People of Nova Scotia

Population composition

The Mi’kmaq people had occupied the area for centuries before the arrival of the first Europeans in the late 15th century. Primarily hunters and gatherers, the Mi’kmaq ranged over the Maritime Provinces and into the Gaspé Peninsula and later spread to Newfoundland and New England. Their Algonquian language is reflected in such Nova Scotian place-names as Musquodoboit, Pugwash, and Shubenacadie. Many of Nova Scotia’s Mi’kmaq people now live on reservations.

About one-eighth of Nova Scotia’s population is at least partially descended from the Acadian French, some of whom returned from exile after the end of French-English conflict in North America in 1763. Acadian communities, with a lively Acadian culture, are located in southwestern Nova Scotia and on Cape Breton Island.

Most of the remaining people are descended from settlers from the British Isles and from what is now the United States. In the second half of the 18th century, settlers from New England (known as Planters) and, later, American colonists loyal to Great Britain during the American Revolution (known as United Empire Loyalists) settled much of western and northern Nova Scotia, with scattered settlements elsewhere. Settlers from England (Yorkshire) and Scotland populated northern and eastern Nova Scotia; the Scots, who settled in substantial numbers in Cape Breton, gave the province a strong Gaelic culture. Irish migration, especially in the 19th century, greatly expanded the population of the Halifax region, among others. German immigrants in the 1750s founded the seaport of Lunenburg.

Beginning in the 20th century, there were smaller migrations of Dutch, Italian, Polish, Arab, Chinese, South Asian, and other peoples, especially to the urban centres of Halifax and Sydney. The small black population in the province includes the descendants of slaves brought into the colony in the 18th century as well as the descendants of black loyalists; West Indian immigrants have bolstered the black population.

English is the only spoken language of the vast majority of the people. Nova Scotians who speak only French are few. However, both Gaelic and the native language of the Mi’kmaq have experienced a renaissance in recent years. Approximately one-third of Nova Scotians are Roman Catholics; among the Protestant denominations, the United Church of Canada is the largest, followed by the Anglican and Baptist churches.

Settlement patterns and demographic trends

Urbanization was an important trend during the 20th century, but nearly one-half of Nova Scotians still live outside major population centres. The early European settlement tended to hug the coastline; the sea provided the main means of transportation, and the economy was based on fisheries, the fur trade, and farming. Yet even with the development of railways and better roads in the 19th and 20th centuries, the interior of the province has remained sparsely settled. With the decline in the late 19th century of shipbuilding and shipping, the coal, steel, and textile industries drew workers to the major centres of Sydney and Halifax, while such smaller towns as Yarmouth, Windsor, Truro, and Amherst developed smaller-scale manufacturing and processing industries. The last century and a half has seen a major out-migration of Nova Scotians, first to New England and later to Ontario and the Canadian West.

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing

Farming has tended to focus on dairy products, livestock, poultry and eggs, and fruit. Extensive forestry resources supply large pulp and paper mills, numerous sawmills, and the expanding Christmas tree and maple syrup industries.

The catching, processing, and exporting of fish continue as important but declining industries. The near-complete destruction of cod stocks has decimated this traditional component of the fisheries. However, lobster, scallops, and other shellfish, along with haddock and herring, remain important catches in Nova Scotian waters. Aquaculture is an increasingly significant facet of the fishing industry.

Resources and power

Mining is another major industry in Nova Scotia. Traditionally, coal was the leading mined product, but many coal mines closed in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Salt and anhydrite production meet a wide demand, and the provincial gypsum deposits yield about three-fourths of Canada’s supply. There are significant resources of barite and construction materials, such as sand and gravel. The continent’s first tidal energy project, completed in 1984 near Annapolis Royal, harnesses the tides of the Bay of Fundy to enhance the province’s hydroelectric energy output. Natural gas is pumped from wells located off Sable Island and carried to the mainland via pipeline.

Manufacturing, services, labour, and taxation

Food processing, wood- and paper-related industries, metal production, and many smaller industries provide a solid manufacturing base to the provincial economy. However, most of the labour force is employed in public and private services. Tourism is a particularly strong service industry, with more than a million people visiting the province each year. More than one-fourth of provincial workers are employed in knowledge-based service industries, such as telecommunications, computer technology, and education. In fact, more Nova Scotians work as teachers and university professors than as fish-processing, forestry, and construction workers combined. Also significant for the economy are several Canadian Forces military bases located within the province.

Provincial income is derived from two main sources: various provincial taxes and fees and the federal government. Important taxes levied by the province include personal and corporate income taxes, a sales tax, and a fuel tax.

Transportation and telecommunications

Shipping remains a major enterprise in Nova Scotia. Point Tupper accommodates the world’s largest oil carriers, and Halifax, a railroad terminus and year-round ice-free port, has facilities for all types of vessels, including huge container ships. Other transportation needs are served by a network of paved highways, by a trucking industry that has largely displaced local rail service, and by an international airport at Halifax and several smaller airports. Car and passenger ferries operate between Nova Scotia and ports in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, and the U.S. state of Maine.

Nova Scotia has a highly developed, fully digital telecommunications system that features a provincewide fibre-optic network. Cellular telephone service and high-speed Internet access are widely available.