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A BRIEF STORY by Nicholas Sbarra Oh Canada! A pleasant light breeze was sweeping the air in the sunny mid-morning of Tuesday, June 26, 1951. The USNS General Harry Taylor , a U.S. merchant ship which served during World War II, was slowly approaching the port of Halifax, N.S. Our family of four was …
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This blog entry has been expanded upon by its author Jan Raska PhD and can now be found under Research, Immigration History: …
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by Jan Raska, PhD, Historian (Updated October 9, 2020) In May 2015, the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 opened new exhibitions on the history of the Pier 21 National Historic Site of Canada and the history of immigration to Canada. This blog is based on research that informs new displays …
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by Jan Raska, PhD, Historian (Updated October 8, 2020) Introduction So you’re interested in researching a topic that deals with Canadian immigration and ethnic history? This short post will give you an overview of the field and suggest some starting points to help get your research underway. Early …
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Anything to Declare? Part 2 - Reflections on Immigration and Customs Experiences at Pier 21 …
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by Jan Raska, PhD, Historian (Updated October 2, 2020) Introduction My last blog, Anything to Declare? Part 1 - Immigration and Customs since Confederation , introduced the historic role of customs officials in Canada and shared some of the amusing and odd anecdotal inquiries received from …
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Anything to Declare? Part 1 - Immigration and Customs since Confederation …
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by Jan Raska, PhD, Historian (Updated October 2, 2020) Introduction Travellers approaching Canada’s border by car are asked by customs officers whether they have anything to declare. Whether entering the country at the border, airport, or port, travellers must go through Canadian customs before …
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Christine Schlechta was a 10-year-old German immigrant at the time of what she recalled as a magical quarantine Christmas. “It was Christmas Eve, 1951, when we arrived in Halifax at Pier 21,” Christine remembered. “We were led into the large assembly hall lined with benches where we had to wait …
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Canada would have lost Margarita Bruehler nee Sosnowsky to Paraguay if her brother hadn’t come down with the chickenpox. Margarita’s early childhood memories are dominated by her family’s escape from Russia in 1943 and life in the battleground of German occupied Europe. The family crossed many …