Since you brought it up, that uncanny resemblance of Wilfrid Laurier to Spock really ought to be made canon. Yes, I know he’s human on his mother’s side, but the mother could be made to be a descendent.
But as for the topic, I propose Canadian biochemist Maud Menten.
“Submissions of fictional characters will not be considered.”
What a let down…
Looking forward to this, actually. I just REALLY hope they don’t do Nellie McLung again. Don’t get me wrong, she’s worth it, but she’s become a little too default for famous Canadian women as if there weren’t anyone else.
Maybe he could nominate his mom?
But seriously, there’s a lot of great names that have been long overlooked. Give me some time and I’m sure I could come with a good list of worthy scientists. After the long time we had petroleum on the 10, a change of emphasis would be good.
I know cause it would be cool to have Anne of Green Gables on a bill.
ETA though Lucy Maud Montgomery would work.
Canada’s next bank notes will feature portraits of women other than the Queen.
I assume nobody would seriously propose putting Laura Second on a bill, since that would essentially make it an advertisement for a candy company.
Lucy Maud Montgomery makes sense. Emily Carr, too.
Some day they will put Margaret Atwood on our currency.
What about Justin Beiber? Or do they have to be dead… we could probably arrange that if it were the case…
Outside of science, I might go with Clara Hughes:
One of those people who reminds you could be doing A LOT more with your life…
We can put my great, great grandmother Janet Sutherland on the money. Her son Hugh was the first of three casualties in the Red River “Rebellion”. She later went to Louis Riel and urged that there be no more deaths. Which maybe is why the casualties stopped at three, the last being Thomas Scott, who was either involved in the beating of Norbert Parisien (who shot Hugh) or encouraged others in the beating. One account has my great great grandfather John Black stopping that beating, maybe even stopping a lynching of Parisien.
The “RebellĂon” is so recent that my grandfather Black had a brother named Hugh.
Though she is only “Canadian” because Canada expanded around where she was living.
They have to have been dead for 25 years.
So no Celine Dion or Anne Murray? Bummer!
My Forex fund will go on!
Canadian money has had the following real women on it: Queen Mary, Princess Mary, Queen Elizabeth II. These are all royalty, just like all the men have been royalty, or Prime Ministers.
It has had the following allegorical, fictitious women on it: Agriculture, Harvest, Fertility
Other than that, it has all been Canadian scenes and animals. The only woman valid based on our history to be on a bill then is Kim Campbell, because the people on the bills aren’t on them because they’re men, they’re on the bills because they were great Prime Ministers that shaped this country. If we open bills to any woman of achievement, then why not any man of achievement? If that’s good for everyone in the interest of equality, then I nominate Arthur Sicard, inventor of the snowblower – without which, Canadians would surely be dead.
Thankfully. Otherwise you run the risk of the person on your banknote suddenly endorsing Doug Ford for PM.
(I mean, dead can still result in embarrassment, but 25 years hopefully leaves enough time for any major disqualifying scandals to have come out.)
Also: I think Cory may have read a bit more into the announcement than is there. So far I’ve seen no suggestion in news stories as to what note the woman will appear on1, nor that any more than one note will feature a portrait of a woman.2
1. So Spock could still be there.
2. Not counting the Queen.
Actually, there have been several non-royal, non–prime ministerial men and women on Canadian banknotes. The 1970 series featured male Inuit hunters on the $2 note and male RCMP officers on the $50 note. The Canadian Journey series from 2001 had two bills featuring mixed-gender groups of children, soldiers, and tourists, and one featuring a statue of five women. The current series has banknotes depicting an astronaut (maybe a specific one, but as they’re in a space suit their gender isn’t discernible) and a female scientist.
It’s not.
Once again being reminded of how utterly boring American banknotes are. We can’t even slap the Saturn V on the back of the $5 bill or something easy to make the money incrementally more interesting. Good luck trying to get more than one woman on a bill at a time without people throwing a shit-fit and/or government shutdown.
My mom used to listen to Anne Murray all the time.
At least our coins have gotten a lot more interesting.
As a numismatist I say that with no sarcasm whatsoever. We’re kind of like how Spain used to be before the Euro.
