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Scottish-Canadians are Scottish people or people of Scottish descent living in Canada. 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.
Scottish settlement of Canada
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. Those who did make a home on Canadian soil were Highlanders who sought political and religious asylum following the failed Jacobite uprisings in Scotland in 1715 and 1745.
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. 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. 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. Scottish in QuebecScots 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 Scotch 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."
Scots in OntarioThe 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 state and national governments. 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 Strahan (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. Another 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 ColumbiaImage:LastSpike Craigellachie BC Canada.jpg Lord Strathcona drives the Last Spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway, at Craigellachie, 7 November 1885. Completion of the transcontinental railroad was a condition of BC's entry into Confederation. 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). DemographicsThe following statistics are from the 2001 Census of Canada. [1]
Notable Scottish-CanadiansThe 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
Notes
See also
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