• Mennonites and Canadian Accommodation
    by Steven Schwinghamer, Historian (Updated July 21, 2021) “The problem is a vexing one” A Formal Agreement with the Government: the Privilegium Some of the earliest European agricultural settlers in Canada’s Prairie West were Russian Mennonites. Two disparate political events provided a crucial …
  • Governance and Corporate Reports
    Mandate The Museums Act establishes the Mandate of the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21: The purpose of the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 is to explore the theme of immigration to Canada in order to enhance public understanding of the experiences of immigrants as they arrived …
  • Before and After 1923: Chinese Exclusion in Context
    By Steven Schwinghamer, Historian As we approach the centenary of the Chinese Immigration Act, 1923, answering three key historical questions will help us understand and make meaning of the legislation: What was the 1923 Act that closed the door on Chinese immigration? How did the politics of …
  • Canadian Immigration Facilities at Victoria, BC
    by Steve Schwinghamer, Historian (Updated July 21, 2021) “Conditions are so much different out here from what you have in the East” Immigration Facilities at Victoria, British Columbia The history of immigration facilities at the port of Victoria, British Columbia, extends from the mid-nineteenth …
  • The Colour Bar at the Canadian Border: Black American Farmers
    by Steve Schwinghamer, Historian (Updated July 20, 2021) “I am not sure whether it will interest you or not but I may state that a number of coloured people have been going from your district lately to Western Canada, and it is not considered that they are a class of colonists who will be likely to …
  • Exploring Pier 21’s Immigration Quarters
    by Steve Schwinghamer, Historian (Updated July 20, 2021) Introduction: Accommodation and Detention at Pier 21 Pier 21 is best known as Halifax’s receiving station for almost one million immigrants to Canada, and as a key embarkation facility during the Second World War. However, most of the people …
  • Early Political and Public Responses to Canada’s Official Multiculturalism Policy, 1971-1972
    by Jan Raska, PhD, Historian (Updated November 4, 2020) Origins: From a “Mosaic” to Multiculturalism Before multiculturalism became a widely-used metaphor for cultural pluralism in modern Canada, the use of such terms to describe Canadian diversity can be traced back to the early interwar period. …
  • Deportation from Canada during the Great Depression
    by Steve Schwinghamer, Historian (Updated July 20, 2021) “There is no Exclusion Act in the Dominion of Canada” “The doors which once were opened wide are now but slightly ajar. The countries that boasted of their liberal attitudes toward new settlers – particularly the countries of the Western …
  • Medical Facilities at Pier 21
    by Steve Schwinghamer, Historian (Updated July 20, 2021) Introduction: Medical Screening at Pier 21 The manual used by immigration staff in the 1950s stated that medical and physical requirements of the Immigration Act were “[f]or the protection of residents of Canada, and to ensure that persons …
  • Hungarian Culture Trunk Artifacts
    Arrival in Canada Life in Canada Personal ID Documents Post Revolution Articles Travel Documents … Hungarian Culture Trunk Artifacts …