Handfasting Nations
Scotland, Canada, and the ties that bind the future of the Commonwealth
I was privileged to get to share some words with Bylines Scotland.
Ben Beveridge
ScotsCan
Crosscurrent Influence on Scots-Canadians
Charlie Angus: A Scottish Heart Beating in Canada’s North
Charlie Angus is many things—a politician, an author, a musician—but at his core, he is a champion for working people and a fierce defender of those left behind by history. In many ways, he embodies the spirit of Scotland, though his roots are firmly planted in the hard rock of Northern Ontario.
Born in Timmins and raised in Cobalt—a town named for the very metal that fueled industry but left workers struggling—Angus carries forward a legacy of resilience and rebellion that echoes the Scottish experience. It’s no coincidence that the Scottish diaspora has left an indelible mark on Canada, particularly in places like Angus’s home region, where mining, labour movements, and community-driven activism define both past and present. The very ideals that animated Scotland’s social justice movements—fairness, solidarity, and a refusal to accept exploitation—live in Charlie’s work today.
His advocacy for Indigenous rights, economic justice, and the dignity of workers calls to mind the Scottish tradition of fighting for self-determination. Scotland today grapples with its place in the UK, much as Canada re-evaluates its role in the Commonwealth. Both nations stand at a crossroads: Scotland looking toward independence, Canada wrestling with its colonial legacy and seeking a new definition of sovereignty.
“Do I think that the dude in the fancy hat is going to step up and call out America's attack on our sovereignty? Nope. Canada was always there when Britain needed us. But we've got this. We are Canada.True. North. Strong. Free.”
https://bsky.app/profile/charlieangus104.bsky.social/post/3li2oosul3k25
Angus’s work is about more than politics—it’s about identity, history, and the stories we choose to carry forward. His books, Dangerous Memory and Cobalt: Cradle of the Demon Metals, serve as testaments to the idea that the past is not a weight but a guidepost. His music with the Grievous Angels is not just art; it’s an act of preservation, a folk tradition in the spirit of Scotland’s own balladeers, chronicling the struggles of miners, factory workers, and the forgotten corners of Canada.
In a Commonwealth that often feels adrift—caught between nostalgia and irrelevance—Charlie Angus stands as proof that its strongest ties are not forged in palaces, but in working-class solidarity, in the mines of Cobalt as much as the shipyards of Glasgow. His Scotland is not an ancestral footnote; it is a living force, carried in the fight for justice and the unwavering belief that a nation is only as strong as its most vulnerable people.
A Future Bound by Common Cause
If Scotland and Canada are to redefine their places in the world, it won’t be through inherited institutions, but through leaders like Angus—who carry forward the best of their histories while refusing to be shackled by them. Whether through policy or protest, music or memory, his work reminds us that our past is not something to be escaped, but something to be honoured, wielded, and, when necessary, re-written.
Scottish Development International (SDI) operates an office in Calgary, Canada. This office serves as a hub for fostering economic development and facilitating business opportunities between Scotland and Canada. SDI provides support and resources to help businesses from both countries connect and collaborate for mutual benefit and growth. For more information or to get in touch with the Calgary office, you can visit their website.
https://www.sdi.co.uk/about-us/global-offices/americas-offices/canada-calgary-office
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B
The Commonwealth isn’t dead, but it’s sleepwalking.
Scotland wants out of the UK. Canada questions the monarchy. Both need a global platform.
The Commonwealth can be that, if it evolves. A Canada-Scotland alliance could reshape it into an economic and diplomatic force, not an imperial relic.
Lead or leave.
PS -