At the end of the school year in June, the Jeanie Johnston Foundation announced the Quebec Ministry of Education had included Grosse Île in the compulsory exams for 2015.
Grosse Île, located in the middle of the St. Lawrence River, was a quarantine station for the Port of Quebec from 1832 to 1937. At the time, the island was the main point of entry for immigrants coming to Canada. It is believed more than 3,000 Irish died on the island and more than 5,000 are buried in the cemetery there.
Including Grosse Île in exams ensures Quebec teachers will continue to include the subject in their history classes.
Leo Delany, chairperson of the Jeanie Johnston Foundation, said: “Four and a half million immigrants passed through this port of entry; 2.5 million of these were Irish. Quebec, Canada, Britain, Ireland and the United States can link their ancestral family history and moments in time to this program.”
The Jeanie Johnston Foundation was named after the ship that carried Irish immigrants to Canada, without loss of life, in the 1850s. The foundation promotes studies of Canada in relation to literacy, immigration, history, and citizenship.
