SCOTTISH CANADIAN

(Redirected from Scottish-Canadian)

A large portion of the Canadian population are of Scottish ancestry and they have had a large impact on Canadian culture from colonial times. The 2001 Census of Canada revealed that they constitute the country's 3rd largest ethnic group with 4,157,210 people claiming full or partial Scottish descent. This constitutes 14.03% of the nations total population.

Contents

Scottish settlement of Canada

Forced Migration

Scots in Nova Scotia

Scottish in Quebec

Scots in Ontario

British Columbia

Demographics

Official Provincial Canadian Tartans

The tartans

Notable Scottish-Canadians

List of Notable Scottish Canadians

Notes

See also

Scottish settlement of Canada

Scots have had a long and rich history in Canada dating back centuries leaving an indelible imprint on Canada. Many Scottish place names and family names are to be found throughout Canada; and many towns, rivers and mountains have been named in honour of Scottish explorers, traders and adventurers – from Mackenzie Bay and Calgary to Nova Scotia (New Scotland) itself. Scots formed the vanguard of the movement of Europeans across the continent. In more modern times, emigrants from Scotland played a leading role in the social, political and economic history of Canada, being prominent in banking, in labour unions, and in the leadership of political parties. ^[1]
The first documented source of Scots in the new world comes from the Saga of Eric the Red and the Viking expedition to Vinland, modern Newfoundland in 1010AD. Viking prince Thorfinn Karlsefni led an expedition to Vinland (the land of wine) and took with him 160 Viking men, three ships, and two Scottish slaves, a man named Haki and a woman named Hekja, who were reputed to be as swift or faster than a deer at running.^[2]. When the long boats moored along the coast, they sent the slaves ashore to run along the waterfront to gauge whether it was safe for the rest of the crew to follow. After the Scots survived a day of baiting for potential foes (native or animal), the Vikings deemed it safe to spend the night ashore. The expedition was abandoned three years later; the original sagas were passed on in an oral tradition and then written down 250 years later. The sagas demonstrate how daring and pioneering Viking culture was at the turn of the first millennium and are open to considerable breadth of interpretation.
An apocryphal voyage in 1398 by a captain named Zichmni, believed to be Henry I Sinclair, Earl of Orkney, who was of joint Norse-Scottish title and family, is also claimed to have reached Atlantic Canada as well as New England.
The first attempts in earnest to entice Scottish settlers to Canada began as early as 1622, when Sir William Alexander obtained permission from King James VI of Scotland (James I of England) to establish new Scotland or Nova Scotia. Only a small number of Scottish families settled in Canada, however, prior to the conquest of New France in 1759.
A large groups of Ulster Scots, many of whom had first settled in New Hampshire, moved to Truro, Nova Scotia, in 1761. Their descendants have provided many of the country's leading justices, statesmen, clergymen, businessmen and scholars. In 1772 a wave of Scots began to arrive in Prince Edward Island. In 1773 the little brig Hector brought 200 Scots to Pictou, starting a new stream of Highland emigration. To this day the town's slogan is "The Birthplace of New Scotland". At the end of the 18th century Cape Breton Island became a centre of Scottish settlement where only Scottish Gaelic was spoken.
A handful of English-speaking Scottish Lowlanders joined the Scottish exodus to Canada at this time. Likewise, a number of Scottish United Empire Loyalists who had fled the United States in 1783 arrived in Glengarry (eastern Ontario) and Nova Scotia. In 1803 Lord Selkirk, who was sympathetic to the plight of the dispossessed crofters, brought 800 colonists to Prince Edward Island. In 1812 Selkirk founded the Red River settlement in what is now Manitoba, where he settled Highland immigrants.
Prince Edward Island was also heavily influenced by Scottish settlers. One prominent P.E.I. settler was John Macdonald of Glenaladale, who conceived the idea of sending Highlanders out to Nova Scotia on a grand scale after Culloden. The name Macdonald still dominates on the island, which received a large influx of Scots during the American Revolution and another Gaelic-speaking group of Highlanders in 18l3 from the estates of Lord Selkirk.
New Brunswick also became the home for many Scots. In 1761, a Highland regiment garrisoned Fort Frederick. The surrounding lands surveyed by Captain Bruce in 1762 attracted many Scotch traders when William Davidson of Caithness arrived to settle two years later. Their numbers were swelled by the arrival of thousands of loyalists of Scottish origin both during and after the American Revolution.
One of the province's and Canada's most famous regiments was "The King's First American Regiment" founded in 1776 in New England. It was composed mostly of Highlanders, many of whom fought with their traditional kilts to the sound of the pipes. The regiment distinguished itself when it defeated Washington's forces at the Battle of Brandywine. When it disbanded after the War, most of its members settled in New Brunswick. A continual influx of immigrants from Scotland and Ulster meant that by 1843 there were over 30,000 Scots in New Brunswick.

Forced Migration

Main articles: Jacobite Risings

Main articles: Highland Clearances

Main articles: Lowland Clearances

Main articles: Highland Potato Famine

Between the 18th and 19th centuries a steady flow of immegrants from Scotland arrived in North America Some sought political and religious asylum following the failed Jacobite uprisings in 1688, 1715 and 1745. Those immigrants who arrived after 1759 were mainly Highland farmers who had been forced off their rented land or "crofts" due to the Highland Clearances (Scottish Gaelic: ''Fuadaich nan Gàidheal'') to make way for sheep grazing and the Lowland Clearances (''Fuadaich nan Galltachd'') due to the British Agricultural Revolution, which forced hundreds of thousands of cottars and tenant farmers from the southern counties of Scotland were forcibly moved from the farms and small holdings abroad, especially to America and Canada.
Others came due to famine. In 1846, potato crops were blighted by the same fungal disease responsible for the Great Irish Famine, and most Highland crofters were very dependent on potatoes as a source of food. Famine relief although better organised to the Highlands and Islands than than in Ireland, naval vessels distributed oatmeal and other supplies. Nonetheless, in Wick, Cromarty and Invergordon there were protests about the export of grain from local harbours. Troops were used to quell the protests. Crop failures continued into the 1850s and famine relief programmes became semi-permanent operations.
Crofters were expected to work their oatmeal rations in appalling conditions, although some landlords worked to lessen the effects of the famine on their crofting tenants. Rather than accept any real responsibility for the plight of crofting tenants many landlords resorted to eviction. In particular, John Gordon of Cluny became the target of criticism in Scottish newspapers, when many of his crofters were reduced to living on the streets of Inverness. Gordon resorted to hiring a fleet of ships and forcibly transporting his Hebridean crofters to Canada, where they were conveniently abandoned on Canadian authorities. Other more sympathetic Landlords supplied a free passage to what was hoped would be a better life, in Nova Scotia, and other provinces of Canada. Most crofters settled in what is now the Atlantic coast.
During the ten years following 1847, from throughout the Highlands, over 16,000 crofters were shipped overseas to Canada and Australia. In 1857 potato crops were again growing without serious blight.

Scots in Nova Scotia

Main articles: Nova Scotia

Main articles: Music of Nova Scotia

Main articles: Canadian Gaelic

Dispite its small size the Scots have influenced the cultural mix of Nova Scotia for centuries and Scots still constitute the largest ethnic group in Nova Scotia at (29.3%) of the population. Nova Scotia is (Latin for ''New Scotland''; and the provinces regional flag was designed from a combination of the Scottish Saltier and the Royal Standard of Scotland.
Nova Scotia was briefly colonized by Scottish settlers in 1620, though by 1624 the Scottish settlers had been removed by treaty and the area was turned over to the French until the mid-1700s. Settlement was greatly accelerated by the resettlement of Loyalists in Nova Scotia during the period following the end of the American revolutionary war. Scottish Highland Clearances resulted in large influxes of migrants with Celtic cultural roots, which helped to define the dominantly celtic character of Cape Breton and the north mainland of the province. This gaelic influence continues to play an important role in defining the cultural life of the province, though less than 500 Nova Scotians today are fluent in Scottish Gaelic. Nearly all live in Antigonish County or on Cape Breton Island.
One of the earliest settler groups on Cape Breton Island were Highland Scots who found themselves dispossessed when their lairds began enclosing their lands. Nova Scotia's best-known college is Dalhousie University, founded in 1818 as the only Gaelic college in Canada. The island has annual Celtic gatherings and the Gaelic Mod to encourage interest in piping, singing, highland dancing and folk arts. St. Francis of Xavier College was also found by a Catholic Bishop of Scottish descent.

Scottish in Quebec

Main articles: Scotch-Quebecois

Scots have long and historic ties with the province of Quebec. When the ''Don de Dieu'' sailed up the St. Lawrence River during the first wave of colonization of French Canada, it was piloted by a Scot, Abraham Martin (after whom the Plains of Abraham, scene of Wolfe's victory, are named). The first British governor of Quebec was also a Scot, General James Murray. He received the keys to the city gates from the French commander, Major de Ramezay, himself of Scottish descent. (Many Scots had been employed by the French since the time of the "the Auld Alliance," during which the kingdoms of Scotland and France were allied for centuries and close links formed between the two countries.)
Large groups of Scots chiefly from Ross-shire arrived on the ''Nephton'' in 1802 to settle in the Quebec province. Many of their descendants have become prominent in the business, financial and religious activities of Montreal. Most Scottish United Empire Loyalists however settled in what was now Upper Canada (Ontario). Many early settlers from Tryon County, New York came here, in what was then wilderness. They were joined by many Highlanders during the Revolution, and after the War had ended, by a whole regiment of the "King's Royals."
World-famous McGill University, one of Canada's largest, has become renowned for its work in chemistry, medicine and biology; continuing long-practiced Scottish traditions in these fields. It was founded in 1821 with revenue from the estate bequeathed by James McGill, a merchant and politician who had emigrated from Glasgow. Its first head was Scotsman John Bethune, a pupil of Strachan (who was prevented from assuming the position only by a delay in its foundation). Another wealthy Scot, Mr. Peter Redpath, was responsible for financing the Museum, the library and a University chair.

Scots in Ontario

The chief Scottish town in the Glengarry Settlement was Cornwall, located in modern-day Ontario. It was reinforced in 1786 when The McDonald arrived at Quebec from Greenock with 520 new pioneers. Soon immigrants came from all parts of Scotland to make it one of the most important Scots-Canadian communities. The Glengarry clansmen managed to get away from their homelands before the British Government's embargo during the war with Napoleon. Many other retired officials from the Hudson's Bay Company joined the Glengarry Settlements.
Another famous Scottish area that came to exert great influence in Ontario was the Perth Settlement, another region of purely Scottish and military origin. Unemployment and suffering following the end of the Napoleonic Wars caused the British government to reverse its former policies and actively encourage emigration. In 1815, three loaded transports set sail from Greenock for Upper Canada: the ''Atlas'', the ''Baptiste Merchant'' and the ''Borothy''. After the War of 1812 ended, many soldiers from the disbanded regiments joined them. In 1816, more arrivals from Ulster helped swell the Scottish element. Many Perth families became prominent in both provincial and national governments.
An educational institution of Scottish origin is Queens University in Kingston "the Aberdeen of Canada," founded largely through the dreams (and hard work) of noted scholar George Munroe Grant.

British Columbia

Scottish influence has been an important part of the cultural mix in metropolitan Vancouver and British Columbia. The St. Andrew's and Caledonian Society of Vancouver was founded in 1886, the same year as the city. On St. Andrew's Day, 1887, the society held a grand St. Andrew's Ball in McDonough Hall at the southeast corner of Hastings and Columbia and almost half the city's population attended. The city still celebrates Scottish Heritage week which concludes with the BC Highland Games.
Many local place names are of Scottish origin. The district of Dollarton was named for Captain Robert Dollar. West Vancouver's first European settler, John Lawson, planted holly by the side of the "burn" or river flowing across his property; he coined "Hollyburn" as the name for his place. Iona Island was formerly called McMillan Island, after a pioneer Scots settler, Donald McMillan. Part of West Vancouver is named after Dundarave Castle in Scotland. In 1905 at what is now West 41st Avenue in Vancouver, a young Scottish couple named MacKinnon who had recently settled in the district were invited to name the new station. She adapted the name Kerrisdale from her old family home, Kerrydale, in Gairloch, Scotland. Kerrydale means "little seat of the fairies."
Other evidence of the Scottish influence on the development of Greater Vancouver can be found in the names of parks, creeks and other geographical features throughout the metropolitan area. These include; Ailsa Park (Glenayre), Andy Livingstone Park (Gastown), Braemar Park (North Lonsdale), Cameron Park (Mary Hill), Dugald J. Morrison Park (Ladner), Glencoe Park (Glenayre), Invergarry Park (Port Mann), Kelvin Grove Beach Park (Village of Lions), McNair Place Park (Upper Lynn), Montrose Park (Burnaby Heights) and Ron McLean Park (Middlegate). This list is by no means exhaustive. Creeks and rivers include Campbell River (Hazelmere), Irvine Creek (Burke Mountain), McDonald Creek (Panorama Village), McLean Creek (Burke Mountain) and of course the Fraser River itself. Other geographical place names include Brae Island, Blair Point, Gunn Island, Iona Island and McDonald Slough (all in the City of Richmond), Ferguson Point (City of Vancouver) and Garrow Bay (Gleneagles).

Demographics

The following statistics are from the 2001 Census of Canada. [1]

'''Canadians of Scottish descent by province and territory'''

Province/Territory	Canadians of Scottish descent population
Newfoundland and Labrador	30,295
Prince Edward Island	50,700
Nova Scotia	263,060
New Brunswick	127,635
Quebec	156,140
Ontario	1,843,110
Manitoba	195,570
Saskatchewan	172,300
Alberta	556,575
British Columbia	748,950
Yukon	6,245
Northwest Territories	5,190
Nunavut	1,475
'Canada'	'4,157,210'

Official Provincial Canadian Tartans

Canada's provinces and territories (except for Nunavut), as well as many other divisions in Canada, have officially recognized Scottish tartans. Tartans were first brought to Canada by Scottish settlers, and in 1955, Nova Scotia was the first province to adopt an official tartan. The official provincial and territorial tartans are all registered in the books of the Court of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms of Scotland.

The tartans

1. Maple leaf (unofficial)

2. Newfoundland and Labrador (unofficial)

3. Prince Edward Island (1960)

4. Nova Scotia (adopted 1955)^[3]



5. New Brunswick (adopted 1959)

6. Quebec (unofficial)

7. Ontario (adopted 2000)

8. Manitoba (adopted 1962)

9. Saskatchewan (adopted ?)

10. Alberta (adopted 1961)

11. British Columbia (adopted 1967)

12. Northwest Territories (adopted 1973)

13. Yukon (adopted 1984)

Notable Scottish-Canadians

The list of Scots who influenced Canada's history is indeed a long one. The explorer Alexander MacKenzie completed the first known transcontinental crossing of America north of Mexico. John Sandfield Macdonald (1812-1872) became prime minister of the province of Canada in 1862 and the first premier of Ontario in 1867. Sir John A. Macdonald (1815-1891), who emigrated in 1820, became the first prime minister of the Dominion of Canada, leading the country through its period of early growth. Under his leadership, the dominion expanded to include Manitoba, British Columbia and Prince Edward Island.
Alexander Mackenzie was the first Liberal Prime Minister of Canada (1873-78). Another Scot, William Lyon Mackenzie, who led the revolt in Upper Canada against the Canadian government in 1858, became a symbol of Canadian radicalism. His rebellion dramatized the need to reform the country's outmoded constitution and led to the 1841 Confederation of Canadian provinces. Another Scot, William McDougall, was known as one of the fathers of the Confederation; Sir Richard McBride (1870-1917) was from 1903-1915 the Premier of British Columbia, where his was the first government under the new system of political parties. McBride was also known for his tireless work on behalf of the extension of the Pacific Great Eastern Railroad, which was to bind British Columbia together the way the CPR had Canada..
In this century, perhaps the most well-known Canadian politician, particularly revered in Britain for his contribution to the allied cause in World War II, was William Lyon MacKenzie King (1874-1950), who was very proud of his Scots background. King was three time Prime Minister of Canada, doing much to help preserve the unity of the French and English populations in his vast country. The first full time Minister of Labour, King was the leader of the Liberal Party for over 30 years. His last term as Prime Minister was from 1935 to 1948.
Established as one of the major ethnic components of the Canadian population during the period 1815-1870, Scots dominated in many areas other than education and politics. Economic affairs also took their interest, and they largely controlled the trade in furs, timber, banking and railroad management. Almost one-quarter of Canada's industrial leaders in the 1920s had been born in Scotland, and another quarter had Scottish-born fathers.
It is important to remember that the Scots had a long tradition of struggle to maintain a separate identity in the face of a simultaneous pressure to integrate into a foreign society. Thus over the years, they had gained considerable experience in the ambivalence of being both accommodating and distinctive. Substantial numbers of Scots continued to immigrant to Canada after 1870. The early 20th century saw a great boom in the numbers leaving Scotland for Canada. As one of many ethnic groups in Canada, the Scots have managed to retain their separate identity.
For over 200 years, they have entered the country in a constant flow. Their presence has been powerful enough to influence most strongly the dominant Anglo-Canadian culture; their numbers alone do not reflect their enormous influence on Canadian politics, education, religion and business. Never intimidated by the majority, the long, long history of their struggles in the homeland made the Scots an indomitable and formidable race in the new lands.

List of Notable Scottish Canadians

★ Hugh Allan (1810-1882), financier and shipping magnate

★ Montagu H. Allan (1860-1951), banker, ship owner, sportsman

★ Richard B. Angus, banker and philanthropist

★ Gordon Campbell, Premier of British Columbia

★ Kim Campbell, first female Prime Minister of Canada

★ Neve Campbell, actress (Scottish father)

★ John William Dawson (1820-1899), scientist, educator

★ Richard Dobie (1731-1805), fur trader, businessman

★ William Davidson, pioneer settler in New Brunswick

★ Sir James Douglas, chief factor of the HBC's Columbia District (1843-1858) and Governor of the colonies of the Colony of Vancouver Island (1851-64) and the Colony of British Columbia (1858-62)

★ Tommy Douglas, Premier of Saskatchewan and first leader of the New Democratic Party

★ Shirley Douglas, actress (daughter of Tommy)

★ William Dow (1800-1868), brewer and businessman

★ George Alexander Drummond (1829-1910), entrepreneur

★ Hugh Graham (1848-1938), newspaper publisher

★ Alexander Keith, brewer (Alexander Keith's)

★ William Lauder (1794-1845), industrial contractor

★ Sir John A. Macdonald, first Prime Minister of Canada

★ Rodney MacDonald, Premier of Nova Scotia

★ Scott MacDonald, Underground freedom figher (unknown to general public)

★ William Christopher Macdonald, tobacco producer and philanthropist

★ Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs

★ Robert Mackay (1840-1916), businessman, statesman

★ Alexander MacKenzie, explorer of the Canadian Northwest

★ Alexander Mackenzie, second Prime Minister of Canada

★ William Lyon Mackenzie, journalist and rebel

★ William Lyon Mackenzie King, longest serving Prime Minister of Canada

★ Agnes Macphail, first woman to sit in the Canadian House of Commons

★ Beverley McLachlin, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada

★ James McGill (1744-1813), fur trader, merchant

★ Peter McGill (1789-1860), businessman, politician

★ William McGillivray (1764-1825), fur trader

★ Duncan McIntyre (1834-1894), businessman

★ Norman McLaren, film animation pioneer

★ Bobby McMahon, football analyst for Fox Soccer Channel.

★ Simon McTavish (1750-1804), fur trader, saw mill and flour mill operater

★ Colin Mochrie, actor and comedian

★ Henry Morgan (1819-1893), built the first department store in Canada

★ James Naismith, inventor of basketball

★ Alexander Walker Ogilvie (1829-1902), miller, statesman

★ John Ogilvy (1769-1819), merchant

★ Roddy Piper, WWE Wrestler

★ John Redpath (1796-1869), contractor, industrialist

★ Peter Redpath (1821-1894), businessman

★ Callum Keith Rennie, actor

★ George Simpson (1787-1860), executive, fur trader

★ Donald Alexander Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal

★ George Stephen, 1st Baron Mount Stephen

★ Daniel Sutherland (1756-1832), businessman

★ Donald Sutherland, actor

★
★ Kiefer Sutherland, actor (son of Donald)

★ John G. Williams, Member of Parliament (Conservative Party)

Notes

★ [2] – Documentation of the first Scots to set foot in Canada.

See also

★ English-Canadian

★ Scots-Quebecer

★ Scottish people

★ Scottish American

★ Celtic music in Canada

★