madeira, Portugal, around the year 1705, she was sold at a young age to a Flemish man named Nichus Block, who was responsible for bringing her to North America.

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  • Birth by Soccer, a Usual Occurrence

    Several Portuguese community associations in Canada were formed out of soccer teams. One such was Poveiros Community Centre, formerly known as Casa dos Poveiros – Varzim Sport Club de Toronto. Justino Moreira, although not an official founder, started the movement in 1984 after he returned from Portugal with a set of Varzim soccer uniforms.

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