• Eminently Suitable for Our Purposes: Official Commemoration of Immigrant Arrivals in Canada, 1949-1972
    by Jan Raska, PhD, Historian (Updated October 26, 2020) Introduction During the early postwar period, Canadian officials attempted to commemorate immigration milestones. These official commemorations were in response to postwar immigration policies that had opened Canada’s doors to tens of …
  • Postwar Immigration through Pier 21
    by Jan Raska, PhD, Historian (Updated October 26, 2020) Introduction V-E (Victory in Europe) Day, May 8, 1945, marked not only the beginning of the return home from Europe for Canadian military personnel, but also a new period in immigration to Canada. During the war, immigration had slowed almost …
  • “Young Man, You Take Yourself Far Too Seriously”: The Memoirs of Immigration Officer Fenton Crosman
    by Steve Schwinghamer, Historian (Updated January 28, 2022) Canadian immigration history can be researched using a staggering variety of sources . There are ship logs and passenger manifests, architectural plans and harbour maps, photographs and paintings, letters and telegrams, tweets and emails, …
  • Recruiting Domestic Workers and Live-In Caregivers in Canada
    by Jan Raska, PhD, Historian Introduction Over the last several decades, Canada has become increasingly dependent on foreign workers to meet its growing labour shortage. This is particularly evident in the agricultural, service, and homecare industries. [1] The Canadian government regulates all …
  • Tibetan Immigration to Canada
    by Jan Raska, PhD, Historian (Updated September 29, 2020) Introduction Asian Heritage Month offers all Canadians an opportunity to learn more about the history of Asian Canadians and to celebrate their contributions to the growth and prosperity of Canada. [1] In May of each year we celebrate the …
  • Food Wars! Immigration and Food Confiscation at Pier 21
    by Jan Raska, PhD, Historian (Updated November 5, 2020) Introduction “If one thing caused scenes at Pier 21, it was sausages.” This statement located on a panel in the Museum’s (pre-2015) core exhibition sheds light on an interesting yet underexplored aspect of Canadian immigration history: food …
  • Historical Thinking (3) : Primary Source Evidence
    by Jan Raska, PhD, Historian (Updated October 1, 2020) Introduction What types of sources do historians encounter when they research and write about history? In conducting research for a project, historians use primary and secondary sources. In this post, we are going to discuss the second concept …
  • What Would You Do? Admit, Detain, or Deny Entry to Irregular Refugees on Canada’s East Coast
    by Jan Raska, PhD, Historian (Updated October 9, 2020) In May 2015, the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 opened a new exhibition on the history of the Pier 21 National Historic Site of Canada and the history of immigration to Canada. This is based on research that informs new displays …
  • Port of Precedence: A History of Immigration at the Port of Quebec Part 1
    by Jan Raska, PhD, Historian (Updated October 22, 2020) Introduction Before the arrival of Europeans, Algonquin and Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) nations were the primary inhabitants along the St. Lawrence River (known in Mohawk as Kaniatarowanenneh , meaning “big waterway”) and the area later …
  • Historical Thinking (4) : Continuity and Change
    by Jan Raska, PhD, Historian (Updated October 1, 2020) Introduction History is often seen by the public as the study of dates, names, places and events. As a discipline, history is much more diverse and multilayered than many individuals realize. The discipline of history can be viewed as a complex …