Patrice Dutil discusses the evolution of the small but influential Portuguese-Canadian community since the 1950s with Gilberto Fernandes, the author of This Pilgrim Nation: The Making of the Portuguese Diaspora in Postwar North America (University of Toronto Press). Though the first root of Portuguese presence goes back to the early days of New France, the modern presence dates back to the 1953 when the Saturnia docked in Halifax filled with Portuguese workers called to Canada for work opportunities. Fernandes discusses the role of the Portuguese government and how the community’s presence in Canada differed from that in the United States. This podcast was produced by Jessica Schmidt.
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