Commentary
Many Canadians were understandably frustrated when the twin scourges of cancel culture and wokeness erupted during COVID-19. Yet, few probably remember an announcement that just preceded the pandemic and surprisingly fit with this negative tone of what was to come.
The Bank of Canada unexpectedly announced a plan in early 2020 to remove Sir Wilfrid Laurier’s image from the $5 bill. The nation’s seventh prime minister had been a familiar feature on the bank note for almost 50 years. Barely a word of displeasure had ever been uttered. Yet, Canadians would participate in deciding his replacement.
“It’s kind of a new and groundbreaking thing that they’re doing a public consultation process about this,” Steven Bell, President, Banknote Certification Service, told CTV news on Jan. 14, 2020. “Let alone simply changing it to an iconic Canadian.”…