On January 25, Canadians of Scottish ancestry traditionally celebrate the birthday of their bard, Robbie Burns.
Over 4.8 million Canadians (or just under 14%) reported Scottish as their ethnic origin in the 2016 Census, making it the third-largest ethnic group nationally, following Canadian and English and just ahead of French.
Almost one-third of the population of Nova Scotia reported a Scottish ethnic origin in the 2016 Census, while over half of Canadians who reported Scottish ethnicity lived in Ontario or British Columbia.
At a traditional Robbie Burns celebration, bagpipes are played, haggis and oatcakes are served, and toasts are given with a wee dram of Scotch whisky.
While the fifth wave of the pandemic may have put a damper on Robbie Burns Day celebrations this year, Scots can take solace and pride in knowing that whisky remains the most popular spirit in Canada, accounting for 29.9% of the spirits sold nationally in 2019/2020.
We will find out how many Canadians reported Scottish as their ethnic origin with the release of the 2021 Census ethnocultural data on October 26.
Contact information
For more information, contact the Statistical Information Service (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).