Good news - Oakville Town Council unanimously passed a motion supporting Canadian women on bank notes! Kudos to all of the councillors, and a special thanks to councillors Cathy Duddeck and Pam Damoff for bringing the motion forward. The resolution will be sent to the Bank of Canada, and other Canadian municipalities will be encouraged to support the call for Canadian women on bank notes. Thank you Oakville, and let’s all try to get MPs in Ottawa behind this. NOTICE OF MOTION MOVED BY COUNCILLOR CATHY DUDDECK SECONDED BY COUNCILLOR PAM DAMOFF WHEREAS the symbols of Canada should reflect its citizens; WHEREAS the equality of men and women is recognized in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Quebec Charter of Rights and Freedoms; WHEREAS women have contributed to the economic, political, social and cultural foundations of our country; WHEREAS despite these important contributions, women are absent on money and Canadian bills, with the exception of Queen Elizabeth II; WHEREAS in 2004, the Bank of Canada circulated a bank fifty-dollar bank note, honouring the contributions of Thérèse Casgrain, first female leader of a political party in Canada who worked for the advancement of women, and the group The Famous Five (Nelly McClung, Emily Murphy, Irene Parlby, Louise McKinney and Henrietta Edwards), five Canadian women who gained recognition for the term “person” to be used in constitutional texts designating both women and men; and WHEREAS this fifty-dollar bill was removed from circulation and replaced with a bank note representing former Prime Minister W.L. Mackenzie King; WHEREAS there is a movement across Canada to include women from Canadian history on bank notes, with an online petition gaining numbers daily and other municipalities passing similar motions; THEREFORE be it resolved that the Town of Oakville encourage the Bank of Canada and Minister of Finance to add women from Canadian history to Canadian bank notes; and THAT this resolution be sent to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario and Federation of Canadian Municipalities to encourage other municipalities to support this initiative; and THAT a copy of this resolution be provided to the Bank of Canada.