Scotland and Canada
Jack McConnell
First Minister of Scotland
The long and enduring relationship between Scotland and Canada
"The bonds that tie Scotland and Canada are very strong. There are over four million Canadians who can claim Scots ancestry. Canada's first Prime Minister, Sir John A Macdonald was a Scot. And many of Canada's place names, from Renfrew to Bannockburn, have their roots in Scotland.
"Indeed Scots have been making the journey to Canada for over 400 years, helping to shape your history, and your future too.
"Tales of the ancient nation of Scotland - with its misty mountains and glens, and tales of courage and enterprise, are famous the world over.
"But what is not so well known is the story of modern Fresh Talent brings new opportunities Scotland, a confident 21st century country, proud of its traditions, but looking forward to an exciting future. Six years ago Scotland underwent its biggest constitutional change for 300 years. The creation of the Scottish parliament has changed Scotland forever.
"We have a new spring in our step, and a renewed purpose to be strong business, cultural and educational links between and energy. Our young people are confident and ambitious for their country's future, as well as for their own. the two countries. And they have a lot to be confident about.
"Just as Scotland helped build the modern world, through thinkers such as Adam Smith and David Hume, and inventions such as the telephone and penicillin, then Scotland today is helping to shape our 21st century world.
"In recent years we have give the world the MRI scanner and the ATM machine and we hope to play our part in discovering cures for cancer.
"The foundation stones of our country - our education and legal systems and banking and financial services - are trusted and valued across the world, from China to Sub-Saharan Africa.
"We are home to one of Europe's biggest life sciences clusters, and our universities publish more academic papers than any other OECD country. We still have some of the world's most stunning landscapes and our are cities are regarded as some of the most lively and dynamic in Europe.
"As we look forward to the future with confidence, we want to renew old relationships here in Canada and build new ones. We want to develop closer business ties, building on the success of Scottish companies such as the Wood Group here in Canada, and encouraging Canadian companies to follow the example of Mitel and Endpoint and contribute to our growth.
"And we want to strengthen friendships, encouraging our young people to travel across the Atlantic - Scots learning from Canada and Canadians learning from Scotland.
"Above all else we look forward to a further 400 years of friendship with Canada - the country many Scots call home."
Ties that Bind
Canada's first Prime Minister
Canada's 'Father of Confederation' was Glasgow-born Sir John A Macdonald. At the age of five his parents emigrated to Canada along with thousands of other Scots seeking affordable land and the opportunity of greater prosperity. In 1867, following the creation of the Dominion of Canada, Sir John became the nation's first Prime Minister. His son, Hugh John Macdonald, went on to become the Premier of Manitoba.
Strong Scottish identity
Between 1785 and 1886, when the Crofters Act was passed in the United Kingdom, it is estimated that about 500,000 Highland-dwelling Scots left their homes in search of a new life. Some were forcibly evicted in the most brutal circumstances, others left of their own volition. Many of these half-million immigrants ended up in Canada. Today Canadian communities which were built at the time of the clearances, especially in the Maritime provinces, still maintain a strong Scottish identity.
Trading together for centuries
'Trailblazers', a major exhibition at the Royal Museum in Edinburgh in 2004, highlighted the role Scots played in the development of Canada and 400 years of emigration across the Atlantic Ocean. A fascinating life story featured in Trailblazers is that of Isabel Gunn, an Orcadian woman who adopted the disguise of a man so she could work for the Hudson's Bay Company established in 1670. As well as looking at historical figures Trailblazers also studies the lives of five present day Canadians with Scottish links, tracing their family history and giving visitors the chance to trace their own family roots using www.ScotlandsPeople.gov.uk.
Enduring communications
Alexander Graham Bell migrated from Scotland to Canada and made the first long distance telephone call from Brantford, Ont., in August 1876. Today both Canada and Scotland are at the forefront in collaborations on advancing the connectivity within remote rural areas, such as the activity of the International Rural Network.
Here be monsters…
Canada have their very own Loch Ness Monster or 'Ogopogo' as the monster is called. Ogopogo lives in Lake Okanagan in the south central interior of British Columbia. Both Lake Okanagan and Scotland's Loch Ness are long and narrow and lie at about the same latitude. There are archival records of Ogopogo's existence going back to 1872 and sightings have been reported regularly up to the present day.
Find out more about Scotland at www.scotlandistheplace.com
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