Soon a Woman On Canadian Bill

Finance Minister Bill Morneau confirmed that Canada’s next set of new banknotes will feature a woman. The surprise announcement coincided with an Ottawa press conference celebrating International Women’s Day.



"Anne of Green Gables"


"Anne of Green Gables" is not a historical person, but is nevertheless an important one. She's the titular protagonist of Lucy Maud Montgomery's novel about an orphan girl who is sent to live on a farm on Prince Edward Island.

Louise Arbour
Former Supreme Court of Canada judge and High Commissioner for Human Rights at the United Nations.

Margaret Atwood
Celebrated author behind works such as "The Handmaid's Tale" and the "MaddAddam Trilogy."

Roberta Bondar
Canada's first female astronaut. Second Canadian astronaut in space.

Kim Campbell
Canada's first female prime minister.

Emily Carr
One of Canada's most famous painters, responsible for works depicting Pacific Northwest settings such as "Big Raven."

Sheila Fraser

Former auditor-general of Canada, responsible for a report on the Sponsorship Scandal which played a role in the eventual toppling of the Liberal government.

Agnes MacPhail
The first woman ever elected to Canada's House of Commons.

Beverley McLachlin
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada.

Joni Mitchell
Canadian folk singer respected the world over for songs such as "Both Sides, Now."

Lucy Maud Montgomery
Author of "Anne of Green Gables" and other literary works.

Alanis Morissette
Former teenage dance-pop artist who would go on to record as an alternative musician, topping the charts with hits such as "You Oughta Know" and "Ironic."

Alice Munro
Nobel and Giller Prize-winning author of short-story collections such as "Open Secrets," "Runaway" and "The View from Castle Rock."

Anne Murray
This country music artist is the first ever Canadian woman to attain gold record status in the United States.

Jeanne Sauve
The first female to serve as governor-general of Canada.

Laura Secord
A prominent figure in the War of 1812, Laura Secord is known for walking an enormous length to warn James FitzGibbon that the Americans planned a surprise attack on a British outpost.

Emily Stowe
The first woman to practise medicine in Canada, and a suffragette.

Harriet Tubman
Known as a "conductor" of the Underground Railroad, Tubman escaped slavery in the U.S. and helped hundreds of slaves to freedom in Canada and the Northern states.

Shania Twain
Canadian country and pop music star, famous for hits such as "Man! I Feel Like a Woman."

Hayley Wickenheiser
Four-time Olympic gold medal-winning hockey player.

All good candidates. But my personal choice is:

Political activist Nellie McClung was one of the strongest voices of the women's suffrage movement across Canada. She helped stage a mock parliament in Manitoba in 1914, that satirized what people claimed were the dangers of allowing women to vote and helping win support for the campaign.