Canada's Latin American community is growing, and universities must improve teaching about the region

Canada's Latinx community is growing fast. That signals a greater need for Latinx studies at Canadian universities. (Shutterstock)

This past October marked the fourth annual Latin American Heritage Month in Canada. The month recognizes the social, economic and political contributions of Latinx people in Canada and the broad demographic changes underway.

Recent census data shows that the number of people identifying as Latinx in Canada is growing fast. In B.C. the number of Latinx people has increased by nearly 50 per cent since the 2016 census. In cities like Hamilton, Ont. the Latinx diaspora is one of the fastest growing immigrant groups.