Originally known as the Latin American Crossroads of Montreal, CLAM was founded in 1981 by Father Marcel Quirion, a missionary of the Oblate Catholic Congregation. Having spent nearly 30 years in Latin America, returning to Montreal in the 1980s, he felt challenged by the challenges and issues related to the integration of newcomers of Latin American origin. In the early 1980s, Quebec began to host immigrants from Central America.

Knowing the Latin American culture, Father Quirion decided to put his talents, his dedication, his energy and his knowledge at the service of the general interest by setting up this organization whose first mandate is to welcome newcomers in Montreal, originally from Latin America.
CLAM, like Carrefour Latino-Américain de Montréal will become, after a few years, a reference organization, being among the first to offer services to these newcomers.

This recognition allows the Carrefour Latin American of Montreal to obtain public resources from different ministries to provide services and support new Latin American immigrants in their integration process.

At the end of the 1990s, the number of immigrants increased considerably and the diversity of their origins too. Community centers such as Montreal's Latin American Crossroads are becoming more popular and more frequent. This has encouraged organizations to overcome the cleavages of belonging and identification to specific communities and to open to all newcomers that Quebec welcomes.

It is on this basis that the Latin American Crossroads of Montreal becomes the Crossroad of Liaison and Multiethnic Assistance (CLAM) and is transformed into a host organization for newcomers and immigrants of all origins who settle in Quebec. CLAM becomes a host organization, but also a frontline organization.

Nearly 2,000 customers received each year
From five continents
Nearly 5,000 meetings each year
Nearly 10,000 acts of intervention in such varied fields as:
Translation of documents; housing search; sponsorship; Oaths; French lessons; job Research; administrative writing; business placement; entrepreneurship, etc.
In more than 30 years of existence, CLAM has supported more than 50,000 immigrants in all phases of their integration process, whether for:
looking for a job
looking for a home
learning French
looking for training to find a place in the job market
family reunification
the sponsorship of a loved one
the launch of business.