Migration and Empire - Migration of the Scots - Canada

Question 1

How many Scots emigrated to Canada in 1849 and why?

Answer 1

Around 20,000 Scots emigrated because of its attractive qualities for Scots such as agriculture and ease of access from Scotland.

Question 2

How many Scots settled in Canada between 1900-1930, and which areas?

Answer 2

Around half a million more emigrated to Canada in places such as Ontario and Nova Scotia, and now make up the third largest ethnic group in Canada.

Question 3

How important were Scots to the Canadian economy?

Answer 3

They were vital to it.

Question 4

How did Scots contribute to the Canadian economy?

Answer 4

Through the fur trades, timber, agriculture, and even banking.

Question 5

Which industries did Scots dominate in Canada?

Answer 5

The paper industry, and the railway network.

Question 6

What other industries did Scots contribute to?

Answer 6

The iron, steel, oil and gas industries all benefited from Scottish workers.

Question 7

How many business leaders were Scottish in Canada in 1920?

Answer 7

Around a quarter of Canada’s business leaders had emigrated from Scotland, with an additional 25% having Scottish-born fathers.

Question 8

Why did agriculture employ so many Scottish workers in Canada?

Answer 8

It employed many more Scots than other industries because many who lived in the Highlands before the Clearances moved to farming districts such as Ontario because of their skill-set.

Question 9

What was the Transatlantic Canadian Pacific Railway? Why was it successful?

Answer 9

It was a railway that stretched all the way over Canada, and built in part due to Scottish workers. The development was supported by the first Canadian PM, Glasgow-born, Sir John A MacDonald.

Question 10

Who started a college in Prince Edward Island in 1831? Who helped to build it?

Answer 10

Bishop MacEachern started a college and it’s curriculum was based off that of Glasgow University. Scottish workers did much of the construction of the site.

Question 11

How was MacEachern’s college utilized?

Answer 11

It’s original use was to train ministers for the church, but it had then opened a grammar school.

Question 12

How did Scots influence Canadian education?

Answer 12

Scots built and founded many of the schools across Canada, and they also helped to grow the curriculum in Canadian universities by introducing many new practical subjects.

Question 13

Did Scots contribute to Canadian culture?

Answer 13

Yes, greatly.

Question 14

How have Scots contributed to Canadian culture?

Answer 14

Scots embraced Scottish culture through use of ceilidh, bagpipes, tartan, the fiddle, and even the sport of curling. The province of Nova Scotia is heavily Scottish, with the name ‘Nova Scotia’ meaning ‘New Scotland’ in Latin, and the flag bears a Saltire and the royal arms of Scotland.

Question 15

How large is the Scottish ethnic group in Canada?

Answer 15

Scots are the third largest ethnic group in Canada.

Question 16

How was the Scottish relationship with the native Indians?

Answer 16

Scots had good relationships with the natives due to their contributions to the fur trade, as the Indians were skilled hunters.

Question 17

What did the Scots and the Indians trade?

Answer 17

The native Indian tribes would trade their furs for European made goods made of metal and cloth.

Question 18

Were ill natives given treatment by Scottish doctors?

Answer 18

Yes, Scottish doctors would treat sick natives.

Question 19

Did Scots and Indians marry?

Answer 19

Yes, European traders would begin to marry in Indian tribes.

Question 20

What did the marriage of Scots and the native peoples lead to?

Answer 20

Marriage between Scots and the native peoples of Canada led to a union between the two groups referred to as the Métis people.

Question 21

What advantage did the Métis have over other tribes?

Answer 21

The Métis were skilled hunters and had the ability to speak both with the natives and incoming settlers, giving them a crucial advantage in the fur trade.

Question 22

Did all Scots treat the natives with respect?

Answer 22

No, many Scots still saw the natives as savages and uncivillized.

Question 23

How were natives treated later on?

Answer 23

As more Scots arrived, more natives were displaced, starting a conflict between the Métis and the settlers in 1885.

Question 24

What was the conflict between settlers and the Métis called, and how did it end?

Answer 24

It was called the North-West Rebellion of 1885, ending with the execution of the Métis leader, Lousi Reil.