The federal and provincial governments have declared October as Latin American Heritage Month, and the City of Montreal, where most Quebec Latinos live, has made similar recognition.

Although some were here before, it was in the 1970s when large numbers began settling in Canada, primarily due to political events in countries like Chile, Argentina and Uruguay, where military dictatorships forced thousands into exile. Civil wars and military repression in nations like El Salvador and Guatemala contributed to the arrival of many more in the 1980s.

Like many immigrants before, at first most Latinos worked in low-pay, menial jobs. However, from that early stage of their immigrant story, they increasingly entered various professions, academia and politics.

The incursion into politics should n

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