By Massimo Stefanovic

For the first time in history, a Canadian woman will be printed on to circulated Canadian banknotes.

Civil rights pioneer Viola Desmond was a Black Canadian who fought against discrimination after World War Two.

On November 8, 1946, in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, a historical incident occurred. When Viola Desmond refused to leave the whites only section in the Roseland Theatre, she was arrested.

63 years later, an apology was finally issued to her family. But sadly, Viola Desmond had died in 1965, 44 years before she would ever hear it.

The Bank of Canada recently conducted a public survey on their website, and Desmond was one of the nominated figures for the next face of the $10 banknote.

One side of the note features Viola Desmond’s face and Northern Halifax. The opposite side pictures the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg.

The new vertical $10 bill is a symbol of Canada’s push to move forward and create a country where no one faces discrimination.

Image Source: CTV News