Women's right to vote began in Manitoba 100 years ago this year. This limited-edition coin was presented today by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, along with a stamp commemorating the victory, and the news that bank notes will soon feature iconic Canadian women
Photo Credit: Royal Canadian Mint

Women’s suffrage honoured with new stamp, coin and eventually banknotes

On this International Women’s Day, when the UN theme is ’50-50 by 2030′, Canada took some symbolic steps in that direction.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau(left)along with Minister of Public Services Judy Foote and former Mississauga mayor Hazel McCallion take part in celebrating International Women’s Day © PC/Fred Chartrand

At a ceremony in Ottawa today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was joined by several of his cabinet ministers, and other notable women, to unveil a new one dollar (Cdn) coin, commonly known as the looney, in honour of the lakeside creature that is standard on the coin.

A striking postal stamp was also revealed. Tétro Design, based in Winnipeg, created both a circulation stamp and a cover designed for collectors.

Manitoba was the first province where women were permitted to vote and hold office. The 140,000 circulation stamps are available in booklets of 10 at postal outlets across Canada. There are 9,000 of the covers with the image of Nellie McClung, who was one of Canada’s pioneers of the Women’s movement.

“It is especially fitting that this coin was produced in Winnipeg, in the province where women first won the right to vote in 1916,” Sandra Hanington, president and CEO of the mint, said in a statement.

Artist Laurie McGaw designed the coin. One side of the coin shows a woman casting a ballot with a child at her side and the inscriptions “Women’s right to vote” and 1916 -­2016.” Five million of the coins were put into circulation across the country today.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced that the first bank note will be available in 2018, after consultation with Canadians as to which women they would like to see honoured. This is a step many Canadians petitioned for, with historian Merna Forster spearheading one effort.

Currency makeover: womenonbanknotes.ca

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