The statement that the Scots have had a longer and
more constant connection with Canada than any other European ethnic
group, may come as a surprise to many people, but this would seem to be
the truth. It is reported that among Thorfinn Karlsevni's crew in 1010
were two Scots whom he sent to explore Vineland (presumably Newfoundland
or Nova Scotia) when he reached its shores. Coming down to more modern
times, one of the first cartographers to draw a map of the mouth of the
St. Lawrence River was Jean Rotz who published his atlas in 1542.
Although a native of Dieppe, he was the son of David Ross, a Scot, who
like many others had migrated to France. It is also likely that some of
the crews of Cartier's ships were Scots for many Scottish seamen lived
in the Brittany and Norman ports. It is reasonable, therefore, to hold
that Scottish interest in Canada antedates that of the French,
Portuguese and English, and has been more consistent and constant than
that of the Scandinavians. To show what this interest has meant to
Canada is the purpose of this book.
Scottish influence, however, did not really become
strong until the eighteenth century, first with the establishment of
Nova Scotia and then after the Cession of New France in 1763, with the
advent of the Scottish administrator and merchant to the newly acquited
territory. Yet because of their early arrival in the country and the
subsequent constant immigration, Scots have spread in all directions
across the land. The result is that more than most ethnic groups, the
history of Canada is to a certain extent the history of the Scots in
Canada. They have not remained in one area, as have the large majority
of the French Canadians, nor have they tended to settle in concentrated
groups either in towns and cities or in the countryside as have many
other racial units. Instead they appear in every location and in every
possible aspect of Canadian life.
While this is a matter of pride among Scots, it has
not made the task of the historian who would record the Scottish
contribution to Canadian development and identity easy. He has no
particular geographical area nor typical organization to which he can
point as the Scots' primary vehicle of expression, for
they have been involved in practically all social activities from the
Presbyterian and Roman Catholic churches to the Royal Bank of Canada and
the Canadian Labour Congress. Some historians in attempting to describe
the part played by the Scots in Canadian history have tended to talk in
terms of individuals, classifying them in various professions or types
of work. This, however, has usually resulted in a list of names of
important people without much relationship to the whole pattern of
Canadian development. In the present work we have sought to present
another approach which may give a better picture of the Scottish
contribution to Canada's growth and maturing as a nation.
The plan has been to present a series of chapters on
various topics which bring out the Scottish place in Canadian history,
rather than a list of names or a description of organizations. For this
work some thirteen different authors have been persuaded to write. While
the majority are professional or amateur historians; sociologists,
literary critics and others are included in the roll. This means that
although the approaches of the different chapters are by no means always
uniform, the amount of unanimity in point of view and conclusion is
obvious. All who have written, however, have had one major complaint:
they have not had enough space to develop their themes as thoroughly as
they wished. They have discovered that Scots have been even more active
than they had originally anticipated when they commenced the research on
their assignments.
The chapters have all been written independently of
each other, and the editor has refrained from attempting to force any
uniformity on them, as he believes that an author should be allowed to
say what he has to say as long as his work is relevant to the subject
and easily understood by those who read. The result is diversity within
unity. It will be noticed, however, that in a number of cases the
chapters are really preliminary studies of the topic under discussion.
Little research has been done in some fields, such as the Scottish part
in the development of Canadian labour movements, with the consequence
that wide generalizations still await the intensive study upon which
such conclusions can be based. It is interesting to note that as a
result of having written a chapter for this book a number of the authors
are now proceeding to produce monographs on the same subject.
Although the chapters have all been written
independently by each author, they form a definite pattern. The editor
has commenced the work by presenting a short history of Scotland in
order to explain the background from which the Scots have come,
highlighting those aspects of Scotland's story which seem to have
influenced the migrant to Canada. Then follows a chapter on the Scots in
New France and Acadia, succeeded by various chapters seeking to show
Scottish influence in different aspects of Canadian life and development
since 1763. It will be noticed, however, that most of the authors have
concentrated on the years prior to 1900. The period since the beginning
of the present century has seen such a change in Canada's story that it
has become even more difficult to keep the Scots in focus as they have
inter-married with and adapted to the new ethnic groups entering the country. Nevertheless, according
to the latest census figures (1971) Scots or Canadians of Scottish
origin still form the third largest ethnic group in Canada, making up
10.43% of the population. For this reason the editor in the final
chapter has sought to point out that Scots and Scottish Canadians over
the past seventy years have still played an important part in almost
every aspect of Canadian life.
One criticism which may be made is that in some cases
the different essays overlap each other as they both refer at times to
the same sources and to the same material. This is of course true, but
really unavoidable owing to the fact that they all deal with the same
major topic: the Scot in Canada. At the same time, however, it must also
be recognized that each essay approaches the topic from a different
angle, so even if there is repetition of material occasionally, the use
made of it is different.
Another criticism may perhaps be that there is no
chapter devoted to the Scots in the professions such as medicine and
law. Again this is true, but there are definite reasons for the
omission. Already in the works of William Wilfrid Campbell, George
Bryce, W.J. Rattray and others so much space has been devoted to this
topic, that those who may be interested should turn to their works.
Furthermore, as one goes over the roll of Scottish doctors, lawyers and
judges in Canada he is simply inundated by the numbers involved in these
professions to the extent that it is difficult to single out individuals
for special mention. But probably most important of all, it is often
impossible to separate the work and achievements of Scots from others in
the same profession since these professions leave little room for
manifesting any "Scottish tradition." Where doctors, lawyers, scientists
and the like have played an important part in some other sphere of
activity they have been mentioned, but it is very difficult to speak of
a Scottish tradition in the treatment of the sick or in the development
of English Common Law.
The editor would express his thanks to the various
authors who have written chapters and who took his criticisms and
urgings with such good grace. He would also like to say that he is
appreciative of the support given to this work by the Department of the
Secretary of State and particularly to Miss Jennifer MacQueen, a
Canadian of Scottish origin, the original director of the ethnic history
project, to her successors and to the two editors of the series, Prof.
Jean Burnet of York University and Dr. Howard Palmer, University of
Lethbridge.
One parting word is perhaps in order. The editor
hopes that the following chapters do not sound too much as though the
Scots are boasting. The authors have all sought to maintain an objective
approach in order to tell the plain truth. They have had the same
attitude as the Aberdonian servant girl in London, who when her mistress
reproached her for not telling her that she came from Aberdeen, replied:
"When I left hame, me mither's last words were,
'Lassie dinna blaw.'''
W. Stanford Reid
Guelph, 1976
