Bill-Worthy Women

Bill-Worthy Women

     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:

Bank of Canada

234 Wellington Street

Ottawa, Ontario

K1A 0G9

Bank of Canada

.....Until Next Time.....