Padua\ Ice\ – “Of the current 93 members of the Senate of Canada, Tony Lofreda He is the only Italian-Canadian, originally born abroad. Originally from Campania (mother of San Gregorio Mattes and father of Draconi, Caserta) – married to Angelina and father of David and Sofia – chartered accountant, Doni Loffreda was a successful banker. Above all, however, he is a champion of unity: in addition to chairing fundraising events for the Jewish General Hospital and the Montreal Cancer Institute, he has served on more than twenty boards of directors, including Concordia University, the Chamber of Commerce, and more. in Canada and the Italian-Canadian Community Foundation”. writes about it Victor Jordan On top of that “Apostle of St. Anthony – Foreign Edition” In the month of March.
“Canada has recognized him with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, the Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award, the Senate of Canada’s 150th Anniversary Medal and the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec’s Gold Medal.
Today Loffreda is a member of the Finance, Banking and Governance Committees, and Vice-Chair of the Canada-Italy Interim Committee.
“I have given up all other duties – he says – and today I am proud to be a full-time senator. In Parliament, I work to improve the lives of all Canadians.”
For the future, the senator is optimistic. Relations between the two sides of the Atlantic are unshakable: “It’s better than ever thanks to CETA, the free trade agreement between the EU and Canada, and NATO”. With Andrea Ferrari, the Italian ambassador in Ottawa, “dialogue is constant.”
The bond with Italian-Canadians is extraordinary: “Generational change is inevitable, but the community is very strong. Indeed, our deep sense of belonging to the roots is a richness.”
The same thing that Senator Loffreda proudly reveals: he speaks fluent Italian and dialect, is a fan of Milan and reads “Gazzetta dello Sport”.
Love for football and AC Milan colors born during the 1994 World Cup: “The Italian national team was full of AC Milan fans, but losing to Brazil in the final broke my heart.” From that moment “I started reading the “Gazzetta” and following the competitions in Roy Italia. That’s how he learned Italian. Not neglecting “Il Cittadino Canadese”, Montreal’s Italian newspaper; Picai, the Italian school; and Sunday Mass in the parish of Our Lady of Pompeii. Right here, in 1997, Loffreda Became the coach of an eloquent team that won 16 championships.
In 2000, the city entrusted him with the leadership of the “Elite Montreal-Concordia” football club, through which he managed to bring home 15 provincial championships and 5 national cups. Remarkable results indeed. And so he was inducted into the Montreal-Concordia Soccer Hall of Fame and named the head of Montreal’s team for the 2026 World Cup in North America.” (ice)