Petition launched to have Sgt. Tommy Prince be the face of the new five-dollar bill

There is much discussion around who should be the face of Canada's new $5 dollar bill. There have beens suggestions such as Terry Fox, Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip, and even John Candy in the past. Now, most recently to be nominated for the spot is Tommy Prince.

Tommy Prince was born in Petersfield, Manitoba, in 1915. He was one of 11 children of Henry and Arabella Prince of the Brokenhead Ojibway Nation near Scanterbury, Manitoba.

He joined the army cadets while still a teanager and then joined the Canadian Army at the age of 24. Prince went on to become a founding member of the elite 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion and the Devil’s Brigade during the Second World War.

Following his service in World War Two he joined the stalwart defence of Hill 677 in the Battle of Kapyong in the the Korean War.

Sergeant Prince was decorated with eleven medals before his death, making him the most decorated Indigenous war veteran in Canada.

A website with a petition has been launched with the hopes of getting Sergeant Prince enough signatures to replace Sir Wilfred Laurier and make him the new face of the $5 dollar bill.

The site is called HounourTommyPrince.ca and contains a brief biography of Prince as well as form to fill out to sign the petition.

The website states, "Sergeant Tommy Prince’s sacrifices in World War Two and Korea ensured that other nations and their peoples would be safe from despotism, that they would have the right to self-determination, and to all the freedoms that democracy provides."

"And he wasn’t alone, over 15,000 Indigenous Canadians fought in World War Two and Korea for a country they couldn’t even vote in. They experienced racism from the federal government as Indigenous war veterans were denied many of the benefits other veterans received."

"It is the responsibility of every Canadian to understand the injustices of the past towards Indigenous heroes like Sergeant Tommy Prince and to work towards establishing a mutually respectful relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples."