Supplied – KMR PhotographyBetween four Prime Ministers, the Queen, an annoying bird and a sailboat, Canadian currency has a whole lot of characters to talk about. Most people probably see the folks on our bills as a generic wash of old white guys (and a lady), but the history that led to their appearance on our currency says as much about them as it does about our country, or at least our Royal Mint.
Wilfrid Laurier ($5)
Our seventh Prime Minister, Laurier is arguably known best today as the Leader of the Opposition during the first World War. Laurier’s stance against Canadian war involvement included blocking and protesting the advancement and investment in the British Royal Navy, as well as being one of the most notable opponents of conscription. Laurier’s position, which was shared by many French Canadians, led to the violent conscription crisis, an event in Laurier’s legacy that is often overshadowed by the growth and relative prosperity Canada previously achieved under his oversight.
John A. Macdonald ($10)
If you don’t know that Johnny A. was our first Prime Minister, you need to go back to sixth grade. This wistful purple fellow in your pocket may look innocent, but it was Macdonald who pushed for the arrest and hanging of Louis Riel, an act intended to quell rebellion among the Metis which (not surprisingly) backfired miserably. One election debate saw John, accused to be drunk at the time, vomit on the stage between himself and his opponent. He then proceeded to play the incident up as a disgusted response to his opposing candidate’s rhetoric. Seen by many as a symbol of Canadian independence, Macdonald was ironically loyal to the crown, famously stating: “A British subject I was born, a British subject I will die.”
Queen Elizabeth II ($20)
As of last week, Queen Elizabeth II is the longest reigning UK Monarch in history. Queen at 25 in the wake of her father’s early death, Elizabeth had endured the blitz bombings of her country, as well as trained as a military driver and mechanic. Her reign saw Buckingham palace the victim of two notable breaches in security, an archivist of 23 years was revealed to be a Communist spy, and another intruder who was able to find himself at the foot of the sleeping Queen’s bed. With no indication of abdication in the near future, the Queen’s appearance on the 20 will, at the very least, stay a reminder of our colonial past.
William Lyon Mackenzie King ($50)
Canada’s PM at the onset of the Great Depression, King thought the economic crisis was a mere fad. King lost favour, and subsequently his office by infamously shooting down any notion of unemployment relief in 1930. King regained office in 1935 and provided public aid at last. He met with Hitler in Germany following militaristic advancements under the Nazi Party. While King disproved of Nazism itself, he was intrigued with Hitler, saying Hitler would “rank some day with Joan of Arc among the deliverers of his people.” King also privately held a penchant for the occult, holding séances and using mediums to contact the “spirit world.” Among those he contacted after their death were his mother, his predecessor Wilfred Laurier, and his beloved dead dogs. While King died 39 years too soon to make Pet Sematary jokes to his face, you can always give it a shot with Ouija board.
Robert Borden ($100)
Like Macdonald, Borden was originally a lawyer by trade, and was Canada’s WWI Prime Minister. While responsible for women’s suffrage in Canada, Borden’s legacy also includes the War Measures Act, which during in World War I and II indefinitely inter Ukrainian and Japanese immigrants respectively. The Act also gave the Canadian government the power to put restraints on its own citizens during the October Crisis, setting curfews and detaining suspects with little to no evidence in the name of public safety.
