Scotland-Canada History Brought to Life

9 April, 2010 - 12:07 — admin

Scotland-Canada History Brought to Life

A new online resource exploring the rich historic and cultural links between Scotland and Canada has gone live. The Scots and Canada website, launched by Education Secretary Michael Russell in Toronto, provides a wealth of information to pupils and teachers on both sides of the Atlantic. With almost five million Canadians claiming Scots ancestry, the site is also a treasure trove for amateur historians.
 
Mr Russell, in Toronto as part of his Scotland Week programme said: "There are strong social, cultural and economic connections between Scotland and Canada that date back to the Jacobite Risings of the 18th century and the Clearances of the 19th century. Canada's first two Prime Ministers were of Scottish origin and Scots have continued to leave their mark on Canadian politics, business and education.
 
The Scotland and Canada website is available in both English and Gaelic and is part of Scotland's History, an online resource developed by Learning and Teaching Scotland. Scotland's History is freely accessible and includes more than 200 topics and links to over 1,000 other online sources with a wide range of interactive supporting materials. This grew out of the Scottish Government's History in the Curriculum Group which looked at ways of improving the learning and teaching of history in the context of Curriculum for Excellence.
 
Scotland Week 2010 runs from April 3 to 10. It is an ambitious programme of engagements undertaken by Scottish Ministers, VisitScotland and SDI across the U.S. and Canada.