The Angolan ambassador to Canada, Agostinho Tavares, and the Portuguese and Brazilian counterparts, João Pedro Silveira de Carvalho and Piragibe dos Santos Tarragó, respectively, met in Ottawa this week to discuss issues relating to Portuguese Speaking Countries Community (CPLP).

As a result, it was announced the launching in Canada of the Day of the Portuguese Language and Culture promoted by the Portuguese Speaking Countries Community (CPLP) to be celebrated every year on May 5th.

It was also announced the launching a film festival in Ottawa featuring films produced in the Portuguese speaking countries.

The ambassadors of Angola, Portugal and Brazil also agreed to create prizes to be awarded to students enrolled in Portuguese language courses taught at Canadian Universities.

May 5th was already set as the Day of the Portuguese Language and Culture, during the 14th CPLP Council of Ministers meeting in Cape Verde in June of 2009.

The CPLP was created in 1996 to represent the community of nations where Portuguese if the official language, an estimated 240 million people. CPLP includes Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe and East Timor.

According to Statistics Canada (2006) there were 410,850 persons of Portuguese descent living in Canada, or 1.3% of the nation’s total population. Most Portuguese Canadians live in Ontario 282,865 (69%), followed by Quebec 57,445 (14%) and British Columbia 34,660 (8%.). An estimated 20,000 Brazilians live in Canada togetther with a growing community of Angolan nationals.

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