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Canada to put woman who challenged segregation on banknote

by Reuters
Thursday, 8 December 2016 14:36 GMT

Canada's Finance Minister Bill Morneau stands with Wanda Robson after her sister Viola Desmond was chosen to be featured on a new $10 bank note during a ceremony at the Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada, December 8, 2016. REUTERS/Chris Wattie

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Viola Desmond is the first Canadian by birth or naturalization to be featured on a bank note

OTTAWA, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Viola Desmond, a black businesswoman who challenged racial segregation in Canada, will be the first Canadian woman prominently displayed on a banknote, the government said on Thursday, the latest step in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's promise to promote gender equality.

While the Queen of England is featured on most Canadian currency, Desmond is the first Canadian by birth or naturalization to be featured on a bank note. She was chosen from a list of candidates who had shown achievement in the service of the country, including social activists, an engineer, a poet and an athlete.

Trudeau named a gender-equal cabinet shortly after his Liberals won a surprising majority government in 2015.

(Reporting by Leah Schnurr and Andrea Hopkins; Editing by Meredith MAzzilli)

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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