MONTREAL – Move over Wilfrid Laurier, Robert Borden and William Lyon – there’s a new woman in town and one Montreal city councillor intends to put her on Canadian currency.
Marvin Rotrand, city councillor for Snowdon, told Global News he is planning to file a motion in favour of more women to be featured on Canadian currency at the next city council meeting, scheduled for Aug. 17.
“All our bills are basically old white guys,” said Rotrand.
“All of whom admittedly were very important in Canadian history, they were Prime Ministers and whatever, but there’s got to be a role for women.”
Rotrand said the country’s coinage and bills represent Canadian values as a society and one of those values is gender equality.
Therefore, it’s only fitting that women are properly represented.
“Women have contributed to the success of this country in every single domain,” he said.
“It’s time that women appear on Canadian money.”
Rotrand said his motion is non-partisan and is supported by several councillors representing all the parties and the independents at council.
“It will pass and I’m hoping this will launch some sort of national movement at the time of a federal election campaign,” he said.
The United States has recently announced that Alexander Hamilton will be removed from the $10 bill and will be a replaced by a woman.
The new bills will be rolled out by 2020.
Montreal city councillor lobbies for more women on Canadian bills