On July 1, Canada turns 142 years old. That same day, Pier 21
celebrates its 10th anniversary as “Canada’s immigration museum.”
At the museum, the holiday begins with an official citizenship
ceremony at 10am, harkening back to the pier’s important history as a
threshold—an entry point for one million Canadians, according to the
museum’s website, pier21.ca. Between
1928 and 1971, people emigrated from around the world and immigrated to
Canada by sea. (At what point does one exchange labels, emigrant for
immigrant? More than likely, one always wears both.) Of course, people
come by air now. The journey may be faster, but it’s no less fraught,
surely. Following the swearing-in, the annual Multicultural Village
Fair takes place between 11am and 3pm, with live entertainment, crafts,
activities and prizes awarded.
After the fair, a film: the NFB documentary Twelve. Filmmaker
Lester Alfonso searches for a way to understand his own transplantation
to Canada from the Philippines as a 12-year-old by finding a dozen
others who also came to Canada at age 12. How did each adapt to this
immense experience, especially at such a pivotal moment in life? How do
their stories diverge and connect? Many of us faced going to new
schools in adolescence. Imagine what it must be like going to a new
country.
Finally, two travelling exhibitions continue their run (until
September 7) at Pier 21. They’re travelling in the sense that
the shows originated from elsewhere and they chronicle two movements in
Canadian history and the formation of this country’s identity. The two
are The Canoe: A Canadian Cultural Icon, created by The Canadian
Canoe Museum in Peterborough, Ontario, and Acres of Dreams: Settling
the Canadian Prairies, a collaboration of the Museum of
Civilization in Ottawa and Library and Archives of Canada to mark the
centennials of Saskatchewan and Alberta in 2005. Besides the visual
chronicle, exhibitions like this invite critical reading and debate,
which is why we need museums today and always.
This article appears in Jun 18-24, 2009.