Federal government pledges $5M to Chinese Canadian Museum in Vancouver

The Chinese Canadian Museum in Vancouver has received about $5 million in new federal funding ahead of its opening on July 1.

Federal International Trade and Economic Development Minister Mary Ng says the new funding will go toward renewal of the museum's permanent space at the Wing Sang Building in Vancouver's Chinatown, as well as supporting the facility's first exhibit.

Ng made the funding announcement on the sidelines of the U.S.-Canada Chinatown Cultural Preservation and Revitalization Conference, which is hosting representatives from 18 Chinatowns from across North America.

Ng says efforts such as the museum and the conference are key to keeping a crucial part of North American history alive and to allow people to "appreciate the diversity of our society."

The Chinatown conference is taking place today and tomorrow in Vancouver, gathering representatives from other Canadian cities including Calgary, Edmonton and Toronto, as well as U.S. cities including San Francisco, Philadelphia and New York.