Luso-Canadian ‘Firsts’
The pioneers who arrived here in the mid to late fifties, paved the way for thousands of other Portuguese who chose Canada as their new home. Although they’re responsible for starting this great movement that changed the lives of many, once established in their new country, other type of pioneering took place: the adaptation, integration, and contribution to the general society at various levels of skill and responsibility; the preservation and promotion of our heritage.
This page intends to honour and recognize those who have made strides in Canadian society and those who have contributed to the evolution of the Portuguese community, and the preservation and promotion of our heritage.
It is important that we recognize that there are two kinds of Portuguese: those who were born in Portugal and those who are born in Canada of Portuguese descent. Although they both share in many similarities, they are also quite different. To be fair, even those who came here as children, youth, and even adults, have strayed away from the typical Portuguese person who lives in Portugal. In this page, we not only celebrate their contributions but also their differences. It is the evolution of a process that we can no longer control…and it is positive because it is progressive.
Once we decide to emigrate, we become part of two worlds that, in our case, are an ocean apart. It feels like most of us never quite live in either place. In the words of António Variações, it’s feeling like”só estou bem onde não estou…” (meaning that we’re only happy in a place far from the one we’re at). It is, indeed, hard to let go. As immigrants or Portuguese descendants, we know about it well enough. And although we are forced to part ways with many facets from our past, we are also powerful enough to celebrate those elements that are worthy of preservation.
Since our research is not scientific, we are bound to get it wrong from time to time. Lusocanada.com is a project that intends to involve all Luso-Canadians and grow with the knowledge and experience of each one. As such, your contribution of new material or your correction of our content is crucial to the development and integrity of the project. If we do get it wrong, just let us know and we will act accordingly, and if you have something to contribute, we are eager and ready to accept it.
Simply email us at contact@lusocanada.com.
Enjoy the content. Contribute. Alert us of any incorrections.
Let’s write history together!
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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.
Marie-Joseph initially settled in New England, but was then sold to Frenchman François Poulin de Francheville who brought her to Montreal as a slave. She worked in the Franchehville dwelling as a homemaker and occasionally helped with farm work.
Angélique had three children from the same father, Jacques César, a black slave himself, who belonged to a friend of Francheville. It is not known if they were in love or if they were forced to mate since, back in those days, children of slaves became possession of the slave owners. What is known is that all three children died at a very young age: a boy, born in 1731, lived only a month and twins, born in 1732, died within five months.
François Poulin de Francheville’s passing, in 1733, led to a series of events that would eventually seal the fate of Angélique and make her a historical figure to remember. While Madame Francheville became occupied with her late husband’s affairs in Trois-Rivieres, north of Montreal, her brother-in-law, Alexis Moniere, kept Angélique who, meanwhile, had started a relationship with a white servant named Claude Thibault. Both Angélique and Thibault saw this as an opportunity to flee to New England but it was winter and weather conditions forced them to hide in a farm in Châteauguay. They were captured a few weeks later and brought back to Montreal where Thibault was jailed and Angélique was returned to her owner.
Marie-Joseph Angélique was perceived as a rebel and considered very difficult to control. Madame Francheville, as a result, did not punish her as it was believed that she intended to sell her to François-Etienne Cugnet, a former associate of her late husband. Angélique sensed that she was to be sold, but wanted to stay, probably because of her romantic involvement with Claude Thibault. However, Madame Francheville had already completed the transaction, which further aggravated Angélique who, allegedly, began to whisper threats of running away again.
It was during this feud that at seven o’clock in the evening of Saturday, April 10, 1734 a fire erupted at Madame Francheville’s home, located on the south side of Rue Saint-Paul. The fire destroyed a hospital, a church and forty-five homes.
Sister Véronique entered the following in her journal to describe the fire:
“The April 10 [1734] while all was most quiet and our thoughts were far from some fatal mishap, at 7 in the evening during our time of leisure, we heard a cry of fire. In the moment, we all rose to catch sight of its whereabouts. It was sighted at a neighbouring house. We rushed to contain the fire, but the Lord did not allow us to succeed. All took refuge in our church, thinking that we would be spared, but the flames rose so ardently towards the church, which was just across the street from the burning houses, that we soon found ourselves engulfed.”
Angélique was immediately accused of setting fire to the house. The rumour was based on the following two claims: she wanted to create a distraction to flee again; Marie-Manon, a young slave who communed with Marie-Joseph, commented that she had heard Angélique say that her owner would not sleep one more night in her house. As a result, Angélique was arrested, charged and tried in Montreal. The trial lasted about six weeks, after which the following sentence was declared:
“And everything Considered, We have Declared the Said accused, Marie Joseph Angelique Sufficiently guilty And Convicted of Having set fire to the house of dame francheville Causing the Burning of a portion of the city. In Reparation for which we have Condemned her to make honourable amends Disrobed, a Noose around her Neck, and carrying In her hands a flaming torch weighing two pounds before the main door and Entrance of the parish Church of This city where She will be taken And Led, by the executioner of the high Court, in a Tumbrel used for garbage, with an Inscription Front And Back, with the word, Incendiary, And there, bare-headed, And On her Knees, will declare that She maliciously set the fire And Caused the Said Burning, for which She repents And Asks Forgiveness from the Crown And Court, and this done, will have her fist Severed On a stake Erected in front of the Said Church. Following which, she will be led by the said Executioner in the same tumbrel to the Public Place to there Be bound to the Stake with iron shackles And Burned alive, her Body then Reduced To Ashes And Cast to the Wind, her Belongings taken And Remanded to the King, the said accused having previously been subjected to torture in the ordinary And Extraordinary ways in order to have her Reveal her Accomplices.”
As was customary at the time, the sentence was automatically appealed to the Superior Council, in Quebec City, where Angélique was tried and found guilty once again, but this time with some changes to the original sentence: she was no longer to have her hand severed and be burnt alive, but hanged, burned when dead, and have her ashes scattered.
Although Angélique confessed, after having both legs broken, that she was guilty of the crime, many historians continue to argue that she was innocent while others maintain that she committed the crime. Those who argue for her innocence claim that Marie-Manon was the one who accidentally started the fire while cooking and then took advantage of Angélique’s reputation to pin the crime on her.
Marie-Josephe Angélique has become the topic of many publications, which include the non-fictional account of her trial, written by Beaugrand-Champagne and published in 2004, and a novel written by Afua Cooper and published in 2006. The complete transcript of Marie-Joseph Angélique’s trial is available on the website of Biblioteque et Archives Nationales du Quebec.
Angélique’s story has helped us understand the struggles that slaves faced in those days. She has become a fictional character in many stories but, above all, a true testament of times that we cannot allow to return.
In front of Montreal’s City Hall, there is a park named Place Marie-Josephe-Angélique. So we may never forget.
With references from Wikipedia.org (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie-Joseph_Ang%C3%A9lique)
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Mario Silva first Portuguese Canadian elected 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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First Portuguese Canadian to represent Canada at the Olympic Games
Peter Fonseca is the first Portuguese-Canadian to represent Canada in the Olympic Games. He ran the marathon in the 1996 Olympics, in Atlanta, in which he was the top Canadian, finishing 21st overall. He ran the 42.195 kilometres in 2 hours, 17 minutes and 28 seconds.
Fonseca, who is mostly known for his tenure as Ontario MPP and Canadian MP, first became famous as an athlete representing Canada. He placed third in the Los Angeles Marathon in 1990 and in the New York Marathon in 1992, and second in the 1994 Toronto Marathon. He finished fifth in the 10,000-metre race at the 1994 Commonwealth Games.
In politics, he first defeated fellow Luso-Canadian Carl DeFaria in the 2003 Ontario provincial election. In 2007, he was named Ontario’s Minister of Labour. In 2010, he resigned from provincial politics to run for the riding of Mississauga East-Cooksville, but was defeated by Conservative Wladyslaw Lizon in the 2011 election. In 2015, he finally defeated Lizon and was re-elected in 2019 and 2021.
Peter Fonseca was born in Lisbon on October 5, 1966. He immigrated to Canada in 1968, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Education from the University of Windsor.
With references from Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Fonseca)
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Martinho Silva – first Luso Canadian elected Toronto City Councilor
Martin Silva (Martinho Silva) is the first Portuguese to be elected as Toronto City Councillor. He ran in the Trinity-Spadina Ward 4 during the 1988 municipal election, succeeding Olivia Chow.
Martinho da Silva was re-elected in 1991 and 1994 in the same Ward. In 1995, he was the National Democratic Party’s representative for the Parkdale District for the Provincial Parliament, but was defeated by Liberal Tony Ruprecht. In 1997, Silva lost his municipal seat to Joe Pantalone at a time Toronto had become an amalgamated city. In February of 2006, Silva was temporarily appointed to Ward 20 after the incumbent, Olivia Chow, decided to run in the federal elections.
Martinho Silva was born Sever do Vouga, Aveiro, in 1952 and immigrated to Canada in 1968. He became famous in the Portuguese community for hosting radio shows at CHIN Radio.
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Portuguese Canadian with the most consecutive mandates as Mayor of a city
Luís Miranda is the Portuguese Canadian with most consecutive terms as Mayor of a jurisdiction in Canada. He was first elected in 1997 to the highest political post in Anjou, Quebec, a jurisdiction that is currently part of the municipality of Montreal. In May of 2023, Miranda secured his ninth consecutive term as Mayor of Anjou.
In 2001, Anjou became a neighbourhood of Montreal, but the village maintained jurisdiction over some of its affairs and, as such, continued to elect a Mayor. The objective of his ninth term, secured in 2003, is the development of a subway line in the municipality of Anjou.
Before becoming Mayor, Luis Miranda was elected to City Councilor in 1987.
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Government of Canada officially recognizes June as Portuguese Heritage Month
June 10 was officially recognized as Portugal Day in Canada after a private member’s bill, sponsored by MP for Toronto’ Davenport riding Julie Dzerowicz, passed in parliament on November 8, 2017. The bill, known as M-126, was introduced to recognize the contribution of the Portuguese Canadian community and to identify June 10 and the month of June as Portuguese Heritage Month. The motion was unanimously approved.
In Ontario, the same type of motion had been passed in 2001 (Bill 120). The Celebration of Portuguese Heritage Act, 2001, recognized June 10 and Portugal Day and the month of June as Portuguese History and Heritage Month in Ontario.
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First Portuguese descendant elected to the Canadian Federal Parliament
John Rodriguez is the first descendant of Portuguese to become Member of Parliament of Canada. Although he was born in Guyana in 1937, he was of Portuguese ancestry. He was first elected in the 1972 federal election in the riding of Nickel Belt (Sudbury area) under the New Democratic Party. His initial tenure ended in 1980, but he enjoyed another stint from 1984 to 1993. From 2006 to 2010, he was Mayor of Greater Sudbury.
Rodriguez was a teacher by profession. He began his career in St. Catharines but soon moved to Coniston, in northern Ontario, to become Principal of St. Paul School. In 1968, he became President of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association.
He began his quest for a political career in 1967 when he ran for Mayor of Coniston, but was defeated by the incumbent, Michael Solski, by a large margin. In 1971, he was elected to the Coniston town council. In 1972, he ran for the federal seat of Nickel Belt, which he won by defeating incumbent Gaetan Serré of the Liberal Party. In 1974, he was re-elected, again under the NDP, for a term that saw the Trudeau Government win a majority. He won a third term in 1979 and was appointed NDP Labour Critic. After Joe Clark’s Conservative government lost a non-confidence vote, Canadians returned to the polls in 1980. Rodriguez was defeated in that election by Liberal candidate Judy Erola.
In 1984, Rodriguez returned to the House of Commons and was appointed NDP party’s critic on Unemployment Insurance. He also served on the Commons Standing Committee of Labour and Employment and Immigration Committee until 1988. Rodriguez served one last mandate from 1988 to 1993.
He returned to his role as a Principal, but was forced to retire from the position in 2005 due to his age. He was then hired by Statistics Canada as a remunerator.
In July of 2006, Rodriguez announced that he would run for Mayor of Great Sudbury. He won the election by a landslide, defeating the incumbent, David Courtemanche. In 2010, Rodriguez was defeated by Marianne Matichuk after a fierce campaign revealed that Rodriguez may have misled the public on some issues. He ran again in 2014, but placed third.
John Rodriguez passed away on July 5, 2017.
With references from Wikipedia:(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Rodriguez_(politician)#:~:text=Rodriguez%20(February%2012%2C%201937%20%E2%80%93,of%20the%20New%20Democratic%20Party.)
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Horacio Arruda – Quebec National Director of Public Health
Horacio Arruda is a son of Portuguese immigrants from the Azores who was born in Saint-Thérése, Quebec, in 1960. In 2012, he was appointed Quebec National Director of Public Health, becoming the first Luso-Canadian to assume the role in Canada.
Arruda, a physician by profession, began working for the Public Health Department in Laval. He was then assistant clinical professor at the Department of Social and Preventative Medicine at the University of Montreal from 1998 to 2012.
The Luso-Canadian became famous for his interventions during the Covid-19 pandemic when he made regular appearances on television. He was plagued with controversy due to the controversial measures implemented, which resulted in his resignation, in 2022, after he admitted that public trust had been eroded.
With references from Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horacio_Arruda)
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First Portuguese-Canadian appointed to the Ontario Court of Justice
Cidalia Conçeição Gouveia Faria is the first Luso-Canadian to be appointed to the Ontario Court of Justice. Originally from the autonomous region of the Azores, Portugal, Faria is a graduate of Queens Universtiy, was called to the bar in 1996, and obtainted LL.M from Osgoode Hall Law School, in 2001.
Justice Faria is a member of the Portuguese Canadian Lawyers Association and secretary of the Committee on Diversity and Inclusion for the Ontario Crown Attorneys Association. Before her appointment to the Ontario Court of Justice, Justice Faria was a prosecutor and lecturer at Western University and in law-focused educational institutions in Tanzania, Africa.
Cidalia Faria is vice-president of the Abrigo Centre, an organization that offers numerous services to Torontonians, especially to the Portuguese-speaking communities.
Justice Faria has been assigned to the Ontario Court of Justice in Toronto.
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First Luso Canadian elected Ontario MPP and appointed Cabinet Minister
Carl DeFaria, is a Luso-Canadian who was first elected to the Ontario Legislative Assembly in 1995 under the Progressive Conservative Party. He was re-elected in 1999 and supported the transition from Mike Harris to Ernie Eves, in 2002, when he was also named Minister of Citizenship with responsibility for Seniors. Carl DeFaria was the first elect Member of Provincial Parliament and the first cabinet minister of Portuguese heritage in Ontario.
A lawyer by profession, DeFaria worked in criminal and constitutional law before running for office. He was also an instructor at the Law Society of Upper Canada.
His first political candidacy occurred the 1990 provincial election, as a Tory, for the Cambridge riding which he lost to Mike Farnan. In, 1993, he ran in the federal election, again under the Progressive Conservative Party, but lost again, this time to Albina Guarnieri a liberal running for the Reform Party.
Carl DeFaria was finally elected to the Provincial Parliament in 1995, in the riding of Mississauga East, winning by more than 6,000 votes. Mike Harris was the Premier at the time. DeFaria was re-elected in 1999, this time by a difference of just over 4,000 votes. He lost the 2003 election to fellow Portuguese-Canadian Peter Fonseca, who ran for the Liberal Party.
DeFaria was appointed to director of the Serious Crimes Unit by President of Timor, Xanana Gusmão, in 2005. In 2006, he tried to secure a seat in the federal election, but lost again to Liberal incumbent Albina Guarnieri.
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Branca Gomes – the first Portuguese teacher in Canada
Although the first classes of Portuguese in Canada were promoted by Associação Portuguesa do Canadá, in Montreal, it is widely accepted that the first certified teacher taught at First Portuguese Canadian Cultural Centre, in Toronto. Her name was Branca Amélia Correia Proença, who later added the surname Gomes after getting married. Her first lesson occurred on October 10, 1964.
Gomes was born in S. Vicente, Guarda, on July 10, 1914, and immigrated to Canada in 1964. After beginning her teaching career at First Portuguese CCC, she went on to teach at various elementary schools in Toronto from 1967 to 1998.
Branca Gomes was the recipient of many awards from both Governments of Canada and Portugal. The City of Toronto named a laneway “Branca Gomes Lane”, located near College Street between Shaw and Crawford Streets.
With references from Galeria dos Pioneiros (https://pioneersgallery.ca/pioneer-portrait-the-first-portuguese-teacher-in-canada/#:~:text=Branca%20Am%C3%A9lia%20Correia%20Proen%C3%A7a%20Gomes&text=This%20was%20the%20salutation%20of,Branca%20Gomes.)
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Charles Sousa – Minister of multiple cabinets
Anthony Charles Sousa is the first Portuguese-Canadian to serve as Ontario minister of three different cabinets: Labour, Finance, Immigration and Citizenship.
Charles Sousa was born on September 27, 1958 and is the son of one of the Portuguese pioneers in Canada. He graduated from Wilfred Laurier University in 1982 with a degree in Business Administration. In 2003, he was appointed to represent Canada at the International Chamber of Commerce. In tha same year, he received a Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal recognizing his service to the community.
He first got elected to the Ontario Parliament as a Liberal, in 2007, representing the riding of Mississauga South. In 2010, he was appointed Minister of Labour and, a year later, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. In 2012, he resigned from his duties in order to enter the race for leader of the Liberal Party of Ontario, but came in fifth in a race won by Kathleen Wynne, whom he later endorsed.
In February of 2013, Wynne appointed Charles Sousa to the position of Minister of Finance. This was the first time a Luso-Canadian occupied a post of such responsibility. Out of the six budgets that he delivered, only one was balanced while the other five showed a deficit. However, this had been a campaign promise as the Province recovered from the 2008 global recession. Sousa lost his provincial seat, to Conservatie Rudy Cuzzetto, in the 2018 election.
On December 12, 2022, Charles Sousa was elected as Member of Parliament, representing the riding of Mississauga-Lakeshore. This was the result of a by-election provoked by the resignation of MP Sven Spengemann, who accepted a position with the United Nations.
Charles Sousa is married to his wife Zenaida with whom he has three children.
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First Free Black Person in Canada Might Have Been Portuguese
Mathieu da Costa is known as the first free black person to enter Canada. Many scholars assert that his background is African-Portuguese, although this allegation is yet to be proven. He was born in 1589 in parts unknown and passed away, in Quebec City, in 1619 or shortly after. He was part of the exploring party of Pierre Dugua and Samuel Champlain that traveled from France to North America.
In those days, many of those who traveled on the ships headed to the new world were from African-Portuguese ancestry, then known by their ability to speak different languages. Mathieu da Costa was one such polyglot with knowledge with languages such as Dutch, English, French, Portuguese, Mi’kmaq, and pidgin Basque – the dialect mostly used for trading with aboriginals.
What is known for certain is that he began working with the Portuguese as a translator. Known as ‘grumete’ (trainee) by the Portuguese of the time, he performed numerous menial tasks on board of ships that sailed the Atlantic Ocean. He quickly became a desired asset and received offers from the English and the Dutch, but it were the French who eventually acquired his services.
Although it is believed that Mathieu da Costa traveled to the New World with Pierre Du Gua de Monts in 1608, records show that he was in jail in Rouen, France, in 1609. By 1617, Du Gua had ended his voyages to Canada, but Mathieu stayed behind. He is believed to have died in Quebec City in 1619 or shortly after.
His legacy remains to this day. His work in Canada is honoured at the Port-Royal National Historic Site in Port Royal, Nova Scotia and was the subject of ‘Mathieu da Costa’, a graphic novel written by Diane Groulx and illustrated by Jocelyne Jatte. In 2017, Canada post released a stamp in his honour. In 1996, the Department of Canadian Heritage launched a writing and artwork contest in da Costa’s memory. There are also two streets in Quebec and one school in Toronto that bear Mathieu da Costa’s name.
He will forever be known as the first free black person to arrive in Canada and as an important figure in the relationship between Europeans and the indigenous peoples of Canada.
With files from Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathieu_da_Costa)
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First Portuguese Canadians to play for Canada at FIFA World Cup
Steven Vitória and Stephen Eustáquio became the first professional soccer players of Portuguese descent to play for Canada at a FIFA World Cup. Vitória started and played the entire 90 minutes of all three matches of the 2022 World Cup, held in Qatar, while Eustáquio was part of the starting line-up in the last two games of the tournament.
Both Luso-Canadians were instrumental in the qualifying round, in which Canada placed first ahead of the United States and Mexico. Steven Vitória was crucial as a central defender while Eustáquio dictated the play in the middle of the park. They helped Canada finish the qualification stage with eight wins, four draws and only two losses.
Steven Vitória was born in Toronto on January 11, 1987, to Portuguese parents. His youth career included the Sudbury Lions, CS Azzurri, Mississauga Falcons, Dixie SC, Klienburg-Nobleton SC, Glen Shields SC, Woodbridge Strikers and FC Porto (Portugal). He began his professional career at FC Porto, in 2006, but was played on loan at Tourizense. From 2007 to 2009, he was loaned to Olhanense and then to Covilhã for the 2009-10 season. In 2010, he signed with Estoril where he played until he moved to SL Benfica, in 2013. He played for the B squad for one season and moved up to the first squad for the 2014-15 season. The Following year, he was loaned out to Philadelphia Union and, in 2016, he signed with Polish side Lechia Gdansk where he remained until June of 2019. He then signed with Portuguese side Moreirense and, in 2022, he made a move to Chaves, a team that plays in the Primeira Liga (Portugal). His international career includes 5 appearances for Portugal’s U19 and 6 for the U20. In 2016, he committed to representing Canada at the senior level. At the time of the writing of this article (May, 2023), he has 30 caps and scored four goals for Canada.
Stephen Eustáquio was born to Portuguese parents in Leamington, Ontario, on December 21, 1996. His youth career includes stints at Leamington MS, and Portuguese sides Nazarenos, União de Leiria and Torreense. He began his senior career at Nazarenos, in 2013, where he played one full season. The following year, Eustáquio signed with Torreense for two season. In 2017, he played with Leixões and, he following season, with Chaves. He then moved to Mexico to play two seasons with Cruz Azul, but was sent on loan to Paços de Ferreira for the last year of his contract. In 2021, he signed permanently with Paços de Ferreira but was then loaned out to FC Porto for the season that followed. In 2022, he signed permantly with the dragões. He represented Canada at the U17 level but, in 2017, committed to the U21 Portugal squad where he amassed a total of 7 caps. In 2019, Stephen Eustáquio declared his preference for playing with the Canadian National Team. Since then, he has played 30 games and scored three goals for the red and white.
Steven Vitória played all three matches at the World Cup 2022, in Qatar, while Stephen Eustáquio missed the first game. Canada lost all three matches: 1-0 to Belgium, 4-1 to Croatia, and 2-1 to Morocco.
It is expected that both Steven Vitória and Stephen Eustáquio represent Canada again at the 2026 World Cup, which will be partially held in Canada.
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First Portuguese-language newspaper in Canada
Jornal Luso-Canadiano, founded by Henrique Tavares Belo in 1959, was the first Portuguese-language newspaper in Canada. According to the website casacomum.org, it was an independent weekly publication created by the Portuguese democratic opposition in Canada.
We do not have information on when it ceased operations, but we do know that the publication was still published in 1969.
A Voz de Portugal, first published in Montreal in 1961, became the second Portuguese-language publication in Canada. It remains as the oldest newspaper still in operation serving a Portuguese community in Canada. Many claim that it was the first publication in the Portuguese language in Canada. If you have clarification on this matter, we would love to hear from you.
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Pedro da Silva – first mail courier in Canada
Pedro da Silva became the first post courier in Canada after he was commissioned to carry a package of letters from Montreal to Quebec City for 20 sols, in 1693. In 1705, he was appointed ‘first courier’ by Jacques Raudot, Intendant of New of France at the time.
Pedro da Silva was born in Lisbon around 1647 and baptized at the church of Sao Juliao. He left Portugal in 1673 to New France (Quebec). He began working as a letter carrier in Montreal, but later moved to Sault-au-Matelot (current Quebec City’s lower town) where he continued his trade. Here, he also got involved in trading and shipping of goods.
He was known as Le Portugais.
Pedro da Silva died in 1717 and is interred at the Parish of Notre Damme, in Montreal. In 2003, upon the celebration of the official Portuguese immigration to Canada, Canada Post issued a stamp in his honour.
Portuguese Canadian filmmaker and television host, Bill Moniz, produced and edited a documentary depicting the life of Pedro da Silva. Watch the documentary here.
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Montreal was the first ‘Portuguese city’ in Canada
After the arrival of the first Portuguese immigrants in Canada, in 1953, many were sent to different locations across the country, but the first city to truly have a large group of Portuguese was Montreal. Thus, it is without much surprise that it was here that many of the oldest Luso-Canadian institutions were formed.
Initially, the Portuguese who arrived in Montreal settled mainly in the area of Quartier St-Louis. The neighbourhood quickly changed its appearance and began to resemble the old country. As a result, the City of Montreal awarded the area with the Ordre des Architectes du Québec, in 1975.
It was in Montreal that the first Portuguese Canadian association was formed (Associação Portuguesa do Canadá), the first newspaper (Jornal Luso-Canadiano) and the first radio program (Rádio Hora Portuguesa) in Portuguese, the first folk-dance group, the first filarmónica, and the first Portuguese school.
Montreal has currently a population of over 60,000 Portuguese, making it the second large community in Canada behind Toronto.
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Portuguese Jews helped create the oldest Jewish institution in Canada
The Portuguese and the Spanish Jews, who were expelled from the Iberian Peninsula following the Alhambra Decree of 1492 and the Portuguese Decree of 1497, founded the oldest Jewish institution in Canada, named Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of Montreal, also known as Shearith Israel, in 1768. It remains the oldest synagogue in Canada.
The end of the fifteenth century saw a large exodus of Jews, from both Portugal and Spain, who looked for refuge in other parts of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Those who converted to Christianism were allowed to stay, but the inquisition, started in 1536, brought new challenges to the Portuguese Jews. As a result, those converts also began to flee to other parts of the World. Many reverted back to Judaism after leaving Portugal or Spain.
Those who arrived in Canada, initially settled in Montreal during the late 1600s. They were initially a small group of around 200 Portuguese and Spanish Jews who decided to unite around an organization that they both created and that would eventually become the oldest Jewish congregation in Canada.
In 1970, the Government of Canada recognized the historical significance of the congregation, which has its original Torah Scroll on display at the National Archives of Canada.
With references from Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue’s website (https://www.thespanish.org/about/) and Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_and_Portuguese_Synagogue_of_Montreal ; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_and_Portuguese_Jews)
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Portuguese Joe, the pioneer who helped shape the future of British Columbia
Joe Silva was born in the Azores in the 1830s. He was a courageous young man who began whaling at the age of 12 and, as a result of his sense of adventure, ended on the west coast of Canada. He is credited with shaping the social fabric of current British Columbia.
It is believed that Joe Silva, known in BC as Joe Silvey or Portuguese Joe, arrived in Canada in the 1860s in the hopes of mining for gold. Once he settled in the area, he harpooned whales, served liquor to millworkers, and fished with an open rowboat. He also made many famous friends such as Gassy Jack Deighton – who named Gastown, Vancouver – and Chief Kiapilano of the Capilano Nation.
Joe Silva had 11 children from two separate wives. His first wife, Khaltinaht, was the granddaughter of Chief Kiapilano and niece of Chief Sam Kweeakhulk, leader of the Squamish Xwayxway who lived in the area that is now Stanly Park, Vancouver. Khaltinaht died shortly after marrying Portuguese Joe. Adding to this loss, Silva’s eldest daughter, Elizabeth, was kidnapped and John, his sixth child, was murdered.
Joe Silvey remarried and built a large family with his new wife, an indigenous woman named Kwahama Kwatleematt.
Currently, there are more than 500 descendants of Joe Silva living in Western Canada. In honour of his contribution to the development of British Columbia, the City of Vancouver erected his statue in famous Stanley Park.
Portuguese Canadian filmmaker and journalist, Bill Moniz, produced and directed a documentary on this remarkable man. You can watch the documentary here.
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Peter Moreira – the First ‘Portuguese’ Chief of Police in Canada
Peter Moreira is the new Durham Chief of Police (2023)
By Carla Antunes (article and photos) for Revista Tuga – republished with the expressed consent of Revista Tuga
The first Chief of Police of Portuguese origin in Canada recently replaced Todd Rollauer, who retired from the force.
A son of immigrants from Sao Miguel (Azores), but born in Canada, the Luso descendent sent the Portuguese community a message: “The police services, in Ontario as well as in Canada, is ready to work with the Portuguese community in its own language”, he declared. Peter Moreira began his career in the Toronto Police force, where he worked for more than three decades, as a cadet in 1991 and later graduated from the Ontario Police College in 1993.
In his vast experience, the Luso-Canadian led numerous units in Toronto, including the homicide unit, the Integrated Gun and Gang Taskforce, and Division 51. He was also a member of The Way Forward Commission. The new Chief of Police of Durham encouraged the members of the Portuguese community to report crimes without fear of the language barrier.
“Many members of the Portuguese community I have met throughout my career have expressed concerns with crimes that they have witnessed. They are reluctant to report crimes to the police due to the language barrier”, he lamented.
However, there are police officers all over the province from Portuguese origin who are ready “to serve the Portuguese community.” The search for the new Chief of Police was concluded after a long consulting process in the community, which led to the publication of a report in which were identified four characteristics: transforming and courageous leadership, emotional intelligence, commitment to the positive involvement with the community and profound and diverse experience in policing.
After the consultation process, a committee, in conjunction with other private entities, selected Peter Moreira from among many candidates.
Beyond his experience in the police force, the Luso Canadian was recently awarded an honorary bachelor degree in policing from Wilfrid Laurier University. The new chief, who resides in the Durham region with his family, has been an active member in the local Portuguese community and, for the past 15 years, has also been a soccer coach.
The Durham Police is composed of more than one thousand officers and civilians, serving a vast region in Southern Ontario, which includes cities such as Ajax, Oshawa and Whitby. According to data from the 2021 Canada Census, Durham Region has a population of 696,000 people.
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Newspaper with Longest Circulation in Canada
After becoming the pioneer in the area of community organizations when the Portuguese Association of Canada was formed in 1956, Montreal was also the cradle of the first newspaper ever published in the Portuguese language in this country with Jornal Luso-Canadiano, in 1959. A Voz de Portugal was established on April 25, 1961 and has been published since then uninterruptedly, making it the Portuguese-language newspaper with the longest circulation in Canada. During its first few years, it was entirely funded by the Government of Salazar, better known as the Estado Novo. Ironically, the date April 25 would turn out to be the downfall of this government in 1974 when democracy was restored in Portugal.
A Voz de Portugal continues to offer its readers with news from the community, Canada, Portugal and the world. In addition to the weekly printed version, it is also available online at https://avozdeportugal.com/.
For more information on the publication, please visit our Videos page to watch a piece conducted by Portugal’s national television station, RTP, in 2016. You can access the link directly here. The piece begins at minute 4:00. The piece states, erroneously according to an investigation performed by Fundação Mários Soares and published on the website casacomum.org, that it is the first ever published newspaper in Canada in the Portuguese language. Please let us know if you think we got it wrong.
Although Toronto is the largest Portuguese community in Canada, the first newspaper in the Portuguese language published here occurred in 1963 when Maria Alice Ribeiro and Antonio Ribeiro founded Correio Português. The publication is no longer in circulation.
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