Oral History
By recording peoples’ immigration stories through oral history interviews, the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 contributes important documentation on the human facet of immigration and makes it possible to share these stories with the greater public.
Oral History Collection
The Museum has been recording personal histories related to Canadian immigration since 2000. Today, the Oral History Collection has grown to over 900 interviews with stories from individuals originating from over 80 countries. A significant portion of the Collection consists of interviews with people who have a direct connection to Pier 21 as a historic immigration shed. This includes interviews with immigrants, displaced persons, war brides, evacuee children, Second World War veterans and former Pier 21 staff and volunteers. Our growing Collection is intended to reflect the breadth of Canadian immigration experiences.
The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 is working towards making more of its Oral History Collection directly accessible online. If you have an oral history research request, please contact the Museum’s oral historians at oralhistory@pier21.ca. We will try to respond to your request in a timely way, but please note that it could take up to eight weeks.
