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.