Montreal: The Second Largest Portuguese City in Canada

When the first Portuguese arrived in Canada, they were required to work in a specific sector for one full year before they could find another job or call for their families to join them. Most of those who arrived in the first and second waves of immigration (1953 to 1974), ended up settling in larger cities such as Montreal. Naturally, the ones who followed, either via sponsorship or acquaintance, also chose these metropolises as their destination. In Montreal, for the next forty years after Saturnia docked at Pier 21 in 1953, the population grew substantially and, with it, the physical, cultural, sporting, and social imprints of our presence in the city.

The community began to form in the neighbourhood of Saint-Louis, in the Plateau Mont-Royal, due to the low price of housing in this area. Previously mainly a Jewish district, this neighbourhood was quickly inhabited by Europeans that included Portuguese, Greeks, Italians, Polish, Ukrainians, and Yugoslavians. In 1976, a study conducted by Serviço de Informação Comunitária found that 40% of those who lived in the neighbourhood of Saint-Louis were Portuguese. A year before, in recognition of this high number of Portuguese residents in the area, the City of Montreal named the park situated at Rue Saint-Laurent and Rue Marie-Anne “Parc du Portugal”.

The years that followed saw the community scatter to adjacent neighbourhoods (Rosemont La Petite-Patrie, Villerary-Saint Michel-Parc-Extension, and Mercier-Hochelaga/Maisonneuve) and the suburbs (Laval, La Salle, Brossard, and Longueil). While this dispersion caused a lower population of Portuguese-Canadians in the area that came to be known as ‘O Bairro’, it continued to be the main centre for the community in the city and its adjoining localities. Here, commercial establishments and cultural landmarks continue to signal our presence in the city.

It was in Montreal that the first Portuguese community organization was founded in Canada when, on January 7, 1956, Associação Portuguesa do Canadá (APC) paved the way for many other organizations across the country. APC also formed the first folk-dance group, the first Portuguese school, the first marching band and the first Portuguese-language newspaper in Canada. It was also an important centre for those who looked to adapt to life in a new country. Over the years, it implemented various cultural, sporting and social activities and continues active to this day.

The increasing Portuguese population in Montreal naturally led to the formation of new socio-cultural organizations. In 1963, although initially a religious movement, Centro Comunitário Santa Cruz – Missão Santa Cruz was formed, becoming the second oldest organization in the city. Two years later, in 1965, Clube Portugal Montreal, which is currently the most active community association in the city, was founded. It was followed by the Centro de Acção Sócio-Comunitária de Montreal (1972), Casa dos Açores do Québec (1978), the extinct Clube Oriental Português de Montreal (1979), Sport Montréal e Benfica (1985), Instituto Cultural Açoriano (1986), Casa do Ribatejo Associação de Pais (1993), Associação Saudades da Terra Quebequente (1997), Associação Portuguesa do West Island (1997), Círculo de Amigos de Rabo de Peixe (2000) and Centro Cultural Luis de Camões (2015).

Folk-dance groups are regarded by many as the purest and most important cultural element of our heritage. Many also suggest that it will be through these groups that our community organizations will continue to thrive in the future once the first and second generations of Portuguese-Canadians are no longer with us. In Montreal, Portuguese folklore is rich not only in number but mostly in the tremendous quality that it exhibits. The first folk-dance group was formed at APC but it is no longer active. The one that has been active the longest is Grupo Folclórico e Etnográfico Português de Montréal, founded in 1966 under the name Grupo Folcórico Português de Montreal by the late António Lourenço and focused exclusively on children. In 1979, Grupo Cultural Cana Verde was formed, becoming the first group in the city to include adults. It was followed by Grupo Folclórico Praias de Portugal, in 1983, which is part of Clube Portugal Montréal. In 1992, Rancho Folclórico Cantares e Bailares dos Açores was formed, followed by Grupo Folclórico do Ribatejo in 1994, Grupo Folclórico Ilhas de Encanto da Casa dos Açores do Québec and Rancho Folclórico Verde Minho in 1997.

Marching bands, the filarmónicas, are an integral cultural element of Portugal, but specifically of the Azores. Montreal boast two such major bands. Filarmónica Portuguesa de Montréal was founded in the distant year of 1972, and Banda de Nossa Senhora dos Milagres was formed in 1997.

Although not necessarily a cultural component, soccer is more than a sport to the Portuguese and even more so to the immigrant. It represents a way of life and a passion that is almost genetic, passed on from generation to generation. The Portuguese community of Montreal is no exception to the rule. It has a long and illustrious history in soccer, represented by a handful of clubs that have left a mark not only in the city but also in the Province. Luso-Stars, which was the sporting component of Associação Portuguesa do Canadá and founded in 1971, was the first soccer team to officially represent the community in Montreal. Even though it never won a major trophy, it always represented Portugal with distinction. In 1986, it made the National Soccer League Canada Cup Final, a game that was played at University of Montreal Stadium against the professional club Toronto Blizzard. Although it was on the losing end of a 2-0 score, the Portuguese team made us all proud.

Other Portuguese soccer teams in the city have included Lusitano Futebol Clube of Club Portugal Montreal, Montréal-Stars, Sporting Club Açores, Soccer Portuguais du Québec, Luso Sporting de Montreal of Sporting Clube Português de Montreal, and Club Soccer de Montreal. The Luso-Canadians in the city also once had their own league, the now defunct Liga Comercial Portuguesa de Montreal. Currently, Lusitano Futsal Clube, an evolution of Lusitano FC, competes in the Futsal Premier League of Quebec.

The first immigrants to Canada from Portugal were very influenced by the politics of the time, fuelled by the regime of Salazar. As such, it is no surprise that these newcomers initiated a political movement in cities like Montreal and Toronto. In the capital of the Province of Ontario, Associação Democrática had been formed in 1957, following the founding of Associação Portuguesa do Canadá (Montreal) and First Portuguese Canadian Cultural Centre (Toronto) the previous year. In Montreal, Movimento Democrático Português de Montréal was formed in 1963, becoming the second oldest Portuguese-Canadian organization in the city, although, just like its counterpart in Toronto, it is no longer in operation.

Montreal is the second largest ‘Portuguese city’ in Canada and the one with the second most number of community organizations. Just like in other communities across the country, the Luso-Canadians who reside here are facing major challenges to keep many of its associations active. However, as times change so does the ability to adapt and implement new ideas to attract the younger generation and those who are not descendants of Portuguese but who are interested in engaging in our cultural celebrations.

The History of the community organizations in Montreal is far from being written. We need your help. If you have knowledge of an association that has not yet been highlighted by Lusocanada.com, please contact us so we can start the conversation. Our motto is ‘Writing History Together’. Your collaboration is not only appreciated but also crucial for the betterment of the project.

Let’s write History Together, Montreal!

References:

Statistics Canada

https://ville.montreal.qc.ca/memoiresdesmontrealais/les-associations-socioculturelles-de-la-communaute-portugaise, accessed on July 25, 2022

Miguel Simão Andrade, Maria do Patrocinio Lucas, Joaquina Pires, Jean-François Leclerc, Paul Martin, Julie Leclerc, Élodie Choqueux, Marc-André Delorme, Joviano Vaz, Darcy Dunton, Sharon Helfer, Carlos J.P. do Rio, Luis Aguilar, Amadeu de Moura, Nelson Figueiredo, Nicolas Fonseca, Jorge Martinho, Vincent Cardinal, Isabel dos Santos, Linda Rougeau, Stéphanie Mondor, André Gauvreau, Sandra Simão Andrade, Élizabeth Barbosa, Marie- Hélène Brunet, Éric Coupal, Karine da Costa, Nancy Gonçalves, Sandy Gonçalves, Nuno Lobo, Vitor Matias, Luis Neves, Carla Oliveira, Joaquim Oliveira, Gabriela Maria Pecht, Rosana Pires-Gonçavles, Marie-Eve Plante, Claudia Ribeiro, Susana Sequeira. Encontros. La communauté portugaise. 50 ans de voisinage. Centre d’histoire de Montréal, en collaboration avec le Carrefour des jeunes lusophones du Québec, 2004.

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