PM announces Halifax's Pier 21 as newest national museum

[Spitfire75]

PM announces Halifax's Pier 21 as newest national museum

Site was gateway for 1.5 million immigrants

Canada's newest national museum will be located at Halifax's Pier 21, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced Thursday during a visit to Halifax.

The national museum will be dedicated to the recognition and celebration of the contributions of immigrants and new Canadians to this country's cultural history and heritage.

"No country in the world has benefited more than Canada from free and open immigration," Harper said in a release.

The federal government will pump about $15 million for development and operations into Pier 21, which opened as a museum in 1999.

Between 1928 and 1971, 1.5 million people passed through the gates at Pier 21. During the Second World War, 50,000 war brides and their 22,000 children and over 100,000 refugees passed through Pier 21.

After the war, hundreds of thousands more followed as Canada opened its doors to those looking for a new home.

There are four national museums in Canada: the National Gallery of Canada, the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the Canadian Museum of Nature and the National Museum of Science and Technology.

$15 million for Pier 21? Sounds great.