The face of King Charles III will soon be seen on some Canadian money.
The image will appear on coins and the $20 banknote. While the monarch’s image on the $20 banknote is in keeping with Canadian tradition, it seems out of place when viewed with the other faces on Canadian banknotes. Charles III is Canada’s head of state and his title includes King of Canada. However, this role is largely symbolic. The monarch reigns but does not rule.
For many years Sir John A. Macdonald, the first prime minister of Canada, was on the $10 bill. Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the eighth prime minister, is on the $5 bill; William Lyon Mackenzie King, the longest-serving Canadian prime minister, is on the $50 bill; and Robert Borden, the prime minister through much of the First World War; is on the $100 bill.
In recent years, others have been featured as well. In 2017, a commemorative banknote issued for the 150th anniversary of Confederation featured four faces, but only one was a former prime minister. In addition to Macdonald, the people on this bill are Sir George Éteinne Cartier, Agnes Macphail, and James Gladstone (Akay-na-muka), each of whom was instrumental in making Canada what it is today. Cartier brought Quebec into Confederation, Macphail was a champion of human rights and was the first woman elected to the House of Commons, while Gladstone was the first Indigenous senator in the Canadian Senate.
In 2018 the vertical $10 bill, featuring the image of Viola Desmond, was circulated. Desmond is honoured on this bill because she challenged racial segregation laws in Canada in 1946.
At present, a new $5 bill is in the works, with eight people shortlisted to appear on it out of 600 names submitted. None are in the royal family and none have served as prime minister.
The criteria for the new $5 bill (and other bills in the Bank of Canada’s NOTE-able Canadians series) are simple. Those featured on money must have demonstrated outstanding leadership, achievement, or distinction in any field, benefiting the people of Canada or in the service of this country. They must have been deceased for at least 25 years, and they may not be a fictional character.
This means people like author Margaret Atwood, hockey player, coach, and commentator Don Cherry, hockey player and coach Wayne Gretzky, and environmentalist David Suzuki are not eligible, since each is still alive.
Musician Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip, actor Gordon Pinsent, diplomat Kenneth Taylor, and former prime minister Pierre Trudeau are also not eligible, as their deaths occurred more recently than 25 years ago. Anne of Green Gables also cannot appear under the Bank of Canada’s criteria, since she is a fictional character.
Still, that leaves plenty of Canadians who have made remarkable achievements over the years. The poem “In Flanders Fields” was written by a Canadian. Two Canadian researchers discovered insulin, which has helped in the treatment of those with diabetes. Many others have also made significant contributions to this country.
Depicting the faces of Canadians on our banknotes does not affect Canada’s position as a Commonwealth realm. Our country remains a constitutional monarchy, no matter who is shown on banknotes.
The people who have shaped Canada, along with those who have contributed to this country’s reputation on the international stage, deserve to be recognized for what they have done. Showing their faces on our money is one way of giving them this recognition, and it is one way of telling our country’s story.
editorial@accjournal.ca
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
