A statue recognising the achievements of those who left Scotland for Canada during the Highland Clearances has been unveiled in Winnipeg by Mike Russell.


It is the first statue of its kind to be erected outside Scotland and is a twin of a statue called The Exiles in Helmsdale which was unveiled by Alex Salmond last summer.

A sad chapter in Scotland's domestic history but one which led to us influencing so much elsewhere.

True.

But it usually gets blamed on the English which is only partially true.

In large part the clearances were carried out at the behest of the Lairds themselves for their profit and sheep farming.

The powerful had been using the law to enclose common land in England and Wales since the 13th century, which provided the basis for a prosperous woollen industry.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enclosure