Canada

Migration &
Empire,
1830-1939
Emigrant Scots in
Canada

In today’s class I am learning to:
• Describe the impact of Scottish
emigrants in Canada
Emigrant Scots in Canada

During the 1800s and 1900s, Canada was a very
popular destination for emigrant Scots, having a
profound effect on Canadian development.

Scots went to Canada for
various reasons.
Canada
• Canada was very popular in the
second half of the 19th century,
with many Scots settling in Ontario
and Nova Scotia.
• Canada became more popular than
the USA by the 1920s.
• New towns were growing and the
Scots would be central to their
development.

Economy and
Enterprise

Scots made a significant
contribution to the
Canadian economy:
• Working and bringing
their skills
• Setting up businesses
• Helping build
infrastructure across
the country

Scots in Canada worked in
various industries.
Given the background of
many emigrant Scots,
large numbers set up
farms, or found work as
farm workers. Many had
been attracted to Canada
with the promise of free
or cheap land.

Industrial workers from
Scotland were also
attracted to Canada.
The country’s growing
factory, mining and steel
industries needed more
employees, especially
those with experience.
This again made the Scots
attractive employees.

Some professional Scots
were also attracted to
make the journey across
the Atlantic.
People such as teachers,
doctors and lawyers were
needed in order to
properly colonise Canada,
and they could often earn
higher wages.

A large number of Scots
who moved to Canada set
up their own businesses,
making themselves
wealthy and creating jobs
for other people.
It is estimated that up to
50% of business leaders in
Canada in the late 1880s
were of Scottish origin.

Canada’s timber trade had
a Scottish influence.
Timber businesses were
set up by Scots, and others
worked in the industry,
cutting down and
preparing logs. Others
worked on the ships that
transported the wood to
Europe.

The fur trade in Canada
was dominated by the
Hudson’s Bay Company.
This often violent trade
involved large numbers of
Scots, especially people
from Orkney. Large
numbers of animals
(including beavers) were
killed for their fur.

Scots played a major role
in Canada’s financial
industry.
Wealthy Scots were
involved in setting up
banks and investment
companies. A prominent
example includes George
Stephen, President of the
Bank of Montreal.

George Stephen’s most
famous act was to provide
the finance for the
Canadian Pacific Railroad,
that linked both of
Canada’s coasts.
Many Scots worked on the
railroad’s construction and
also its design (such as
Sandford Fleming).

Culture and
religion

Scots influenced Canada,
on issues such as:
• Religion
• Politics
• Education
• Names & languages
• Music and literature
• Sport

Many Scots had left their
homeland in order to
spread the Christian faith.
Others simply wanted to
continue their worship
after emigrating.
Scots built numerous
churches (including
Presbyterian ones) which
are found across Canada.

Some schools which were
set up by Scots also
included a religious
element, again focused on
fellow emigrants.
Other Scottish people in
Canada acted as
missionaries, trying to
convert native people to
Christianity.

Scots played a significant
role in politics in their new
home.
Some became involved in
local and national politics,
including Canada’s first
Prime Minister, John A.
Macdonald (who left
Glasgow as a boy to move
to Canada).

Other Scots found political
roles, including William
Mackenzie who tried to
set up a Republic of
Canada.
His grandson, William
King, went on to become
Canada’s longest serving
Prime Minister (from 1935
until 1948).

Nellie McClung was the
daughter of a Scottish
emigrant and prominent in
her role as a Suffragette,
campaigning for women’s
political rights.
Other Scots played a role
in Canada’s trade unions,
acting as workplace
representatives.

Many schools were
established by the Scots.
Some of these taught a
Scottish curriculum
(including History) or
instead focused on skills
needed to succeed in their
new homes. This includes
St John’s College in
Manitoba.

Canadian universities
were also developed by
many Scots in Canada.
Dalhousie University in
Halifax was founded by a
Scot, as was McGill
University in Montreal.
The son of a Scottish
emigrant set up St Francis
Xavier University .

Scots helped influence
place names across
Canada.
Towns such as Ayr,
Glasgow and Dundee are
found in Canada and one
entire region of the
country, Nova Scotia,
translates as meaning
‘New Scotland’.

Other Scots influenced the
language of their new
homes.
Large numbers of
Highlanders that went to
Canada spoke Gaelic, and
this has created dialects
and even created a form
of Canadian Gaelic, still
used in areas today.

Canadian music and
literature has been
influenced by Scottish
emigration.
Many emigrants continued
to sing Scottish folk songs
(often in Gaelic) or play
traditional Scottish
instruments such as the
fiddle or bagpipes.

Other Scots set up clubs to
remind them of home,
including Burns Societies.
These groups took part in
regular readings of Burns
and other Scottish poetry,
and also celebrated the
annual Burns Supper in
January, marking Robert
Burns’ birth.

The Scots also brought
sporting activities to their
new homes.
Scottish communities
established their own
Highland Games,
continuing a Scottish
tradition (still evident in
many places in Canada
even today).

Other Scots played games
such as golf and shinty.
There have even been
statements that Canada’s
most popular sport – ice
hockey – was created due
to Scots playing shinty on
ice, although some
historians do not agree
with this claim.

Native
societies

There are three groups of
native peoples in Canada:
• First Nations
• Inuit
• Metis
Some people call them
Indians or Eskimos,
although many people
dislike these names.

Scottish migrants to
Canada had a mixed
relationship with native
peoples.
Although at times there
were examples of positive
relations, there were also
issues which led to
arguments, especially
concerning land.

Some Scottish (and other
British) settlers tried to
build links with native
people including trading
and providing them with
medical care.
One reason they did so
was to try and win the
support of natives in wars
against other Europeans.

It was not just the Scots
that provided help, the
native Canadians also gave
support to the settlers.
They taught Scots various
skills which were essential
to surviving in Canada’s
extreme winters, including
where to find food and
how to make clothes.

The positive connections
between Scots and some
groups of native peoples
were also evident during
World War One and Two.
It is estimated that around
6000 native peoples
fought on Britain’s side in
the wars, many of them
volunteering to do so.

Given that many Scottish
men made the journey
without a wife, there were
some marriages between
Scots and native peoples.
The mixed race children of
these relationships were
known as Anglo-Metis and
they sometimes faced
hatred and prejudice.

Treatment of the natives –
including Metis people –
eventually led to extreme
conflict.
The North West rebellion
of 1885 saw natives take
part in a violent uprising
against the Canadian
government, although this
ultimately failed.

There was also conflict
between natives and
settlers about land.
Europeans (including
Scots) wanted Canadian
land in order to use it for
farming and other
purposes; this often
meant taking land owned
by native peoples.

Other Scots had travelled
to Canada as missionaries
and tried to convert
natives to Christianity.
In some cases they
succeeded, however other
natives were angry at
criticism of their own
religious beliefs, and the
attempts at conversion.

In 1876 the Canadian
Prime Minister (Scottish-
born Alexander
Mackenzie) oversaw the
passing of the Indian Act.
This said where many
native people were
allowed to live, and saw
children taken from their
parents to be educated.

The Indian Act included
other provisions, such as
banning some native
religious practices
(including Sun dances).
The rules imposed by the
Act inevitably led to fights
between natives and
settlers, and later resulted
in court cases too.

One controversial policy in
which Scots were involved
was residential schools.
This was when native
children left their homes
and were given a
European-style education,
including learning about
Christianity and speaking
English.

Some natives agreed to
send their children
because they believed it
would help them.
However others were
angry at the poor
treatment the children
received, including being
forbidden from speaking
their native language.

Canada

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