Pioneers
| The adventure undertaken by our pioneers did not start the moment they waved farewell to their families, neither the instant they boarded a boat filled with strangers nor the day they arrived at their destination. It is a blurred point that encompasses all those occurrences, for some took a while to simply arrive…even if they were already here. Those 69 men who disembarked the Saturnia on that fateful May 13, 1953, had chosen Canada in an attempt to improve the lives of their families. In the process, little did they know that they would be helping the rest of the Portuguese who arrived after them. There is no story without a beginning, and ours starts with them. It is because of their courage and sacrifice that we were all able to immigrate to Canada and integrate rapidly, regardless of our status in the country and even our origin. As long we spoke and understood Portuguese, we became part of the community. We owe them our presence here. This page intends to honour all those who came here first, not only the ones who traveled in the Saturnia, but the ones who followed and helped shape our communities. To accomplish this goal, we need everyone’s help. If you know the story of someone who arrived in Canada in the 1950s or early 60s, please contact us. On the other hand, if you know someone who arrived later but helped shape a specific community, we would love to know as well. Let’s write history together! |
Pioneer Profiles
| Carlos Pereira (1953) | Agostinho Martins (1957) |
| António Rodrigues (1956) | Silvino Vieira (1954) |
| Silvério Rego (1954) | Manuel Fontes Maciel (1954) |
| Joaquim Guerreiro (1957) |
Related articles:
Pioneers: Paying Tribute With A Book
The First to Arrive – Celebrating Our Pioneers
Pioneers – We Owe Them Our Presence Here
Official start of Portuguese Immigration
The official start of the Portuguese immigration to Canada is May 13, 1953, when 69 men disembarked at Pier 21, in Halifax, onboard the ship Saturnia. Later that month, seven other men arrived onboard Vulcania and, later, one hundred and three came aboard the Nea Hellas. For the rest of the decade, thousands more arrived in Halifax and spread all over the country, mostly to work on the railway or in the farms.
Fernando Candido, a Portuguese Canadian, conducted extensive research on the group that arrived on the Saturnia. You can read all about it here.
Although 1953 represents the official start of our presence in Canada, a few other Portuguese already called Canada home when that group arrived. In fact, the relationship between both countries goes back centuries – Portuguese fishermen have been fishing off the coast of Newfoundland for over 500 years and, in the process, they left enduring marks in the region. However, very few decided to stay permanently.
The first known Portuguese who resided permanently in Canada is Pedro da Silva, who is considered the first postman in Canada. His story is well documented in various publications. You can learn more about him by clicking on the following link: https://www.tfcg.ca/pedro-dasilva. Bill Moniz, a Portuguese journalist and director who resides in Toronto, published a documentary about Pedro da Silva that you can watch here.
Another famous Portuguese Canadian who resided here before the first wave of immigration from Portugal is José Silva who came to be known as Joey Silva and, more famously, as Portuguese Joe. He was instrumental in shaping the character of British Columbia and, as a tribute to his contribution to the Canada’s most western province, a statue of him was erected at Vancouver’s Stanly Park. Please follow this link to know more about his story: http://shoretoshore.ca/story.php. Bill Moniz also produced a documentary about the story of this remarkable Portuguese Canadian that you can watch here.
Pier 21
For over a decade, the majority of Portuguese who arrived in Canada disembarked at Pier 21, in Halifax. In fact, this was the case with all the Europeans immigrants who had chosen Canada as their destination. As a result of the pier’s significance to the shaping of our country, the Federal Government created the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, a landmark that contains numerous exhibits and stories about many of the newcomers who disembarked there. You can visit their website here: https://pier21.ca/.
The museum contains interesting documents such as lists of those who arrived on specific ships. It also contains profiles on many of the thousands of immigrants who arrived there. One such story is about Antonio Fernandes Moreira, a newcomer who is on the museum’s Sobey Wall of Honour and who entered Canada on April 14, 1955. You can read all about it here.
If you are ever in Halifax, please find time to visit the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 to pay tribute to those who paved the way to our presence in the best country in the world: Canada.
Gallery of the Portuguese Pioneers
The Gallery of the Portuguese Pioneers is located in Toronto, at 960 St. Clair Avenue West. The gallery is a brainchild of Portuguese Canadian entrepreneur Manuel da Costa, who has also founded the Portuguese Walk of Fame, in Toronto. The museum’s website lists Lenita Lopes as its curator.
For those who are unable to visit the museum in person, there is a website where many of the pioneers, including those who arrived on the Saturnia, are profiled. It is the most complete collection of artifacts and stories on the subject in Canada.
To learn more about the museum’s contents and especially about the profile of our pioneers, please visit https://pioneersgallery.ca/
| If you arrived in Canada from Portugal in the 1950s or early 1960s or know someone who did, we want to hear from you. Email contact@lusocanada.com |
| If you notice errors or misrepresentations in the articles above, please e-mail contact@lusocanada.com |