Since the 1960s, the Canadian Museum of Civilization has been collecting immigrant artifacts and documenting cultural traditions. These are artifacts brought over by immigrants, items created by immigrants and their descendants with Canadian materials, and items that continue to be useful and functional in immigrants' homes. The Museum also collects historical, social, familial and cultural documents in order to contextualize those artifacts.

The Canadian Museum of Civilization will continue to follow and document social changes and the cultural dynamism of Canada's growing population. It will also continue to collect material associated with the country's diverse multicultural heritage, and to preserve, promote, exhibit and research that heritage.