Just to clarify, the song "Barrett's Privateers" starts in Halifax, Nova Scotia in the year 1778, during the American Revolution. A little bit of historical Halifax/ Nova Scotia background: Halifax was only founded in 1749, so the city itself was only 29 years old in 1778. There were few pure-bred "Nova Scotians" apart from the children of English, Irish or Scottish parents who had come to settle this fairly new colony which the British claimed in 1713. At this time Nova Scotia was a colony much like the Thirteen Colonies had been just years prior. Halifax became one of the most important ports to the British during the American Revolution and was a strongly defended military installation and naval base. The vast majority of military personnel that were posted in Halifax would've been born and raised in Britain. The same can be said of the civilian population as well. So during this time, the term "Canadian" would not likely have applied to anyone living in Halifax or Nova Scotia. It was generally still used to identify the French speaking people who inhabited the Saint Lawrence River area. So the crew of the Antelope would have considered themselves either British OR in the rare occasion Nova Scotian

I'll let someone else comment on British privateering in Nova Scotia during the American Revolution :)

There was actually quite a brisk Privateering business (if you want to call it that) going on in Nova Scotia during the Revolutionary War. American vessels would travel toward Halifax to raid British shipping, while Nova Scotian privateers would travel south toward Boston to raid the Americans.

There's a small town in Nova Scotia called Liverpool that has a yearly Privateer Days festival to celebrate that era of the town's history. Liverpool was home to a prolific diarist named Simeon Perkins who chronicled life there from the 1770s until the early 1800s. The diary, and his house are now part of the Nova Scotia Museum and can be visited by the public during the summer.

The town was actually attacked by two American privateers on September 13, 1780 and the fort guarding the mouth of the Mersey River was briefly taken. The local militia soon captured one of the two American captains and Perkins negotiated an exchange of prisoners and the departure of the raiders. Overall a "Dubious and Difficult Affair" according to his diary. This was followed by an exchange of fire between the departing Americans and a small privateer from Halifax that was entering the harbour.

While not as grand an adventure as in Barrett's Privateers (epic song choice, by the way) I hope that helps answer your question.

PS - Sorry mods for most likely butchering the citation rules. This is the first and probably the only time when I'll actually be able to cite an historical document with a relevant answer to a question.

Follow up: who is the most famous/infamous 'Canadian' privateer/pirate? Quotes obviously since Canada was a colony/province of both France and England around these times.