Over 4-million Canadians identify themselves as having some Scottish descent. Thousands are expats born in Scotland and now living here.
So it’s no surprise you can’t toss a caber in Canada without hitting someone with a keen interest in Scotland’s independence referendum. And the issue can be just as divisive here.
Charlie Inglis came to Canada from his native Edinburgh in 1969. He often goes back to visit family. “My older relatives are voting no. The relatives about my age are voting yes. And the younger people are voting no,” he explains.
Living in Canada has not made him immune to the debate. Inglis is a member of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society in Ottawa along with many fellow-expats. He says most of them support the no side, while he would likely vote yes. “They may not be talking to me next time I see them,” he jokes.
Scots living abroad aren’t allowed to vote. But that hasn’t dampened their interest, or their opinions. Michael Cox runs Ottawa’s two Scottish and Irish Stores. He says many Scottish-Canadians have been coming in buying supplies for their referendum parties. “Even though they’re not voting they still obviously have their heart in Scotland and they’re following it very, very closely,” he says.
Cox, who’s family also hails from Edinburgh, says he’s been swayed by the “yes” side over the past six months. But not all his customers agree.
“I don’t think I’d like to see them separate,” says Margaret Roy, who moved to Canada from Glasgow in 1955.
“I think it’s a mistake to break up the British Isles,” adds Douglas Crawford, who moved from just outside Glasgow in 1966.
It’s a vote that may be out of their hands, but it is certainly not far from their hearts.
