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June 17, 2005
Presenting: Pier 21: Canada's "Front
Door" to Millions of Immigrants
I am fascinated by human stories and by intercultural connections.
The immigrant experience combines both these elements. On the continuum
of intercultural experiences from tourist to traveller to long-term
visitor / expatriate to becoming a permanent resident in a new country,
the immigrant experience involves the most extreme and intense form
of cultural interchange, and often confrontation. As an immigrant
myself, I have experienced first-hand the effects of culture shock
and it took me about 4 years to really settle emotionally in my
new home country of Canada.
Along these lines, here is an interview with Maria McGowan, Communications
Manager for Pier 21, Canada's
immigration museum, a national historic site in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Arrival in Canada
1. Pier 21 is Canada’s immigration museum. Please
tell us more about Pier 21, its location and facilities and what
it is today.
From the twenties to the seventies,
Pier 21 was Canada's 'front door' to over a million immigrants,
wartime evacuees, refugees, troops, war brides and their children.
This enriched our social and cultural landscape and uplifted the
very soul of a nation forever.
Pier 21, a National Historic Site, has been transformed into a
testament to Canada's profoundly emotional immigration experience.
The sheer impact of the interactive displays, virtual projections
and abundance of fascinating images is simply overwhelming.
Part of Canada's past and what continues to shape our future began
at Pier 21. You will find photographs and the names of passengers
and ships. Also, you will see actual passports, immigration papers
and even ships' menus from this time.
This year-round facility is much more than a visitor attraction.
It is a unique and authentic glimpse into our history that you and
your family will never forget.
2. Please tell us more about the Exhibition Hall, the centerpiece
of Pier 21.
The Rudolph Peter Bratty Exhibition Hall is the centerpiece of
Pier 21. Designed to represent the different stages of immigration,
the exhibit invites visitors to trace the same path that immigrants
followed as they journeyed to a new country. This highly interactive
exhibit recreates the immigration experience with the use of innovative
displays, evocative soundscapes and interactive technology.
- Leaving Home The decision to leave home was
often filled with great uncertainty. Through photographs, interpretive
panels and personal artifacts, visitors see how immigration was
influenced by world events.
On the ship
- The Voyage Until the 1960's, almost all immigrants
arrived by ship. Find out what it was like to travel across the
Atlantic to a new world. The Secunda Wall of Ships showcases the
photographs of the top 100 ships to call on Pier 21.
- Immigration Hall Upon arrival of Pier 21, passengers
would disembark and proceed to the examination hall. This area has
been recreated with wooden benches, wire cages and an immigration
officer who may ask to see your papers.
- Customs Trunks were inspected in the baggage
room. A model of the original Pier 21 immigration complex shows
the location of the baggage room, detention area, dormitories and
train station.
- The Annex Volunteers played a special role welcoming
newcomers. The Red Cross volunteers ran a nursery for families.
Representatives from different religious denominations were on hand
to greet new arrivals. This area pays tribute to those who helped
immigrants in so many ways.
- Face of Immigration Listening stations tell the
stories of the home children, British evacuee children, the military,
volunteers, staff, refugees and immigrants from three different
time periods in the history of Pier 21.
- World War II Deck Between 1939 and 1947, the
Department of National Defense took over Pier 21. 494,000 Canadian
troops departed from Pier 21 to serve overseas. It is here where
these troops bravely boarded ships for WWII.
Canadian WWII soldiers
- Travel Across Canada For most people passing
through Pier 21, the next stage was train travel. Less than 5% of
arrivals at Pier 21 stayed in Nova Scotia. Visitors step aboard
a recreated CN railcar and watch the Canadian countryside flash
by the train windows. Inside the railcar, interviews of actual Pier
21 alumni sharing their memories are shown.
- Andrea and Charles Bronfman - In-Transit Theatre "Oceans
of Hope" A 24-minute virtual projection presentation
portrays the emotional stories of those who passed through Pier
21.
3. Please tell us about the Library and Resource Centre.
Our Resource Centre houses a wealth of information valuable to
individuals who arrived at Pier 21, their descendents, researchers,
historians, school groups and other interested parties. The Resource
Centre possesses unique images compiled from sources such as the
National Archives, Sisters of Service, Canadian National Railway,
Halifax Port Corporation and the Public Archives of Nova Scotia,
many of which are on display in the Exhibit Hall. The collection
also includes newspaper photographs, the "Day in the Life of
Pier 21" series donated by Ken Elliot, the Allan S. Tanner
Collection of images depicting Canadian troops returning to Pier
21 in 1945, and the Francis E. Murphy Collection which documents
the building of the piers. It has a small but growing collection
of books on topics such as Canadian immigration, the Canadian military
in World War II, multiculturalism and other areas of study related
to Pier 21.
Four computer terminals are available where our website, stories
database, ship database and other electronic resources may be accessed.
Visitors may search electronically for the basic arrival information
of anyone who immigrated through a Canadian port between 1925 and
1935. Immigration records of individuals who entered Canada through
Quebec City, Montreal, Halifax and Saint John between 1925 and 1935
may be accessed on microfilm.
Photo of a war bride
The microfilm records are very popular because they contain the
responses to the twenty-eight questions that a prospective immigrant
had to answer before being allowed to enter Canada.
The Resource Centre houses photographs of 90% of the ships that
brought immigrants to Halifax between 1928 and 1971, and we are
constantly adding to our collection. The Resource Centre has all
of the videotaped immigrant interviews conducted by the CBC in the
year before we opened, news coverage of the Pier 21 project, documentaries
and several films on topics related to Canadian immigration. One
of Pier 21's most important projects has been collecting the personal
recollections of immigrants, war brides, service men and women,
British guest children and home children. Many visitors enjoy this
collection in the Centre and choose to write their own arrival stories
after seeing it. The Pier 21 experience is greatly enhanced by a
visit to the Resource Centre.
4. Pier 21 had a significant impact on Canada’s history.
Please shed some more light on that.
Halifax's Pier 21 opened in 1928 and closed in 1971.
Throughout these years passed:
- 1 million immigrants
- 100,000 displaced persons and refugees
- 50,000 war brides and their 22,000 children
- 3,000 British evacuee children, escaping the ravages of war at
home
- 494,000 Canadian troops bound for Europe during World War II
5. What type of people came through Pier 21, what countries
did they come from?
People from all walks of life from Europe and the Mediterranean.
Evacuee children
6. Please tell us more about some of the special groups
that came through Pier 21, e.g. displaced persons, evacuee children
and war brides. What were some of the special circumstances of these
unique immigrant groups?
They came for various reasons such as war, seeking better opportunities
or joining loved ones who were already in Canada. You can read some
of their stories on
our website.
7. You have an immigrant stories section on your website.
How did that come about and what type of stories can I read there?
Can I submit my own stories?
Stories are an integral part of Pier 21. We are collecting stories
from people that have been part of Pier 21. If you immigrated to
Canada and first step foot in this country at Pier 21 then we would
love to hear from you. Also, if you were in the services during
the Second World War and left for Europe from Pier 21 or returned
from European battlefields to Pier 21, we would love to hear your
stories. We are likewise very interested in hearing any stories
from past employees or volunteers that once helped so many Canadians
at Pier 21. All of your stories are valuable to us and we would
love to have them for our collection.
You can submit them online in our Resource Centre section or send
it by email or by mail.
8. Pier 21 is also a location for conferences and children’s
camps. Please comment on some of these events and activities that
go on at Pier 21.
Pier 21 is a bustling meeting place for conferences and meetings
and continues to grow each year as it gains a great reputation for
professional service, a world-class view of Halifax Harbour and
a unique setting.
School-aged children can come during March Break for hands-on fun
day camps. Special programming and special events are ongoing and
family-friendly.
Immigrant transportation
9. Please tell us a bit the Manulife Education Program that
is offered by Pier 21.
Pier 21 offers curriculum related
workshops throughout the year, teaching students about nation building,
citizenship, Canadian heritage and multiculturalism.
These unique workshops are designed by qualified professionals
and led by trained museum interpreters. Students participate in
fun and interactive workshops, complimenting their guided tour of
the museum (Rudolph P. Bratty Exhibition Hall).
Pre-visit and follow-up activities are also available. Teachers
will find these and other useful teaching resources in the Teacher
Section of our website.
Students will want to explore the Student Section for great project
ideas and resources.
Our capacity to offer programs en français is also rapidly
growing!
10. Pier 21 has also won some awards as a special events
venue. Please tell us more about that.
Only recently re-opened in July 1999, Meetings and Incentive Travel
Magazine has twice since voted Pier 21 as one of the top seven unique
venues for Service Excellence in Atlantic Canada! After conducting
surveys of their readership of 10,500 M&IT asked the question
"Which Canadian Facility Best Met your Expectations in 2000-2001,
then again, in 2002 – 2003. Pier 21 is one of seven properties
in Atlantic Canada to receive this prestigious award, twice in just
four years!
Thank you for your time, Maria, in talking to us about this wonderful
institution.
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