Scots in the Great White North: The Legacy of Scottish Canadians

Canada has long shared a special connection with Scotland, shaped by generations of Scots who crossed the Atlantic and made a new home there. Their influence can still be seen across the country today, from place names and historic communities to Highland Games, pipe bands, clan societies and tartans proudly worn from coast to coast.

Over the centuries, Scottish Canadians have played an important role in shaping the country’s culture, communities and identity, while continuing to celebrate the traditions and stories that connect them back to Scotland.

Long before the great waves of migration that would eventually bring thousands of Scots across the Atlantic, Norse explorers were already travelling to the shores of North America.

Said to be the first European to set foot in Canada is Leif Eriksson, son of the Norse explorer Erik the Red, who founded the first permanent Norse settlement in Greenland. Leif was raised in Greenland but later travelled to Norway, where he spent time at the court of King Olaf Tryggvason.

According to the Saga of Erik the Red, King Olaf asked Leif to return to Greenland and introduce Christianity there. Leif set sail from Norway for Greenland, but the journey didn’t quite go to plan. He was blown off course and, after being tossed about at sea for some time, came upon lands in around 1000 CE that went on to be called Vinland, traditionally translated as“Wine Land” because of the grapes or vines said to have been found there.

"Leif Eriksson Discovers America" by Hans Dahl

In the 1960s, L’Anse aux Meadows, the first authenticated Norse site in North America, was discovered on the northern tip of what we now know as Newfoundland. It’s thought that this could have been the site of Leif Eriksson’s short-lived Vinland camp.

But where does Scotland come into the story?

Well, again according to the Saga of Erik the Red, while Leif was with King Olaf in Norway, the king gave him two Scottish slaves, Haki and Hekja, and advised him to call upon them whenever he needed speed, as the pair were said to be extraordinarily fast runners "fleeter of foot than any deer".

So when another Norse expedition set out to explore Vinland, led by Thorfinn Karlsefni, his expedition included Haki and Hekja.

When Karlsefni’s expedition later reached the unfamiliar shores of North America, Haki and Hekja were sent ahead to explore the land. They travelled southwards along the coast before returning several days later, one carrying grapes and the other wild wheat, further encouraging the Norse belief that they had discovered a fertile new land.

So, although they were slaves, Haki and Hekja are the first Scots recorded as having set foot in the New World!

The next Scottish story takes us forward to 1398 and another possible voyage reaching Canadian shores.

At the centre of the tale is Henry Sinclair, Earl of Orkney who some believe may have reached what is now Nova Scotia. The claim comes from the controversial Zeno letters, published in Venice in 1558 and said to be based on accounts written by the brothers around 1400, describing a voyage of exploration through the North Atlantic.

Monument at Halfway Cove, Nova Scotia, overlooking Chedabucto Bay & commemorating the alleged 1398 landing of Henry Sinclair’s expedition. | Image Credit: Dennis G. Jarvis , CC BY-SA 2.0

Within the letters is a mysterious figure known as Zichmni, who some later historians have identified as Henry Sinclair.

Some have also claimed that carvings inside Rosslyn Chapel, built by Henry’s descendant William Sinclair, depict plants native to North America and suggest knowledge brought back from the supposed voyage. This idea has since been widely challenged and is not accepted as proof that Sinclair reached North America.

Carvings inside Rosslyn Chapel which some believe depict Indian corn (maize), adding to theories of Sinclair's connection with North America. Image Credit: Kjetil Bjørnsrud, CC BY 2.5

There is no widely accepted archaeological evidence that the voyage took place, and the letters and accompanying map have been regarded by at least one historian as a hoax, but the story remains a fascinating part of the early connections drawn between Scotland and Canada.

We move into much firmer historical ground in the early 17th century.

In 1621, King James VI of Scotland and I of England granted Sir William Alexander a charter to establish a Scottish colony in North America, naming the territory Nova Scotia, Latin for “New Scotland.”

On 28 July 1629, Sir William's son, William Alexander the younger, arrived with around 70 Scottish settlers at Port-Royal, in present-day Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. Here, they established Charles Fort, on the site of what is now Fort Anne National Historic Site, marking one of the earliest organised Scottish attempts to establish a permanent settlement in North America.

At the time, there were relatively few French inhabitants in the area, and the Scottish settlement formed part of a wider period of British expansion into French-held territories in North America. However, this success was short-lived, and in 1632 the territory was returned to French control.

Over the following centuries, several different fortifications occupied the site. The French began building the star-shaped fort that largely survives today in 1702, before it was captured by the British in 1710. The surrounding settlement was renamed Annapolis Royal in honour of Queen Anne, while the fort itself became known as Fort Anne in the early 19th century.

Fort at Port-Royal in 1702

Although the original Scottish settlement lasted only a few years, its legacy endured. The name Nova Scotia remained, and the province continues to celebrate its strong Scottish connections today. It would, however, be more than a century before Scottish migration to Canada really began gathering momentum.

One of the most famous moments in that story came in 1773, with the arrival of the Ship Hector in Pictou Harbour, Nova Scotia.

Carrying 189 Scottish passengers, many from the Highlands and Islands, the Hector arrived on 15 September 1773 after a difficult journey across the Atlantic. The passengers had been attracted by the promise of land and a new life in Nova Scotia, although the reality that greeted them was far tougher than many had expected.

The arrival of the Hector became an important symbol of Scottish migration to Canada and helped establish Pictou as an important centre of Gaelic settlement. It was part of a much wider movement that saw thousands of Highlanders and, increasingly, Lowland Scots cross the Atlantic in search of a new life.

Replica ship Hector under construction at Heritage Quay, Pictou, NS on July 5, 1996 | Image Credit: OceanVortex, CC BY-SA 4.0

Today, the story of the Hector lives on at the Hector Heritage Quay on Pictou's waterfront, where visitors can explore the history of Scottish migration to Nova Scotia. At the heart of the attraction is a full-size replica of the Ship Hector, originally launched in 2000 and recently restored before returning to Pictou Harbour in July 2025. Visitors can step aboard the vessel and explore the adjoining Interpretive Centre, where interactive exhibits bring to life the challenging Atlantic crossing, the experiences of the early Scottish settlers and the important role played by the Mi'kmaq people, who had called the region home for thousands of years.

For some, the decision to leave was made through choice and the hope of something better; for others, circumstances left them with very few alternatives. Scotland was undergoing enormous social and economic change during the 18th and 19th centuries. In the Highlands and Islands, traditional ways of life were being disrupted as landowners reorganised estates, increased rents and replaced communities with more profitable sheep farming. The Highland Clearances, crop failures and the Highland potato famine all contributed to families leaving their homes, while economic change and unemployment also encouraged migration from elsewhere in Scotland.

Canada, meanwhile, offered the promise of something that was becoming increasingly difficult to obtain at home: land and opportunity. Land grants were used to encourage settlement, while soldiers and other settlers could sometimes receive land, supplies and assistance to establish farms. Employment was also available through industries such as the fur and timber trades. These opportunities were promoted as a chance for Scots to own land, build businesses and create a more prosperous future for their families, although the land being settled was, of course, already the traditional territory of Indigenous peoples.

Once Scottish communities had been established, they became an attraction in themselves. Letters and stories travelled back across the Atlantic, while relatives, neighbours and friends followed those who had gone before them. This chain migration helped create particularly strong Gaelic and Scottish communities in Nova Scotia, Cape Breton and Prince Edward Island.

The great period of Scottish migration to Canada came during the 19th century, particularly between 1815 and 1870, when historians estimate that around 170,000 Scots emigrated to British North America.

In Nova Scotia alone, records suggest around 22,000 Scots arrived between 1815 and 1838, while more than 50,000 Gaelic-speaking settlers are estimated to have made Nova Scotia and Cape Breton their home during the wider 1815–1870 period.

Among the Fathers of Confederation, who helped shape the creation of Canada in 1867, were several men with Scottish roots, including Scotland-born Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada’s first Prime Minister, George Brown and Alexander Tilloch Galt.

By the time of Canada’s first census after Confederation in 1871, around 15.7% of Canadians identified as being of Scottish origin, demonstrating just how significant that movement had become. Scottish immigration continued through the late 19th and into the 20th century, increasingly drawing settlers towards Ontario and the Canadian West, but it was those earlier waves that established many of the communities where Scottish culture, language and traditions continue to be celebrated today.

Fast forward to the present day and the scale of Scotland’s influence on Canada is still easy to see.

According to the 2021 Canadian Census, more than 4.39 million people reported Scottish as an ethnic or cultural origin, either on its own or alongside other backgrounds. That equates to roughly 12% of the population or around one in every eight Canadians.

Of those, almost 560,000 people reported Scottish as their only ethnic or cultural origin, while more than 3.8 million reported Scottish alongside one or more other origins.

Scottish was also one of the most commonly reported backgrounds in Canada, alongside Canadian, English and Irish origins.

Centuries after those first Scots crossed the Atlantic, their descendants remain a significant part of Canada’s population and the strength of that connection can still be seen in communities, traditions and celebrations across the country today.

With millions of Canadians claiming Scottish ancestry, it’s perhaps no surprise that Scots and their descendants have left their mark on almost every part of Canadian life, from politics and exploration to science, sport and the arts.

The Scottish influence on Canadian politics is particularly striking. A commonly cited figure found that 13 of Canada’s first 22 Prime Ministers had Scottish heritage, while Justin Trudeau, Canada’s 23rd Prime Minister, also has Scottish ancestry through his mother’s Sinclair family from Caithness.

The connection continues with Mark Carney, Canada’s 24th and current Prime Minister, who has Scottish links on his maternal side. His grandmother’s family history includes ancestors who moved from County Cavan in Ireland to the coalfields of Lanarkshire in the 1880s before eventually settling in Canada.

That means 15 of Canada’s first 24 Prime Ministers can claim Scottish roots or family connections and Canada’s first two Prime Ministers were not only of Scottish heritage, they were both actually born in Scotland.

Born in Glasgow in 1815, John A. Macdonald emigrated with his family to Upper Canada when he was five years old. He went on to become one of the Fathers of Confederation and, when Canada was formed in 1867, its first Prime Minister.

John A. Macdonald in 1868 | This image is available from the Glenbow Museum

His journey from a Scottish immigrant child to the country’s first political leader is perhaps one of the most prominent examples of the influence Scottish migrants would have on Canada.

Canada’s second Prime Minister, Alexander Mackenzie was born in Logierait, Perthshire, in 1822. After his father died, he left school as a teenager and trained as a stonemason before emigrating to Canada in 1842.

The Honourable Alexander Mackenzie

He continued his trade there, working on buildings and construction projects before becoming increasingly involved in politics and eventually serving as Prime Minister from 1873 to 1878.

Not to be confused with the Prime Minister, another Alexander Mackenzie left his own considerable mark on Canadian history.

Sir Alexander Mackenzie | Portrait by Sir Thomas Lawrence, c. 1800

Born in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis in 1764, Mackenzie became a fur trader and explorer in Canada. In 1793, he completed the first recorded crossing of North America north of Mexico to the Pacific coast, where he famously marked a rock with the words recording that he had reached the spot “from Canada by land”.

The Mackenzie River, Canada’s longest river system, carries his name today.

Born in Edinburgh in 1847, Alexander Graham Bell moved to Canada with his family in 1870, settling in Brantford, Ontario. It was at his parents’ home there that Bell conceived the fundamental idea behind the telephone, before going on to make the first successful long-distance telephone trials.

His telephone patent rights helped lead to the creation of The Bell Telephone Company of Canada in 1880, which later became Bell Canada, one of Canada's largest communications companies to this day.

Alexander Graham Bell

Bell also developed a lifelong connection with Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. He and his wife Mabel established their home and laboratory at Beinn Bhreagh, Gaelic for “beautiful mountain”. Here Bell continued experimenting with everything from communication and sound to aircraft and hydrofoils.

Today, his story is celebrated at the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site in Baddeck, overlooking the waters towards Beinn Bhreagh. The museum explores Bell’s life and inventions through an extensive collection of original artefacts, photographs and models, keeping the story of this Edinburgh-born inventor very much alive in Canada.

Next time you check the time, there’s another Scottish Canadian you can thank!

Sir Sandford Fleming

Sir Sandford Fleming was born in Kirkcaldy, Fife, in 1827 and emigrated to Canada at the age of 18. A surveyor, engineer and inventor, Fleming played an important role in the development of Canada’s railways, including work on the Intercolonial Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway.

Sir Sandford Fleming was also responsible for designing Canada’s first postage stamp, the famous Threepenny Beaver, issued in 1851.

However, it was his work on timekeeping that would leave a lasting impact around the world. As railway networks expanded, Fleming encountered the confusion caused by towns and railway companies all keeping their own local time, making timetables and journeys increasingly difficult to coordinate.

He became a leading advocate for dividing the world into standard time zones, also promoting the use of a common prime meridian and the 24-hour clock. His proposals in the late 19th century helped pave the way for the international system of timekeeping we recognise today. Quite a legacy for a Fifer!

One of Canada’s greatest contributions to world sport has some particularly strong Scottish roots.

James Naismith was born near Almonte, Ontario, in 1861 to Scottish immigrant parents John and Margaret Naismith. He grew up surrounded by a Scottish immigrant community and later studied at McGill University in Montreal.

Dr James Naismith

In 1891, while working in Massachusetts, he was tasked with creating an indoor game that could keep students active during the winter. His solution involved a ball, two peach baskets and 13 original rules, and basketball was born.

Born in Falkirk in 1904, Tommy Douglas moved to Canada with his family in 1911 and grew up in Winnipeg.

By City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1257, Series 1057, Item 2743

He later became Premier of Saskatchewan, serving from 1944 to 1961. His government introduced publicly funded hospital insurance in the province, an important step in the development of the system that would eventually become Canada’s national Medicare programme.

Canada’s first female Prime Minister, Kim Campbell, also has Scottish roots. When Campbell was granted her official coat of arms in 1995, the design included a coronet decorated with thistle heads, specifically chosen to represent her Scottish heritage.

The Right Honourable Kim Campbell, PC, CC, OBC, QC | Image Credit: Simon Fraser University - University Communications, CC BY 2.0

She served as Canada’s 19th Prime Minister in 1993 and was also the first woman to serve as the country’s Minister of Justice and Minister of National Defence.

One of Canada's most famous universities also has a Scottish connection, thanks to Glasgow-born businessman James McGill.

Born in 1744, McGill studied at the University of Glasgow before emigrating to North America in the 1760s. He eventually settled in Montreal, where he became a successful merchant through the fur trade and an influential figure in the city's business and political communities.

James McGill by Louis Dulongpré - This image is available from the McCord Stewart Museum

When McGill died in 1813, he left £10,000 and his 46-acre Burnside estate to establish a college bearing his name. In 1821, McGill College received its Royal Charter, laying the foundations for what would become one of Canada's most internationally recognised universities.

McGill's legacy also reflects the complexities of Canada's colonial history, including his involvement in slavery. Today, McGill University acknowledges this history while continuing to build upon the educational institution established through his bequest more than 200 years ago.

One of the most famous photographs in Canadian railway history features a Scottish-born businessman hammering the final spike into the Canadian Pacific Railway. That man was Donald Alexander Smith, later known as Lord Strathcona and Mount Royal.

Born in Forres, Moray, in 1820, Smith emigrated to Canada in 1838 to work for the Hudson's Bay Company, eventually becoming one of the country's most influential businessmen. He played a major role in financing the Canadian Pacific Railway and, on 7 November 1885, drove the ceremonial last spike at Craigellachie, British Columbia, marking the completion of Canada's first transcontinental railway.

Lord Strathcona drives the last spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway at Craigellachie, November 7, 1885. | By Ross, Alexander, Best & Co., Winnipeg - This image is available from Library and Archives Canada

In 1897, he was granted the title Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal, combining a name inspired by his Scottish homeland with Montreal's famous mountain. Beyond business, he was a generous philanthropist, helping establish Montreal's Royal Victoria Hospital and supporting McGill University, particularly opportunities for women in education.

His legacy also lives on in the Canadian military. In 1900, he personally funded the creation of Strathcona's Horse to serve in the South African War, a unit whose name continues today as Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians), one of Canada's armoured regiments.

Of course, this only scratches the surface. From politicians and pioneers to writers, actors, musicians, scientists and sports stars, the list of Canadians with Scottish roots could go on and on.

Who is your favourite Scottish Canadian? Is there someone you think should be on our list? Let us know, we’d love to hear who you would add!

Scottish heritage in Canada isn’t something confined to the history books. Across the country, traditions brought over by generations of Scottish immigrants are still celebrated through music, dance, tartan, food and community events.

One of the biggest celebrations of that connection is National Tartan Day, held every year on 6 April.

The idea began in Nova Scotia in 1986, when Jean Watson, affectionately known as the ‘Mother of Tartan Day’, and Bill Crowell proposed establishing a day to celebrate Scottish heritage. Jean went on to spend years campaigning for its recognition across Canada, with Nova Scotia first celebrating Tartan Day in 1987, before it was officially recognised nationwide in 2010.

Jean Watson - Scot of the Year 2007 | Image Credit: Electric Scotland

The date was chosen to mark the anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath, signed on 6 April 1320, one of the most important documents in Scottish history.

Today, Tartan Day is celebrated across Canada with everything from parades and pipe bands to ceilidhs, clan gatherings and, of course, plenty of tartan. The celebrations have even spread beyond Canada, with Scottish communities around the world embracing the tradition.

There’s much more to the story behind how Tartan Day began in Canada, so we’ve explored its history in more detail in our How to Celebrate Tartan Day blog.

Canada is home to a huge number of Highland Games and Scottish festivals, bringing communities together to celebrate piping, Highland dancing, heavy athletics and Scottish culture. Some have been running for well over a century!

Image Credit: Antigonish Highland Games

The Antigonish Highland Games in Nova Scotia were first held in 1863 and are widely described as the oldest continuously held Highland Games outside Scotland. Each summer, the town comes alive with piping and drumming, Highland dancing, heavy events, ceilidhs and celebrations of the area’s strong Gaelic heritage.

On the other side of the country, the Victoria Highland Games in British Columbia date back to 1864 and remain one of Canada’s longest-running Scottish celebrations. Today the festival brings together traditional competitions, pipe bands, Highland dancers, clans and Celtic culture over several days of events.

The sound of the bagpipes is never too far away at a Scottish event in Canada. Pipe bands can be found across the country, from community and youth bands to some of the very best competition bands in the world.

Image Credit: Simon Fraser University - University Communications - March on, CC BY 2.0

In fact, the current Grade 1 World Pipe Band Champions are Canadian. The Simon Fraser University Pipe Band, based in British Columbia, won the 2026 World Pipe Band Championships at Glasgow Green, claiming the title for the first time in 17 years and becoming World Champions for the seventh time. They were also the first band from outside the UK to win the title since 2010.

Highland dancing has an equally strong following, with generations of Canadian dancers learning traditional dances and competing at Highland Games and championships across the country.

Royal Military College of Canada | Image Credit: Victoriaedwards, CC BY-SA 3.0

Few Scottish traditions have become quite as Canadian as curling.

Brought to Canada by Scottish settlers more than 200 years ago, the sport proved particularly well suited to Canadian winters and quickly became part of community life. The Royal Montreal Curling Club, established in 1807, is recognised as the oldest organised sporting club in North America.

Curling on a lake in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, c. 1897 | Image Credit: W.L. Bishop - Nova Scotia Archives & Records Management

From those early outdoor games, curling spread west across Canada as new communities developed, eventually becoming one of the country’s most recognisable sports. Today, Canada remains one of the leading curling nations in the world, with curling clubs continuing to act as important community hubs across the country.

Two dates in the Scottish calendar remain particularly popular with Scottish communities in Canada.

Each January, Burns Night brings people together to celebrate the life and work of Robert Burns with traditional suppers, poetry, music and the all-important Address to the Haggis.

St Andrew’s Day, on 30 November, is another opportunity for Scottish societies and communities to gather for dinners, dances and celebrations of Scotland’s patron saint.

The Scottish connection is nowhere more distinctive than in Nova Scotia, where Gaelic was carried across the Atlantic by settlers from the Highlands and Islands. Today, the province estimates there are around 2,000 Gaelic speakers, with the language remaining particularly closely associated with Cape Breton.

At the heart of its preservation is Colaisde na Gàidhlig, The Gaelic College, founded in 1938 at St. Ann’s. It continues to teach Gaelic language and song alongside piping, fiddle, step dancing, Highland dancing and other traditional skills.

I was lucky enough to visit the The Gaelic College during our Canadian Tartan Tour of 2022.

The Nova Scotia Gaelic Council, Comhairle na Gàidhlig also works to strengthen Gaelic language, culture and communities across the province, supporting everything from immersion programmes and youth initiatives to opportunities for people to learn and use the language.

The Comhairle na Gàidhlig Flag flying at Colaisde na Gàidhlig in 2022

Perhaps one of the most exciting developments came in 2021, when Taigh Sgoile na Drochaide opened in Mabou, Cape Breton. The Gaelic-medium primary school was the first of its kind in North America and the first outside Scotland, giving children the opportunity to learn through Gaelic in an immersive environment.

Gaelic is also taught in a number of Nova Scotian schools, while music, storytelling and community events continue to keep the language part of everyday cultural life.

For a little perspective, the 2021 Canadian Census recorded around 2,170 people with knowledge of Scottish Gaelic across Canada, compared with 69,701 Gaelic speakers in Scotland in the 2022 Census. The numbers may be very different, but the survival and revival of Gaelic thousands of miles from Scotland is a remarkable part of the Scottish-Canadian story.

Scotland's influence on Canada extends far beyond the communities established by Scottish settlers, with a proud military tradition that continues to this day.

As Scottish communities grew across Canada during the 19th and early 20th centuries, so too did the number of Highland and Scottish regiments. Inspired by the military traditions of Scotland, these regiments adopted familiar elements of Scottish culture, from tartan kilts and feather bonnets to pipe bands, Gaelic mottos and regimental badges featuring thistles and St Andrew's Cross.

Today, 17 Scottish and Highland regiments continue to serve within the Canadian Army Reserve, including 16 infantry regiments and one artillery regiment, keeping these traditions alive across the country.

One of the oldest is The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada, which traces its origins to Montréal in 1862. Named in honour of Scotland's famous Black Watch, the regiment has a distinguished history, including service during both World Wars, and remains an active part of the Canadian Army Reserve today.

Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada | Image Credit: Bain News Service, This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division

From the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada in Vancouver and the Calgary Highlanders in Alberta to the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa and the Nova Scotia Highlanders, Scottish military traditions can be found right across Canada.

More than a century after many of these regiments were first established, their Scottish traditions remain an important part of their identity. They're another wonderful example of how Scottish heritage has become woven into Canada's own history and culture.

One of the most colourful examples of Canada’s Scottish influence is the number of tartans created to represent the country, its provinces, territories and communities.

The best-known is the Maple Leaf Tartan, created by David Weiser in 1964. Nearly fifty years later, in 2011, it was officially recognised as a national symbol of Canada.

The Maple Leaf Tartan Featured on the front Cover of the Toronto Star, March 6th, 1965

Canada has taken this idea far beyond one national tartan. From coast to coast, different places have developed their own designs, turning local scenery, history and identity into woven patterns. Together, they offer a uniquely Canadian take on a tradition with unmistakably Scottish roots.

We could spend a whole lot longer exploring them, so we have! Discover the stories behind the Maple Leaf Tartan and Canada’s provincial and regional tartans on our dedicated Canadian Tartans page.

Clan societies, St Andrew’s societies and Scottish cultural organisations can be found right across Canada, many of them established to help people celebrate, share and preserve their Scottish heritage.

One organisation bringing many of these groups together is Scots of Canada, formerly known as the Clans and Scottish Societies of Canada (CASSOC). Its roots go back to 1975, when representatives from clans, Scottish societies and cultural organisations began meeting in Toronto, before CASSOC was formally established in 1976. Its aim was to encourage communication and co-operation between Scotland’s many clan and cultural organisations across Canada, something it continues to do today.

Scots of Canada

Over the years, the organisation has supported Scottish culture through events, education, its An Drochaid – The Bridge newsletter, scholarships and initiatives designed to connect both established organisations and the next generation with their heritage.

ScotlandShop has been a member for many years, giving us the chance to connect with clans, societies and Scottish communities across Canada through our visits, events and Tartan Tours. I'm also currently a member of the Scots of Canada Board, helping to support the organisation and its work within the wider Scottish-Canadian community.

Whether it’s tracing family history, visiting a clan tent at a Highland Games, attending a St Andrew’s dinner or joining a local ceilidh, these organisations continue to create a real sense of community and help keep Scottish traditions alive for future generations.

From wearing tartan on 6 April and stepping onto the ice for a game of curling, to dancing at a ceilidh or cheering on the caber toss at a Highland Games, these traditions show that Scotland’s influence on Canada is far from just a story of the past, it continues to be celebrated across the country today.