Portuguese-Canadian History & Portuguese Communities in Canada
Latest Articles
Lusocanada is a research and media platform dedicated to Portuguese-Canadian history, communities, and cultural heritage across Canada.
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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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Jornal Flash Launched 20 Years Ago
Jornal Flash was launched in June of 2004 at the hands of Paulo Pereira and David Silva. The newspaper’s mission was to highlight the efforts of our community organizations with a major focus on soccer.
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Casa do Minho of Winnipeg – 50 Years of Excellence
When the founders of Casa do Minho Portuguese Centre, in Winnipeg, registered the organization with the Folk Arts Council, on May 4, 1974, they did it with the humble intention of preserving and promoting our heritage in a foreign land. That simple action triggered another fifty years of excellence in community service and representation of…
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Strathroy-Caradoc, a Community Built on Hard Work
The territory that is currently Strathroy-Caradoc was first settled in 1832. It was incorporated as a village in 1860 and later as a town in 1872. Recently, in 2001, it amalgamated into the present municipality. According to the latest Canada Census, the city has nearly 24,000 residents of whom just over two thousand consider their
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The Luso-Canadian Ice Hockey Team that Became Portugal’s Inaugural Opponent
The team had made history in 1990 when it became the first to represent Toronto’s Portuguese community in an official competition, but its most memorable event was still to come. It occurred a decade later, in the year 2000, when it was invited to face Portugal’s national ice hockey team in a three-game series played…