From: The Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples/Argentinians/Agueda Reus-BazÁn
Argentinians represent about 0.25 percent of the immigrant community in Canada. Because of their small numbers and relatively recent arrival, their organization as a group is still in the initial stages of development, and their presence in the Canadian mosaic is almost invisible. Some of the first steps towards organization are to be found in the cities with the largest concentrations of immigrants. In Toronto many Argentinians are members of the social club Martín Fierro, named after the title character of an Argentinian epic poem. The recently founded Asociación Río de la Plata is oriented towards community service through fund-raising activities; it has been able to supply medical equipment to Argentina. In Ottawa the Child Life and Play Group focuses on programs to assist hospitalized children in the homeland.
A characteristic of Argentinians in Quebec is their increasing involvement in the media, performing arts, and politics. Those in British Columbia are well established, and a significant number are engaged in social and cultural activities. The Asociación Argentina de Calgary, a social organization, is a unifying force in that community. Because of their small numbers, those living in other provinces do not have visible organizations and are more difficult to locate.
In the four provinces with larger concentrations, Argentinians have kept many elements of their cultural identity. The mother tongue is still used at home and at social activities in the community. National pride brings individuals together on 25 May to celebrate Independence Day. A love of folk and tango music is a strong link, and asados or parrilladas (barbecues) are often the occasion for communal gatherings. Attachment to family values is manifested in the close relationship between parents and children, although divorce is not unknown. Argentinians share a passion for soccer, which is expressed in clubs for both adults and children. In 1992 the Argentinian sports magazine El Gráfico, which many Argentinians in Canada buy, reported that of the 361 Argentinian soccer teams throughout the world, 10 were in Canada.
The limited number of cultural organizations and activities among Argentinian Canadians can be explained not only by the small size of the community and its recent arrival but also by an entrepreneurial mentality that leads many members to seek integration into Canadian society first. Only after they have succeeded in their careers do these individuals organize associations to maintain and promote their culture. As of the mid-1990s the Asociación del Río de la Plata of Toronto was attempting to establish a school that would offer a program in Argentinian culture and the Spanish language; the goal was to enable the young to maintain their cultural identity while at the same time achieving full integration into Canadian society. The relatively small community in Ottawa has established the Canadian-Argentine Institute, devoted to promoting academic and cultural exchanges between Canada and the homeland and other social and educational activities.
The Montreal chapter of the Canadian-Argentine Institute operates a school, the École Argentine de Montréal. Recently a new association, Amigos de la Cultura Argentina, has been founded to preserve the cultural roots of the community and emphasize the importance of the family. This association publishes news about its activities in Noticiero Uruguayo-Argentino of New York, the most important channel of information for Argentinians in North America. In broadcasting, journalists Vicky Ferraro and Pablo Ferreri bring Argentinian issues to francophone radio programs. Guillermo de Andrea, the artistic director of Le Rideau Vert theatre company, presents Shakespeare in French and Molière in English.
The community in British Columbia expresses itself through two publications, Canarnews, also distributed in South America, and Mundo y Familia (World and Family), a biweekly magazine for the Latin-American community with a circulation of three thousand copies. The writer Guillermo Verdecchia, recipient of a governor general’s literary award for his play Fronteras Americanas (American Borders, 1993), and the painters Juan Manuel Sánchez and Nora Patrich, co-owners of the Simmon Patrich Gallery, who have exhibited in Canada, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East, are among the cultural leaders of this community.
The high educational level of many members of the Argentinian-Canadian community have allowed individuals to make exceptional contributions to Canadian culture. The anthologist, editor, and novelist Alberto Manguel in 1992 won both the Harbourfront Literary Award in Toronto and the British McKitteric Prize for a first novel. He is well known for his contributions to literary programs of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the CTV television network and for his articles in Saturday Night, the Globe and Mail, the New York Times, and other publications. Mauricio Vainrot choreographs dances around the world and works with the internationally recognized painter and scenarist Carlos Gallardo. Osvaldo Montes is well known for his television and film productions, such as the movie À corps perdu. In architecture Carlos Ventin has received many prizes for his work. He is particularly noted for his conversion of courthouses, schools, town halls, jails, factories, and other obsolete structures. His firm also worked on the restoration of the Ontario legislative buildings at Queen’s Park and the old city hall in Toronto.
B. Carlos Bazán of the University of Ottawa is internationally known for his work on medieval philosophy, history, and education. Mario Bunge is a world-re-nowned specialist in the philosophy of science based at McGill University and the author of numerous books and scientific publications, including a nine-volume Treatise on Basic Philosophy. In the medical sciences, Adolfo de Bold at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute has won international acclaim for his discovery of ANF, a hormone that has provided a breakthrough in cardiac physiology.
