Scottish Canada
Whilst it is unlikely to come as a surprise to residents in either country, it may surprise others that the countries of Canada and Scotland have been closely linked for centuries. Many of the early settlers in Canada came from Scotland, and nowadays just over 15% of Canadians claim a Scottish background. The first wave of Scottish immigrants began arriving as early as the 17th Century, even going so far as to name part of Canada Nova Scotia (which translates from the Latin as ’New Scotland’.) There are suggestions that some Scottish settlers even arrived several centuries earlier, transported by Viking travellers.
A more substantial number of immigrants began arriving in the 18th and 19th centuries. This trans-atlantic movement of people continued until the early 20th century, as political or religious upheaval, poverty and famine encouraged them to seek new lives abroad.
Culturally Canada still has a strong Scottish influence. Scottish place names and surnames abound and there are estimated to be several thousand Gaelic speakers in the country. Scottish dancing, the music of the bagpipes and Highland Games are popular amongst much of the Canadian population. Other sports like rugby and curling are also of Scottish import.
Many Scottish Canadians are very proud of their heritage and like to celebrate it, not only with their culture, but also with their regional tartans (Regions of Canada started adopting tartans from the 1950s.) There are Scottish-Canadian freemasonry lodges and societies. Traditional Scottish crafts are popular, such as Ortak Jewellery from Orkney.
Famous Scottish Canadians include many politicians, musicians, actors and influential figures. Notables include the Sutherland acting clan, Kim Campbell (first woman Prime Minister of Canada) and Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone. Bizarrely, for a sport considered the world over to be quintessentially American, the list also includes James Naismith, the inventor of basketball!
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