Canada’s Next Series of Bank Notes Will Feature a Woman – And You Can Decide Who

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau capped off a productive International Women’s Day yesterday by announcing that a woman will be featured on the next series of bank notes shortly after declaring himself a ‘proud feminist’.

Canadians are invited to take part in selecting an iconic Canadian woman to be featured on the new bills during the current nomination process (until April 15) on the Bank of Canada website.

The criteria is pretty straightforward: The person must be a Canadian (by birth or naturalization) who has demonstrated outstanding leadership, achievement or distinction in any field, benefiting the people of Canada or in the service of Canada, and have been deceased for at least 25 years.

Oh, and they can’t be a fictional character – so forget about Anne of Green Gables.

A recent poll conducted by CBC Radio identified Native Canadian singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie (pictured) and social activist Nellie McClung as the top two choices for Canadian women on bank notes. Buffy, however, falls out of contention on account of still being alive.

The new bills will be released in 2018. And if you need some inspiration, here are 12 Canadian women we’d love to see on our cash money.

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