Monument honouring Polish immigrants erected at Pier 21 in Halifax
HALIFAX — A monument erected in Halifax to honour the Polish-Canadian community further cements the bond between the two countries and highlights the centuries of history that forged it, dignitaries said at Sunday’s unveiling.
Dominik Barcz, a fur merchant from a Polish city on the Baltic coast, was the first recorded Polish immigrant to arrive on Canadian soil in 1752, leading many generations of Poles who later found a new home in Canada.
In a letter read aloud at a ceremony Sunday morning, Andrzej Duda, president of Poland, said he was proud of the many contributions Polish people have made to Canadian society in areas of science and culture while continuing to carry on their heritage.
“We want to preserve and develop the closest possible bonds with our compatriots all across the world, and this connection — the Canadian-Polonia — occupies a very special place,” Duda wrote.