Rant: Why Doesn't Canada Have Prime Ministers On Coins?

Yes.

Britain issued numerous crown designs, both as 5 shillings and (after 1970) as 25 new pence, all without the denomination inscribed on them. People knew they were crowns because of the size and weight. The only British crowns that actually said "1 crown" or "5 shillings" on them were issued from the 1920s to the 1950s.

I find this perspective very interesting. The US is just now finishing a Presidential $1 coin program that included a coin for each deceased president. Every US president was/is affiliated with a specific political party and had/has an agenda fueled by his political leanings. Popular opinions on each were/are divided (sometimes dramatically!). I bet the people of Canada could handle a coin series of its Prime Ministers!

That simultaneously surprises and disappoints me. I don't live in Canada, however, so I have no sense of the "sentiment on the street."

That said, I still think it would make for an interesting, historical and educational coin set!

There have been medallion sets of the Prime Ministers of Canada but I agree with the sentiment that Prime Ministers are not great subject matter for coinage. There are a few fundamental differences between political systems in the US and Canada. The US president is the head of state. The Canadian (as with British & Australian) head of state is the Queen (or previously King). The US President is elected and retains the office for one or more 4 year terms unless they befall a tragedy (Kennedy/Lincoln/FDR and 5 others). The Canadian Prime Minister can be bounced based on actions in parliament or at the end of a 5 year term. Charles Tupper served 69 days. John Turner 79 days and Kim Campbell 132... In addition, not all Prime Ministers are elected; neither Kim Campbell or John Turner were elected by the Canadian people but took the reigns (misspelling intentional) of their parties after the prior PM resigned. In the US, only one president...Gerald Ford... was not elected.

The closest analogue the PM has in the US system is the Speaker of the House and I doubt that there would be much support for a US coin series featuring Nancy Pelosi, Newt Gingrich et al. (Note, I am attempting to remain a-political by referencing members of both parties, Canadian & US... I am not making a political statement only a reflection on the relative positions of the parties).

It is true that the Canadian PM is closer to the Head of State than the Speaker of the House in the US however, the nature of the role and the fact that there is actually a head of state in the monarch, suggests that the Canadian PM is not a great candidate for commemoration on a Coin. Additionally, in the US, the president does not show up on currency until they are no longer alive. While that could apply in Canada... the monarch is depicted only when alive... certain commemoratives excepted. I could be wrong but wasn't JFK the fastest depiction on currency of a past president appearing on the 50c coin only a year after he was assassinated?

Sir John A. was on a coin more as a reflection of the events in his time and his role as the first Prime Minister of Canada... History of Canada vs. commemorating the man. Canada's prime ministers are reflected on the bills with MacDonald, Mackenzie King, Laurier and Borden sharing the stage with the Queen.

I think that the inclusion of Churchill on the last 5 shilling crown was a reflection of his contribution to the war effort... He was definitely not overwhelmingly loved in the UK either before or after the 2nd World War as his election record shows whereas there have been countless crowns commemorating non-political the Royal family and all sorts of royal events... weddings, birthdays, jubilees, deaths in both the UK and Canada.




That said, there are plenty of Canadian historical figures and events as well as geographic diversity that can be celebrated that will outlast and dare I say it... outshine a prime minister. Some highlights from the past that are not yet "old".. 1st nations art and the mask series is almost always compelling. The recent 3 coin coastal gold series...Atlantic, Arctic and Pacific. Provincial inclusion in Canada... Isn't 2021 the 150th anniversary of BC's inclusion in Canada? When it comes to flowers or other items that have been "done before", it is the quality of the engraving that counts... I am currently in a quest to complete the series of Provincial Flowers depicted on the $350 Gold from 1999-2011 as I find them captivating in the contrast between the detailed image bound on the larger flat field. I haven't actually seen a compelling maple leaf coin in some time.

Omg I'd totally buy a coin commemorating Jean Chretien strangling that guy.

Someone made a beer commemorating that moment and Jean Chretien endorsed it

the queen is more important on coins I guess

This is the reason that I don't think that a PM should be on a coin because the role is political. Remaining apolitical... some love Mulroney, some hate Mulroney... I have both in my family and friends groups. The same can be said for most contemporary politicians, from Trudeau Jr & Sr in Canada, Johnson through Thatcher in the UK, just about every speaker of the House in the US; Coins should not be polarizing and as such, the head of state.. which in the case of Canada is the Monarch... is a better choice. Even stepping away from politicians, recall the furor over the LGBTQ loon released 2019...

I recall back when I was a kid and lived in the UK, some of my neighbourhood friends' parents complaining about the 1973 50p piece as they didn't approve of the UK joining the EU... that coin commemorated the union with a ring of hands holding each other...

In this light, maple leaves, bears, eagles whales and 50+ year old wars and events are less polarizing and as such, more likely to gain universal acceptance.