The first attempts to attract Scottish settlers to Canada began as early as 1622, when Sir William Alexander got permission from King James I to establish new Scotland or Nova Scotia. Unfortunately, his efforts failed, and only a small number of Scottish families settled in Canada.
More Scottish immigrants arrived after 1759, and were mostly farmers who had been forced off their rented land. Most of these Scots settled in what is now Atlantic Canada. In 1772 another wave of Scottish immigrants began to arrive in Prince Edward Island and one year later in Nova Scotia. At the end of the 18th century Cape Breton Island became a centre of Scottish settlement. In 1803 Lord Selkirk brought 800 colonists to Prince Edward Island. In 1812 Selkirk founded the Red River settlement in what is now Manitoba, where he also settled Highlander and Irish immigrants.
Today there are more than 4 million Canadians who claim Scottish heritage.
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