It was a nervous and exciting experience to enter the new world with lots of hopes and countless confusions. The confusion was how will this country be for us, is it worth leaving everything back, the settled life, luxury and employment to face an unknown world of no one known to us. Going through rigorous immigration procedures and exploring the city to get the PR card, SIN card, opening bank accounts, housing and schooling relying on the internet and immigration flyers was an amazing experience, the smooth completion of all these procedures made us understand that Canada is no more a land of unknown. We are a diverse family here living in harmony. People here are very warm and friendly offering every help they could. Government trying its best for quick settlement of immigrants and strengthening the ties of humanity is highly commendable. Now we feel we are in the land of our own.

I never found those gold nuggets, however, Canada gave me more than gold. A place where freedom surpasses ones’ wildest dreams, where you can look at yourself in the mirror and be thankful for what you have accomplished. This is an immeasurable country, full of opportunities. God Bless this land. In 1955, I crossed the Atlantic Ocean, landed at Pier 21 with a small suitcase, a one way train ticket west and $50 bucks in my pocket. Canada is home, what more can I say "O’ CANADA" thank you.

Displaced people on board the S.S. Ostervag. Origins Unknown.

R.M.S. Ascania, 1953. Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.

We feel lucky that they are all growing up in the most wonderful country in the world. I will always remember where I came from but it is who I am now that matters.

I moved to Canada when I was two years old. We came from the Netherlands - the memories I have are sitting in the airport in Toronto and refusing to move, and the mud in our new home in Fox Creek, Alberta

It was the Canadian Red Cross that came to our aid when our house in London was bomb damaged during the war. I was 11 years of age and vividly remember the boxes of clothing and food they delivered to our door. I promised myself that I would go to Canada one day.

Image courtesy of Rina Caron.

What I remember most about the trip is the dolphins following the ship, there was so many of them. One day I was on deck looking over the side when one the ship crew who was on the bow called over to me. The area was roped off, but he said it was ok to come and see. You could see all the dolphins missing the bow by inches, maybe leading our ship not following us to the new land, I wondered what was waiting for us on the other side.

...I have no recollection of the trip over, but one bit of definite feedback I got years to come was of the Cotton Bread (Pumpulileipa), as a reference to the unbelievably fluty texture of the white Canadian bread.

My father fled Romania in 1988 while my mother was pregnant with me. He was captured in Yugoslavia and spent time in prison there before being accepted as a refugee in Canada. It was two years before my mother, older sister and I were all able to join him. My family chose Calgary because they had Romanian friends in the city. The adjustment was difficult for them having to leave behind their friends, family, good jobs and the sense of security that comes from being surrounded by people who understood their native language and shared a culture with them. I am in awe of their bravery, positivity and resilience. Even though my father’s engineering degree was not recognized in Canada, he was able to prove his aptitude as an elevator repairman and work his way up. My sister and I have both gone to school, gotten married and made lives for ourselves here in Canada. I am so grateful for the sacrifices my parents made to bring us here!

Mom and Dad worked had to improve the family way of life

In 1963 we bought our first house in West Vancouver

I was also highly amazed at the way Corn Flakes was packed and served in individual cut-open boxes. Finally I was diagnosed as having measles and released from quarantine and "landed" on Apr 5,1949. A long train trip brought us to Ajax to what seemed to be a POW camp with barbed wire around it. From there we were directed to our destinations, my mother and I to Orillia in Ontario. Thus, my arrival to Canada, never to be regretted.

...Eventually the Customs and Immigration people were done processing us and we were free to leave the area.

I came to Canada from Brazil when I was 5 years old. I remember I had to leave all my xmas gifts and friends behind in Rio. It was very hard. Also, we arrived in winter and found it hard to breath the cold air. I had to teach myself how to inhale short breaths to be able to take in the cold!

Hungarian Refugees at Dorval Airport, Montreal, QC, November 1956. Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.

Aileen Ratz Scrapbook. Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.

My parents immigrated from Poland and Ukraine. I was so lucky to be born in Canada

I once said "Mom, you were so brave to come to Canada as a war bride." "No", she replied, "Not 'brave' darling...just stupid.

Pier 21, 1963, by photographer Ken Elliot. Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.

Heidi Hart on board the S.S. Beaverbrae, March 1949. Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.

When the server came around with this bread, we didn't know what to think. We surely thought we would not be able to swallow it since we couldn't crunch it in our teeth. We thought it may get stuck in our throat!..."

...For our train trip, we were given ten dollars per person to get us to our destination, enough to buy that pure soft cottony white bread we had never seen before.

Canadian and British naval servicemen on board the H.M.S. Whitehall, circa 1942. Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.

R.M.S. Ascania, December 1947. Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.

As soon as we landed at Toronto airport, that was amazing the peace and the comfort, I had in my heart, in my body, I cannot explain, I was just standing outside the airport and I was just shivering, like oh my God, so finally we are in Canada.

...They went to buy bread. No one was able to speak English, and the store owner didn¹t speak Italian.

One of my funniest memories," Bette continued, "was the day we landed at Halifax. We were so eager to get off the boat but they told us that the train had already left. When we finally departed, every time the train stopped we all jumped off and mailed letters to our husbands to let them know we were coming. We thought the letter would arrive the next day same as in Britain! We had no idea.

I felt like a small grain of sand washed up on the shores, with many thousands of others. Many had stories, similar to mine, coming for refuge and with high hopes, to Canada. Fortunately, my story has a happy ending. I fell as though some greater power must have been leading my unpredictable steps to the right places through the years. I am grateful to Canada for giving me the life I now enjoy.

Doppenberg family on board the S.S. Ryndam, 1960. Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.

I came to Canada to visit my uncle and it didn't take me long to fall in love with this great Nation after stepping off the airport. The air, the environment, the people, the culture and the lively vibe of the city, things I have never experienced before.

Arriving in New York harbor on 12th October, shipyard workers re-painted the huge American flag on each side of Washington’s hull, advertising her neutral status. Andrew’s underpants, hung out the porthole to dry, received a coat of red paint. I never learned which of the original 13 colonies they were baptized by.

In 1948, over sixty years ago, Canadian representatives of the Immigration and Employment Department came to Malta to select young tradesmen to immigrate to Canada. I, Lewis Borg, was one of the 500 select to immigrate.

While we sailed away from Ireland I stood at the stern of the ship and watched Ireland disappear over the horizon, a sad moment. During the crossing of the North Atlantic, I was standing at the rail of the ship with an old English fellow, who was a farmer from Saskatchewan returning home to Canada (he had emigrated many years before) we were looking out over the water and that's all you could see in any direction. I said to him "boy that's a lot of water" and he said "yeah and that's only the top.

…In the spring of 1947 we bought our first house; a two storey log house in Bear Creek.

My first feelings about Canada, Halifax and the new world, were a mixture of confusion, terror and curiosity. While on board the Britannic waiting to dock I became aware of the requirement that upon arrival we were to be taken to a "hall". To my Hungarian ears that notion sounded unusual. You see in Hungarian, "Hal" with one "L" means "fish", so I imagined that we were all to be taken into a giant fish! And the smells upon arrival at Halifax did not do much to convince me otherwise.

With all the hardships we went trough, my parents never complained. Every year got better and better. Canada is a great country. We all love our new homeland, its people and open spaces.

Second World War Canadian nurses, with Vera M Ruth Sullivan. Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.

Heads or tails" father said as he balanced the coin on his fingertips. "Tails", mother said without hesitation. The coin flipping ceremony was decided upon after many hours of heated discussion, ending in a stalemate. They had agreed to emigrate, the choice was between Australia and Canada. Mother opted for the former because her sister had emigrated to Free mantle in the late thirties. She married an Aussie soon after her arrival; her letters were filled with glowing commentaries of life down under. Father, on the other hand, had relatives in Canada, who also wrote urging him to take advantage of the many opportunities waiting in Canada. They agreed to let the coin decide.

…In 1966 we bought our first house in Etobicoke, a suburb of Toronto

As time passed we came to grow in this land, and, if the truth be known, the land came to grow in us. Wy binne gelokkich (we are blessed).

...Before boarding the train, my mother went to a nearby convenience store to purchase some food.

With all the hardships we went trough, my parents never complained. Every year got better and better. Canada is a great country. We all love our new homeland, its people and open spaces. From the seven people that arrived on Pier 21 on May 15th, 1951, we are now 57 proud Canadians. Thank You Canada!!!

Evacuee children on board the S.S. Duchess of Bedford, 1939. Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.

We are grateful and thankful that we immigrated to Canada. If we had stayed in post-war Europe, none of us would have had the opportunities that Canada offered.

I believe that Canada has given us the opportunity to become something meaningful of ourselves and contribute to the success of the community and to the Great country of Canada.

...I felt wonderful to be in a new country.

Coming to Canada was the best thing that could have happened to me. Thank You Canada! for the opportunity and the many favours along the way.

I am so happy to live in Canada, in Halifax, Thank you!

Coming to Canada was the best thing that could have happened to me. "Thank You Canada!" for the opportunity and the many flavours along the way.

My mother came from Czechslovakia. They were running from Hitler because they were gypsies. I love Canada.

…Our first house was near Botanical Gardens so guess where we went for walks on Sunday afternoons?

I look back on how Canada has changed me and my values. I think the hardest part of emigrating was changing the way I believed things should be done. I was brought up to understand that the British knew how to do things correctly.

Adjusting to life in Canada was a bit challenging in the first couple of months but I soon started meeting people and learning about the culture, going to university and being part of the community,

Pakistan High Commissioners in Montreal, QC, September 1960. Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.

I would bring my family album, learn more about my country so I can share with my new Canadian Family

I love being a Canadian. The greatest thing is not having to live in fear. I had no money but I had everything because I had peace. This wasn’t so with everyone. Some of my friends cried, cursed, etc., because they were homesick or had hard employers. Some even ran away.

Doris Peter, Margaret Burt, and others in Toronto, 1940. Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.

...I know it was hard for most of us coming from a strictly rationed country to adjust to all that lovely Canadian food.

We were grateful for the roof over our heads and no one complained…

We immigrated to Canada about a year ago and our first impression of the Canadians was how friendly and welcoming they treated us! Canada is such a great country and we are glad being part of it. Laura & Jan

...On the train they served us fresh wonder bread, today its beautiful in 1954 I took a slice squeezed it and said look mom it's not cooked.

Red Cross, 1963. Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.

My grandparents immigrated to Canada in ’56 from Hungary. It was during the Hungarian Revolution, and the fled with the clothes on their backs. They built a family here with many happy times.

Your anthem dearest Canada we sing with pride and thanks
From the heart of all the immigrants who landed on your banks.
Our family came aboard the ship they call the Volendam
In nineteen hundred fifty one, a Canadian to become.

...We were the only ones on the ship not ill.

... That evening, my Dad had bought some "Canadian sliced white bread", which was something new for us, which he made extra special by buttering the bread and sprinkling sugar on top...

Trans-Atlantic Wives Club, 1947. Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.

After 12 days of just being sea sick, losing weight on my already frail frame, we pulled into Halifax, January 1957. The army cadet band greeted us. We were then ushered into the immigration building to be examined by doctors. We watched TV and ate corn flakes for the first time without milk as one would eat potato chips. My parents were very enthusiastic, full of life, and had plans for the future.

At that time we had 3 choices for immigration: Australia, South Africa and Canada. We decided on Canada because it was closer and a return trip to Germany would have been less expensive. It also seemed more interesting than the other two countries.

The sights and sounds of Pier 21 will remain with me forever. I felt closer to my parents and grandmother than ever before because I was able to share in this memorable experience. This was truly a great day for Canada and for me. Thanks Pier 21!

At Pier 21, I was met by Immigration officials and after clearing the necessary paperwork, I received my landed immigrant stamp and boarded a train for Lethbridge, Alberta. My first recollection of a good Canadian meal came in the form of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes served in a mini-box. Never having seen this before, I wondered in amazement if everyone in Canada ate out of little one-meal boxes!

…In early March, 1970, I attended a meeting on co-op housing in Sackville, and came home a member of a Co-op shortly after that, we were assigned a building lot, allocated $14,000, and we were on our own.

It is okay to cry. Missing home is normal. You’re a very strong individual. Remember that change doesn’t happen over night.
Matt Evans Halifax, NS

Ukrainian family on board the R.M.S. Aquitania, December 1947. Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.

Canada was part of our greatest journey on this earth, being welcomed in this land gave us the freedom to shape us into individuals that have contributed much, and so therefore, the sacrifice of leaving our native land, facing many trials and overcoming many hurdles, says it all for us and our posterity.

I thank God for Canada and the life my family has enjoyed here. It has been a terrific country to grow up in and to live. There's no place on earth I'd rather live.

One thing I can smell even today was the Wonder Sliced Bread

My brother was waiting for me in the airport, so. It was nice to see him after 17 years and then we came here and I got sick because it was so cold, and yeah that was one of the happiest day in my life, I think. And I never forget the day.

I would bring my family because they mean a lot to me.
Destiny Bercier Moose Jaw, SK