Bank Notes

$50 Note, Background Information

Thérèse Casgrain Volunteer Award Medallion

Thérèse Casgrain (1896-1981), a native of Montréal, is best known as the force behind various social reforms in Canada promoting justice and equality, and as the first woman to head a political party in Quebec (1951). In 1970, she was appointed to the Senate.

Mrs. Casgrain was involved in provincial, national, and international organizations and was one of the pioneers of the women's rights movement in Canada. As founder, and later President, of the Québec League of Women's Rights, she helped women in Quebec gain the right to vote in 1940 and was instrumental in making women the recipients of family allowance cheques. In the 1960s, Thérèse Casgrain participated in the World Disarmament Conference and was the only Canadian woman delegate for world peace. In 1974, she was made a Companion of the Order of Canada.

During the International Year of Volunteers 2001, the Government of Canada announced the launch of the Thérèse Casgrain Volunteer Award. This award commemorates Thérèse Casgrain's lifelong campaign for women's rights, world peace, and social justice, and recognizes the voluntary contributions of men and women whose pioneering spirit and social commitment have contributed significantly to advancing a social cause and to improving the well-being of their fellow citizens. This annual award, presented by the Government of Canada through Human Resources and Social Development Canada, is given to two individuals, one man and one woman, who have demonstrated lifelong achievements as volunteers.

The illustration of the Thérèse Casgrain Volunteer Award medallion on the back of the $50 note is by Jorge Peral, Art Director, Canadian Bank Note Company.

Thérèse Casgrain was selected to illustrate the theme of the $50 note—nation building—because her efforts helped to create and reinforce the principles of equal rights and fairness in Canadian society.