Overview

The Global Gathering Place site has five main sections. Each is self-contained and can be viewed independently, but they complement each other and are intertwined by links. Be sure to visit them all!

Themes in Multicultural History and Immigration consists of six units. Each addresses particular groups of questions concerning the history of ethnic diversity in Canada. Why did people come to Canada in the past, and why do they come now? How have patterns of immigration to Canada changed, and why? What is a refugee? What are human rights, and how do they relate to immigration? How has racism affected Canadian history? How do communities of immigrants form, and how do they relate to other people living in Canada? How do new immigrants make a living? What is citizenship and what does it mean in a personÕs life? Units in this section address these questions and more, in ways that illustrate some groupsÕ unique experiences, but also show the common threads which Canadians past and present Ñ new arrivals or immigrantÕs descendants Ñ all share.

Ethnic Communities in Canada provides overviews of the histories of some of CanadaÕs ethnic communities, covering the time from their establishment up until the present day. Special attention is paid to the patterns and timing of immigration, and the challenges newcomers faced in making a living, going to school, and gaining legal rights to become free citizens, vote, marry, live where they wished, and pursue the professions of their choice. Their successes are visible everywhere in Canada, as ethnic communities continue to thrive, maintaining old traditions and developing new ones, while contributing to the cultural diversity and communal life of the nation.

Photographic Exhibitions shares unique illustrated histories of Canadians who came from all over the world, from several years ago to several generations ago. These histories use remarkable archival and recent photographs to thoughtfully show the relationship of personal lives to national and global history. The experiences of families of immigrants and refugees, and people born into CanadaÕs long-standing ethnic communities, come alive in pictures.

The Timeline supplies a central reference chronology for key events discussed throughout the site. Links are included, leading to other main sections of the site, and/or to short descriptions of significant episodes in history, important laws, human rights milestones, etc. The Timeline places events in historical perspective Ñ which contributes, for example, to understanding why different groups of people left their countries to come to Canada when they did.

The Resource Room is a collection of other online resources about Canadian history, ethnic diversity, citizenship, international human rights, and related topics. It includes annotated lists of good sites with more information for students, and a set of carefully selected resources especially for teachers. Another key feature of the Resource Room is the GGP Glossary, which provides definitions for many useful terms in this area of study.