In 2011, the only Canadian women ever on a bank-note, The Famous Five, were erased and replaced by an ice-breaker.
The Famous Five
The Ice-Breaker
On International Women’s Day in 2016, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister, Bill Morneau announced that a Canadian woman would appear on a Canadian bank-note in 2018. This was in response to an online petition initiated by Merna Foster which garnered 73,123 signatures. So the BIG question is, who shall grace our Canadian bills. Who, indeed, is “bill-worthy”, as my friend put it?
International Women's Day
The Extraordinary Ordinary
Woman
When I challenged
myself to suggest women for Canadian currency, naturally my thoughts turned to women
I personally admire. Could the woman on
the Canadian money be The Extraordinary Ordinary Woman?
The first
woman who came to my mind was a grandmother I know who participates daily in
the parenting of her four grandchildren.
By participating daily, I mean making meals, doing laundry, giving hugs,
coordinating appointments, supervising homework, tucking into bed, instilling
values, teaching manners, and fostering responsibility. She does
this while holding down a full-time job, dealing with personal health issues, keeping
tabs on an aged mother and nurturing the rest of her extended family. In spite of obstacles, she soldiers on
without complaint. Her grandchildren are
the most important thing in the world to her and she is making sure they have
the best foundation she can provide. She has my vote for the $100.00 Bill!!
Extraordinary-Ordinary Woman $100 Bill
My search for
Bill-Worthy women sparked a lot of discussion in our family. In an effort to determine exactly what
characteristics I admire in women, my daughter Emma sent me the following
nugget by Elizabeth Gilbert. She says it quite nicely.
According to Elizabeth Gilbert...
Other Possibilities:
And just in
case my Extraordinary Ordinary Woman does not make it, I have 10 other
names to suggest. Remember, this is MY playlist
of bill-worthy women; you may have other ideas!! While I
have attempted to represent various disciplines in my selection, unfortunately, my list is limited in the area of ethnic/cultural
diversity.
Nellie McClung
Shanawdithit
Louise
Arbour
Alice Munro
Joni
Mitchell
Sarah
Polley
Mary Pratt
Naomi
Klein
Roberta
Bondar
Sandra
Schmirler
So, which notable women would you choose for our Canadian currency? You can send your suggestions to:
.....Until Next Time.....
