Scots-Quebecers () are

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

ers who are of

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

descent.

Background

Few Scots came to Quebec (then New France) before the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

. Those who did blended in with the

French population The demography of France is monitored by the Institut national d'études démographiques (INED) and the (INSEE). As of 1 January 2025, 66,352,000 people lived in Metropolitan France, while 2,254,000 lived in overseas France, for a total o ...

. Perhaps the first Scot to settle was Abraham Martin dit l'Écossais (1589-1664), who by the year 1800 had 7,765 married descendants among the French-speaking population. In 1763, the French population of Quebec was approximately 55,000 when

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

handed it over to

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

under the terms of the

Treaty of Paris (1763) The Treaty of Paris, also known as the Treaty of 1763, was signed on 10 February 1763 by the kingdoms of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Kingdom of France, France and Spanish Empire, Spain, with Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal in agree ...

that ended the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

. By the beginning of the 19th century, the Quebec population was expanding slowly as immigration began from Great Britain. Impoverished Scottish immigrants, many the victim of the

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally, ''upland'' refers to a range of hills, typically from up to , while ''highland'' is usually reserved for range ...

and

Lowland Clearances The Lowland Clearances were one of the results of the Scottish Agricultural Revolution, which changed the traditional system of agriculture which had existed in Lowland Scotland in the seventeenth century. Thousands of cottars and tenant far ...

, saw unlimited opportunity in this huge forested land. The bond between Scotland and France, however, also extended to numerous other areas such as the '' Gens d’Armes Ecossais'' (Scots Men-At-Arms) who guarded the kings of France for nearly three hundred years. Today in France there are many descendants of these Scots who have lived there for centuries. They carry names such as Campbell and MacDonald, the most famous of the latter being

Jacques MacDonald Jacques or Jacq are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are over one hundred identified noble families related t ...

Marshal of France Marshal of France (, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to General officer, generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1793–1804) ...

Settling

Some of these Scottish immigrants settled in

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

but many with an entrepreneurial drive kept moving west to

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

which at the time was little more than a small port town on the

St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawren ...

. By far the majority of the Scots arrived in Quebec with little more than the shirt on their back.

John Redpath John Redpath (1796 – March 5, 1869) was a Scots-Quebecer businessman and philanthropist who helped pioneer the industrial movement that made Montreal, Quebec, the largest and most prosperous city in Canada. Early years In 1796, John Red ...

, who had only enough money for ships passage to Quebec City, walked all the way to Montreal.

Commerce, science and culture

In 1779, Scotsman Simon McTavish helped establish what would become the

North West Company The North West Company was a Fur trade in Canada, Canadian fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in the regions that later became Western Canada a ...

to compete in the fur trade with the English owned giant, the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...

. Since 1670, the Hudson's Bay Company had been operating an unchallenged monopoly in the territory in the northwest known as

Rupert's Land Rupert's Land (), or Prince Rupert's Land (), was a territory in British North America which comprised the Hudson Bay drainage basin. The right to "sole trade and commerce" over Rupert's Land was granted to Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), based a ...

, which comprised nearly half of what is now Canada. In the process, McTavish became the most important businessman in all of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

during the second half of the 18th century. By the first decade of the 1800s, Montreal had grown to around 9,000 inhabitants and the Scottish immigrants who chose to make Montreal their home soon began to play a key role in the city's cultural, scientific, and business life. Although at their peak, the Scots made up only a small percentage of Quebec's population, they affected the city of Montreal and the Province of Quebec far beyond their numbers. Starting from an almost non-existent economic base, they were instrumental in improving the Province's commercial prospects by exploiting an untapped hinterland. They transformed the small fortified town into the business hub for much of the St Lawrence basin and worked to enhance the Province's economic power. Scots led a wave of

immigrants Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...

seeking a better life that saw Montreal's population grow from 9,000 in 1800 to 50,000 by the year 1850. Other Scots were instrumental in building the

Lachine Canal The Lachine Canal (, ) is a canal passing through the southwestern part of the Island of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, running 14.5 kilometres (9 miles) from the Old Port of Montreal to Lake Saint-Louis, through the boroughs of Lachine (borough), L ...

that turned Montreal into one of the most important and prosperous ports in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

. The canal led to a rapid industrialization that began in the late 1840s with Montreal manufacturers producing products for the entire nation. It was also Scots who constructed Montreal's first bridge across the

Saint Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrenc ...

and

Henry Morgan Sir Henry Morgan (; – 25 August 1688) was a Welsh privateer, plantation owner, and, later, the lieutenant governor of Jamaica. From his base in Port Royal, Jamaica, he and those under his command raided settlements and shipping ports o ...

built the first department store in Canada that was the envy of the country. Scot settlers founded many of the city's great industries including the

Bank of Montreal The Bank of Montreal (, ), abbreviated as BMO (pronounced ), is a Canadian multinational Investment banking, investment bank and financial services company. The bank was founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1817 as Montreal Bank, making it Canada ...

Redpath Sugar Redpath Sugar Ltd. () is a Canadian sugar refining company that was established in 1854 and the first refining cane sugar in Montreal, Quebec. Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario (with an additional packaging plant in Belleville, Ontario), the compa ...

, and from headquarters they established in Montreal, Scots were the driving force that built both of Canada's national

railroads Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of land transport, next to road ...

. Early on, they realized the importance for the mercantile community to create the institutions and instruments that enabled business to be the catalyst for improved standards of living for all its citizens. Because of their work and vision, by 1860 they were greatly responsible for making Montreal the most important city in British North America. Noted for their willingness to help fellow Scots succeed in the new world, they are also remembered for giving back to the country that had provided them with the opportunity to prosper. Scots established and funded numerous Montreal institutions such as

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

, the

Literary and Historical Society of Quebec The Literary and Historical Society of Quebec (LHSQ) was the first historical society A historical society is non-profit organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, interpreting, and promoting the history of a particular place, group of p ...

and the Royal Victoria Hospital.

Notable Scots-Quebecers

A few of these Scots and their offspring who were major factors in building Montreal and the Province of Quebec into the economic hub of Canada are: * Hugh Allan (1810–1882), financier and shipping magnate * Montagu H. Allan (1860–1951), banker, ship owner, sportsman *

Richard Bladworth Angus Richard Bladworth Angus (28 May 1831 – 17 September 1922) was a Scottish-Canadian banker, financier, and philanthropist. He was a co-founder and vice-president of the Canadian Pacific Railway, president of the Bank of Montreal, president of th ...

(1831–1922), banker * Robert Mitchell Ballantyne (1859–1929), businessman * Aeneas Cameron (1757–1822), fur trader * Thomas Neill Cream (1850–1892), serial killer *

John William Dawson Sir John William Dawson (1820–1899) was a Canadian geologist and university administrator. Life and work John William Dawson was born on 13 October 1820 in Pictou, Nova Scotia, where he attended and graduated from Pictou Academy. Of Sco ...

(1820–1899), scientist, educator * Richard Dobie (1731–1805), fur trader, businessman * William Dow (1800–1868), brewer and businessman *

George Alexander Drummond Sir George Alexander Drummond, (11 October 1829 – 2 February 1910) was a Scottish-Canadian businessman and senator. Life and career Born in 1829 at Edinburgh, he was a younger son of the entrepreneurial stonemason, building contractor ...

(1829–1910), entrepreneur *

James Dunlop James Dunlop FRSE (31 October 1793 – 22 September 1848) was a Scottish astronomer, noted for his work in Australia. He was employed by Sir Thomas Brisbane to work as astronomer's assistant at his private observatory, once located at Param ...

(1757–1815), businessman * Robert Ellice (1747–1790), merchant and fur trader * Malcolm Fraser (1733-1815), army and militia officer, seigneur, and office holder * Duncan Fisher (1753–1820), businessman * Hugh Graham (1848–1938), newspaper publisher * Peter Grant (1764–1848), fur trader * William Grant (1744–1805), merchant, politician * Alexander Henderson (1831–1913), merchant and photographer * James D. Johnson (1949) businessman * William C. Macdonald (1831–1917), tobacco manufacturer, philanthropist * Dugald Lorn MacDougall (1811–1885), stockbroker, investor * Hugh Mackay (1832–1890), businessman * Robert Mackay (1840–1916), businessman, statesman * Roderick Mackenzie (1761–1844), fur trader, politician *

James McGill James McGill (6 October 1744 – 19 December 1813) was a Scottish-born businessman, politician, slaveholder, and philanthropist best known for being the founder of McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. He was elected to the Legislative Assembl ...

(1744–1813), fur trader, merchant, politician *

Peter McGill Peter McGill (August 1789 – September 28, 1860) was a Scots-Quebecer businessman who served as the second mayor of Montreal from 1840 to 1842. Biography He was born Peter McCutcheon in the village of Creebridge, Wigtownshire (now Dum ...

(1789–1860), businessman, politician *

William McGillivray Lt.-Colonel The Hon. William McGillivray (1764 – 16 October 1825), of Chateau St. Antoine, Montreal, was a Scottish-born fur trader who succeeded his uncle Simon McTavish as the last chief partner of the North West Company until a merger be ...

(1764–1825), fur trader * Duncan McIntyre (1834–1894), businessman * Simon McTavish (1750–1804), fur trader, saw mill and flour mill operator *

(1819–1893), built the first department store in Canada * Donald Morrison (1858-1894),

outlaw An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them. ...

who became a

folk hero A folk hero or national hero is a type of hero – real, fictional or mythology, mythological – with their name, personality and deeds embedded in the popular consciousness of a people, mentioned frequently in Folk music, folk songs, folk tales ...

* John Nairne soldier and seigneur * John Neilson (1776–1848), printer, publisher, politician * Alexander Walker Ogilvie (1829–1902), miller, statesman *

William Watson Ogilvie Captain William Watson Ogilvie (15 February 1835 – 12 January 1900) commanded a division of the Royal Montreal Cavalry during the Fenian Raids. He and his two brothers, Alexander Walker Ogilvie, Alexander and John Ogilvie (miller), John, ar ...

(1835–1900), businessman * Andrew Paton (1833–1892), textile manufacturer, politician *

(1796–1869), contractor, industrialist *

Peter Redpath Peter Redpath (August 1, 1821 – February 1, 1894) was a Canadian businessman and philanthropist, closely associated with Redpath Sugar. Biography Redpath was born in Montreal, Lower Canada, the son of a Scottish immigrant, John Redpath, ...

(1821–1894), businessman * James Gibb Ross (1819–1888), merchant, statesman * James Ross (1848–1913), railway engineer, businessman *William Henry Scott (1799–1851), politician, businessman * Philip Simpson Ross (1827–1907), founder of the Order of Chartered Accountants of Quebec * George Simpson (1787–1860), executive, fur trader * Donald Alexander Smith (1820–1914), fur trader, financier, railroad baron and politician. * George Stephen (1829–1921), banker and railway executive * Daniel Sutherland (1756–1832), businessman * David Torrance (1805–1876), merchant, banker * John Torrance (1786–1870), merchant, shipper *

William Watson William, Willie, Bill or Billy Watson may refer to: Arts * William Watson (songwriter) (1794–1840), English concert hall singer and songwriter * William Watson (poet) (1858–1935), English poet * William J. Watson (author) (1865-1948), Scott ...

(c.1795–1867), miller, businessman, politician * John Young (1811–1878), entrepreneur, statesman * John Young (c.1759–1819), seigneur, businessman, judge and politician

Background

Settling

Commerce, science and culture

Notable Scots-Quebecers

See also

References

Further reading