🗿🏺 Government of Canada Supports the Chinese Canadian Museum

Tuesday, 23 May 2023 12:00.PM

- The Government of Canada is investing more than $5 million in the Chinese Canadian Museum -

Today, the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, announced an investment of $5,179,000 in the Chinese Canadian Museum. This support includes funding from both the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada (PacifiCan).

Minister Ng made this announcement on behalf of the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage, and the Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for PacifiCan.

The first of its kind in Canada, the Chinese Canadian Museum will honour the history, contributions, and living heritage of Chinese Canadians.

Canadian Heritage has provided $3 million in funding through the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund for renovations to the Museum's permanent home in the Wing Sang Building, the oldest building in Vancouver's Chinatown. Once completed, this will create more than 21,000 square feet of modernized operational museum space. Canadian Heritage has also provided $179,000 under the Commemorate Canada program for the museum's inaugural exhibition, The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act. The exhibition will present key themes and learnings about the Act, highlight personal connections through stories of individuals and families who lived through that time, and explore elements of the Act and its devastating impact on the Chinese community.

PacifiCan is contributing $2 million through the Tourism Relief Fund to the new permanent museum space that will enable the Chinese Canadian Museum to develop impactful and transformative visitor experiences. Funding includes support for renovation and curatorial plans, exhibition design, marketing, communications, and administrative operations. The development of the new museum will positively impact the local economy, all while drawing interest and engagement through domestic and international tourism, one of the most impacted sectors since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Funding for the Chinese Canadian Museum supports an essential space to honour, celebrate, and preserve Chinese-Canadian culture. As we near the centennial of the Chinese Exclusion Act, it is more important than ever that we reflect on the important, complex, and layered history of the Chinese-Canadian community and create opportunities for education and learning. Our commitment to building a more inclusive Canada is strengthened by projects such as this. Investing in the Chinese Canadian Museum and other heritage facilities enriches our communities and brings people together, ensuring that stories that have shaped the fabric of our nation are shared and its many voices amplified."
— Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage

Quick Facts

The Chinese Canadian Museum will officially open to the public on July 1, 2023, to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Immigration Act, more commonly known as the Chinese Exclusion Act, a discriminatory and racist policy that almost completely prevented people from China from entering Canada for nearly a quarter century.

The Wing Sang Building itself is considered a unique cultural destination. It includes an original Chinatown schoolroom on the third floor, a six-storey brick wall that was once part of an alley on the second floor, and renovated galleries on the second floor.

The Chinese Canadian Museum Society of British Columbia, which oversees the operations and management of the Chinese Canadian Museum, has developed, in the lead up to the museum's official opening, six temporary exhibits in both Vancouver and Victoria's Chinatowns, both of which are National Historic Sites of Canada.

The Canada Cultural Spaces Fund supports the improvement of physical conditions for arts, heritage, culture, and creative innovation. The Fund supports renovation and construction projects, the acquisition of specialized equipment, and feasibility studies related to cultural spaces.

The Commemorate Canada program provides funding to initiatives that commemorate and celebrate historical figures, places, events, and accomplishments of national significance.

The Tourism Relief Fund in British Columbia helps tourism businesses and organizations adapt their operations to meet public health requirements while investing in products and services to facilitate their future growth.