Speaker - David Sandford. 'Great Scots - the Scots who Created Canada'

Last year marked the 150^th anniversary of the founding of Canada and member David Sandford reminded the audience of “The Great Scots: Scots Who Created Canada”.

As a Royal Navy cadet when David first visited the country he was amazed by the number of streets, buildings and institutions carrying the names of Scots who enjoyed historic significance in Canada.

Back in 1670 when the Hudson Bay Company was first awarded a Royal Charter to begin trading in Canada, it was Scots who carried out most of the work. Orcadians then migrants from the Highland Clearances made their way across the Atlantic to begin new lives in North America. By 1867 more than 170,000 Scots had emigrated there.

Their literacy and numerical skills, thanks to the Scottish education system, allowed them to take top jobs in administration and commerce.

The likes of Simon McTavish set up the North West Company which merged with Hudson Bay Company in 1821 to be the biggest trader in Canada.

In Montreal McTavish has streets and a reservoir named after him. He had donated huge sums to the building of hospitals in the city.

Earlier, in 1808 Scots explorer Simon Fraser had the Fraser River named in his honour, also Fraser University in Vancouver.

Orcadian Dr John Rae had joined Hudson Bay as a ship’s surgeon but went on to become a national hero when he discovered the last link in the North West passage. From Portsoy, John Richardson was the founder of Canada’s first bank in Montreal.

The list of attributes to Scots carried on almost endlessly, said David. Universities across Canada were all based on the Scottish system and named after Dalhousie, McGill and other eminent Scots who founded – and funded – them in the 18^th century.

Others had begun the major works for Canada’s transport and industrial beginnings. Such as Sir Hugh Allan who founded what was to become the world’s largest shipping company, or Sir Sandford Fleming who was Chief Engineer of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company.

And, said David, still the list goes on…

John MacDonald was the country’s first Prime Minister (in fact the first of three Scots PMs) and Agnes McPhail its first woman MP. Even 20^th century PM Pierre Trudeau had a mother of Scottish descent.

David reckoned it was a source of great pride that in the world’s second largest country Scots had made such a mark in all aspects of life there.