We received the following letter to the editor from Republic Now, a national organization whose stated mission is ‘to advocate for the replacement of the non-resident, British monarch as Canada’s Head of State with a democratically-selected, resident, Canadian.’
Editor,
In a first-ever collaboration, the Royal Canadian Mint and U.S. Mint have issued a two-coin set “to celebrate the two countries’ independent spirit,” says the Ottawa mint.
Independent? The Canadian coin pictures a British queen on its front, hardly a symbol of independence, and in stark contrast to the U.S. coin, which features Liberty, an allegorical figure enveloped in a flag.
This issue, the U.S. Mint says, is the “Pride of Two Nations.”
Maybe one, we say.
The Ottawa mint issues dozens of coins every year – each one a fresh opportunity to feature a Canadian symbol or person on the front – yet it has never done so in its 111-year history.
It’s time. If you’re fed up, send a message to Finance Minister Bill Morneau at bill.morneau@canada.ca or Mint media relations manager Alex Reeves at reeves@mint.ca.
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