The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 reopened to the public on May 5 after being closed for renovations. The national museum is housed in the eastern city of Halifax at a site where almost one million immigrants arrived in Canada between 1928 and 1971.
Pier 21 also served at the departure point for the Canadian military forces in World War II.
‘To collect, share and disseminate’ immigration stories
“Our museum is mandated to tell the story of immigration to Canada from coast to coast to coast,” says Marie Chapman, CEO of the museum. “It is to collect, share and disseminate those stories and also celebrate the contributions of immigration and immigrants to the building of this country.”
ListenThe museum has displays, photographs and uses digital technology and interactive activities to bring immigration stories to life. There are reproductions of a ship’s dining room, and sleeping quarters as well as the interior of the kind of rail car that transported people from Pier 21 to destinations across the country.
Six to seven million Canadians linked to Pier 21
One in five Canadians have family history that involves Pier 21. They have origins in 100 countries. Further renovations will expand the exhibition beyond the current period of time it represents and that portion will open on June 25, 2015.
“Canada is still greeting 250,000 newcomers a year. And our hopes are to tell the stories of immigrants and of immigration so that everyone can appreciate that journey,” says Chapman. “And whether it happened 400 years ago or four months ago… a lot of the emotion and the changes one feels as an individual or family are quite similar.
Diversity ‘makes this country great’
“We really hope to knock down some barriers that people feel about immigration both here and in other countries around the world. And also to portray the multicultural nature, the diversity of our country and frankly a big pillar of what makes this country great is that diversity.”
The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 is now open to the public seven days a week from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm.
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