OPINION: Canadian women deserve better than a spot on a bank note

Sooner or later, Canadians will get to see a Canadian woman's face on one of their bank notes. 

The move by the Trudeau government came as good news to some, but to Vass Bednar the campaign has been slightly depressing.  

It winds up being a little bit disappointing that we're only going to get one [woman] on our bank note- Vass Bednar

Bednar, the associate director of the Cities Initiative at the University of Toronto's Martin Prosperity Institute, says there are other ways to celebrate the contribution of Canadian women to the country — suggesting the renaming of federal buildings and street names, encouraging people to nominate more women for the Order of Canada, or even the creation of a museum as meaningful possibilities. 

"I can't wait for a woman to be on the bill, but I'm much more excited for these other things," says Bednar. 

Bednar refuses to weigh in on which of the 12 nominees should win a place on the banknote, saying she resents how much the conversation has focused on one woman and prefers to keep her focus on future endeavours. 

This is great, but it's just one woman, and there's so much more to do. Let's get on with that.- Vass Bednar

Listen to the full interview by clicking the play button above.