Hispanic Heritage Month in Canada is a time to remember and celebrate the many contributions of the Hispanic and Latin communities and their vital roles in Canada’s past and present.

Although people of Hispanic and Latin American backgrounds have called Canada home for many decades, it was in 2018 that the federal government officially designated October as Latin American (sometimes still referred to as Hispanic) Heritage Month.

Oscar Vigil, Executive Director of the Hispanic Heritage Council, has long emphasized that this official recognition is overdue. “Latino-American immigrants have played a very important role in the construction of Canada, but historically we were — and often remain — invisible in society,” he said.

How many Latin Americans in Canada?

Under older counts, Statistics Canada reported there were about 580,235 Canadians of Latin American origin (immigrants, non-immigrants, and non-permanent residents) in the 2021 Census. That number was often cited in public discourse.

However, newer re-tabulations that use additional indicators (such as mother tongue, place of birth, or reported ethnic origins) estimate the Latin American / Hispanic population to be around 1,193,880 — effectively doubling the “official” figure. According to this estimate, people of Latin American descent now make up about 3.3 % of Canada’s total population.

Other sources now note that over 900,000 people in Canada report Latin, Central or South American origins (alone or in combination) in census or ethnocultural data.

Because of this discrepancy, Vigil and others in the community continue advocating for better measurement and recognition, arguing that identity is multifaceted — involving race, language, country of origin, and how one self-identifies across generations.

Vigil points out:

“The second generation, if you ask them how they identify themselves, they say Canadians mostly. Some say Peruvian, or Latin American, ‘I’m Hispanic, I am Mayan.’ They are different identifications for the same culture, for the same group.”

He adds that beyond mere numbers, having an official month encourages pride and visibility:

“How you identify yourself is very important. And I think since we start celebrating with a big celebration, more people are coming and saying ‘Yes, I am from Latin America and I feel proud of my roots.’”

On terminology: Hispanic vs Latin American

A common misconception is that “Latino/Latina/Latinx” and “Hispanic” are fully interchangeable — though many use them colloquially as such, they do carry different connotations:

• “Hispanic” tends to emphasize a connection to Spanish-speaking countries (i.e., Spain and Spanish-language Latin America).

• “Latin American / Latino / Latina / Latinx” can include people from non-Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America (for example, Brazil), thus being more inclusive of the broader region.

In Ontario, for instance, the celebration is still commonly referred to as “Hispanic Heritage Month,” but scholars like Valeria Mantilla Morales (a PhD candidate in History at the University of Toronto) have pushed for language changes to reflect the full diversity of Latin American identities. She argues a “Latin America Heritage Month” would better include communities from Portuguese-speaking Brazil and those identifying primarily by cultural or ancestral ties beyond the Spanish language.

Why it matters

Recognition of this heritage month does more than celebrate culture — it creates space for voices and communities that have long been underrepresented. It encourages people to reclaim identities, fosters intergenerational dialogue, and strengthens Canada’s multicultural fabric.

For those looking for more, the Hispanic Heritage Council’s website (and affiliated community organizations) remain good starting points for events, history, and resources.