Duo campaign to put Tommy Douglas on $5 bill

CBCFebruary 22, 2020

A duo is campaigning to place one of Saskatchewan's own on the new five dollar bill. 

The Bank of Canada is looking to put a different Canadian on the bill, and has opened nominations to the public. 

Rules for nomination include that the person must be Canadian by birth or naturalization, must have demonstrated outstanding leadership achievement, must have been dead for at least 25 years and  must be a real person — not a fictional character. 

Now, two men want to see Tommy Douglas on the five dollar bill. Douglas is seen as the father of modern medicare in Canada

Robin Murray grew up in Ogema, Sask., while Woznow grew up in Edmonton. The two now live in Powell River B.C.

"[Douglas] has probably touched every Canadian," Ron Woznow said.

Because of Tommy Douglas, we had our mom and we had our home. - Ron Woznow

Woznow has a personal reason for the nomination. Growing up in Edmonton, his mother was a single parent and developed a number of medical complications. 

"Had we been living in the U.S., we would have lost our house and been totally destitute. Our mom would have died but because of Tommy Douglas, we had our mom and we had our home," Woznow said. 

The idea to nominate Douglas came up when they first started chatting about the five dollar bill. The idea grew due to their mutual interest. 

"It was really easy for us to get excited and motivated to take this campaign out — and not just in Powell River but across Canada," Woznow said. 

Tommy Douglas was defined by his altruism and his belief that the role of government is to help create a better society — and he'd worked his entire life in politics to try and make a better Canada. - Robin Murray

The five dollar bill would be best because it's a common bill, Murray said. As well, he says the blue would be symbolic of the Saskatchewan skies. 

"Tommy Douglas was defined by his altruism and his belief that the role of government is to help create a better society and a better Canada," Murray said. 

"And he'd worked his entire life in politics to try and make a better Canada and I just think that he should be recognized for that." 

"It's kind of what differentiates us from the U.S. in that no matter who we are pretty much from coast to coast to coast, we know that we can go to the doctor," Murray said. "We can go to the hospital and we can get looked after mostly."

More than 300 people have been nominated so far to be on the five dollar bill. People can vote for Douglas or whomever they choose at bankofcanada.ca/banknotes.