The
$50 note portrait and watermark are of
William
Lyon Mackenzie King, Canada's longest-serving prime minister. He held
power for almost 22 years, from 1921 to 1926, from 1926 to 1930, and
from 1935 to 1948. Under King's administration, the Government of Canada
introduced unemployment insurance in 1940 and the family allowance in
1944. Mackenzie King is also remembered for his support of the Famous
Five in their historic appeal to the British Privy Council, then
Canada's highest court of appeal, and for appointing the first woman,
Cairine Wilson, to the Senate in 1930.
Background:
Back
Theme:
Nation
Building -
This
theme may immediately summon images of building the railway, or other
enormous efforts invested in creating the well-established
infrastructure that allows Canadians to travel and communicate with one
another. However, the back of the note features Thérèse Casgrain and the
Famous Five
chosen to illustrate the note's theme by celebrating Canadians who have
campaigned for the rights and freedoms that every citizen of Canada now
enjoys.
In
1951, Thérèse Casgrain became the first woman to head a political party
in Quebec, and in 1970, she was appointed to the Senate. The Thérèse Casgrain Volunteer Award depicted on the note
commemorates Mme Casgrain's lifelong campaign for consumer rights,
women's rights, world peace, and social justice, and recognizes the
voluntary contributions of men and women whose pioneering spirit and
social commitment have contributed to improving the well-being of their
fellow citizens. This annual award, presented by the Government of
Canada, through Social Development Canada, is given to individuals with
lifetime achievements as volunteers.
The Famous Five –
Emily
Murphy,
Henrietta Muir Edwards,
Nellie McClung,
Louise McKinney, and
Irene
Parlby – triumphed in the "Persons" Case - one of the most famous
cases in Canadian legal history and one that had a profound impact
throughout the British Commonwealth. On 18 October 1929, the British
Privy Council declared that women are persons, thus making them eligible
to be summoned to and become members of the Senate of Canada. Depicted
on the note is the statue of the Famous Five, which can be seen on
Parliament Hill, in Ottawa, and on Olympic Plaza in Calgary, Alberta.
Poem:
The
quotation featured on the back of the note, "All human beings are
born free and equal in dignity and rights" is from the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, the first draft of which was written by New
Brunswick native
John Peters
Humphrey. Mr. Humphrey was also instrumental in finding solutions
for many Canadian and international human rights problems. He helped to
launch Amnesty International Canada and to create the Canadian Human Rights Foundation.
He was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1974.
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