Is this the bit about the women being Chinese?  My Father-inlaw pointed out the write up in the newspaper.  I don't see any ethnicity.  I see the profile of a woman. 

racism and bigotry run very, very deep in Canada. Watch the Quebec election for plenry of evidence of that. But don't kid yourself that Quebec is different.

The image was an Asian woman, then people said it was stereotyping Asians as being good at technology.

They replaced it with a Caucasian woman, then people said they replaced it with a Causcasian because it is more neutral and majority.

The moral of this story is likely not, "You can't win for losing."

It is, more likely  - "people do not accept change easily".

So I must be seeing it after the change to a caucasian was made.  I don't carry big bills or much money at all as I use debit alot so never saw the first bill.  We do pick the oddest things to get excited over.  I'm more excited over the fact that the $100 bill is infused with a distinct maple syrup scent!  It is!  You gotta try it when it's new as it does fade to nothing depending how long the note's been circulating.  Wonder how much that cost?

Now that is ridiculous - maple syrup!!!!!!!

doubleplus good

Now I know the issue behind today's editorial cartioon about the secret society of nit pickers.  It is amazing and disturbing what some people will use for distractions from the significant issues around us.

One tweet I got explaining the move said

"BoC has policy ofno identifiable racial group on currency. Figure was identifible. Redo the bill to comply with policy."

However I have to say that the policy is misguided.  Is it possible to depict a human form and not have it portraying an "identifiable racial group"?

Yeah, even if they had made anime figures with bright purple hair or anthropormorphic bunnies someone somewhere would have a problem with it...

Are Caucasians a non identifiable racial group? Really?
 

Sorry, sounds like  "make 'em all white".  

I can understand people thinking it says "white is the only acceptable race or only acceptable race to portray".

Come on BoC enter this century.

What if a Prime Minister was not white?

If the UK can deal with commoners, we can deal with this.

Whatever photo I saw of the bill I didn't notice an ethnicity. I am not sure I would notice (And I wouldn't care enough for it to register)  regardless. The drawings of the queen don't make her look like any particular ethnicity if I didn't know she is caucasian, imo. They're kind of weird characature looking versions of her anyway...and she's not "white" on them technically. She's reddish  pink or blue or green or whatever colour the bill is. I would fail a trivia test because can't even remember who is on what bill...lol...cash doesn't stay out for very long these days for me to study it. It all sounds kind of silly to me. I did have a new hundred dollar bill about a month ago. I broke it the same day I withdrew it from the bank. Never thought to sniff it for maple syrup scent...lol.

re: Squirrelrover's comment on the maple syrup smell of the $100 bill, I couldn't help but giggle as I imagined wondercafe readers all over Canada (I assume that the Aussie wondercafe posters would also participate if they could find a Canadian $100) whipping out their money and smelling it ... Hilarious!

By the way ... try as I might I couldn't smell the maple syrup (even after blowing my nose and sniffing the 100's a second time).  

I don't normally have $100's to smell (or for any other reason) but it just so happens that a client came in and gave me 11 of them.  She seemed a little startled when I took them from her and instead of counting them, fanned them out and pressed them to my nose like a bouquet and breathed deeply in a vain attempt to access the heady aroma of maple syrup.  I didn't know whether I should take them after failing to detect even a whiff of maple syrup, thinking that it might mean they were counterfeit.

The client looked at me a little strangely as she left the office so I just explained to her that it was an anti-counterfeiting measure that I always take when people give me hundred dollar bills. I wanted to give her more detail but she seemed in a hurry to leave.

Be grateful it wasn't a picture of Harper.

(or of Prince Harry partying in the nude in Vegas.  (It's all over youtube and the international news, including TV in Pakistan - don't watch TV, so don't know if it's on TV in Canada.)

If the bill had featured a picture of Harper I'm sure that the bills would have smelled like "ass".

If you put that bill in your back pocket and then sit down, it could become a royal pain in the ass. 

It so happens I was a fly on the wall when qwerty's client walked into his office.

This is the unabridged version..........

"Mr. Qwerty, I understand you specialise in handling cases that concern social deviants"?

"That's so, madam - I made my reputation when I was employed by Wondercafe Inc. -defending their reputation from a wide cross-section of social deviants...."

"Well, it's a rather delicate matter. My tenant seems to have a shoe fetish - I've caught him on several occasions sniffing my shoes."

"This is serious" agreed qwerty, picking up the phone........

"Margaret, hold all my calls, I musn't be interrupted".

"As my secretary would have mentioned, I prefer to be paid in cash before I proceed with the case"......

"Oh, that's no problem - I have your fee with me - in $100 dollar bills".

Qwerty can't resist sniffing the bills - on the lookout for maple syrup. He fans them out and sniffs deeply.

The client bolts........

Now it so happens that I have a pink $50 Canadian note.

It has a picture of a W.L.Mackenzie King on it. (I think - the writing is so tiny that Canucks must all have good eyesight).

Next to Mr. king is a silver strip with a tiny Mr. King in it.

(Are you with me so far?)

Now, if you smell the tiny Mr King in the silver strip you can smell a rather cheap maple syrup!)

Personally, I just think it's a marketing ploy to sell maple syrup to unsuspecting Aussies...............

I stood in line at Costco while my son unloaded our cart behind me, and the cashier seemed to be taking some time with her customer (apparently an old friend of hers).  They were chatting and laughing and I was close enough to see and hear.  My son, who wasn't feeling well that day, asked me,  'What's the hold up?'   and I answered, 'They're busy smelling the money.'   Yes, a distinctive maple syrup smell. 

I don't think the original $100 bill was ever in circulation.  It was rejected by a focus group.  Most of us will never see it.

I've yet to see a $100 bill. Could someone send me one?

As soon as I have an extra....

What is the controversy? I'm honestly not aware of any controversy.

Maple syrup, really?  I hadn't heard about that.  *sigh* things like this make me really dislike taxes.  Throw some Canadian on who actually achieved something rather than a non-person.  Easy!

Agreed Chemgal!

Question?

Was this maple syrup smell put in on purpose?   For what purpose?  Canadian money smelling like Canadian trees?  As an aid for the blind?  To make it more difficult to counterfeit? 

Or is it just a faint odour off-gassing from the manufacturing process or the inks that many people think smells like maple syrup?

Neither Seelerman nor I could detect any odour, but we are in our seventies and our senses might not be as keen as 20-somethings.

I cant afford REAL maple syrup so I dont know what it smells like.

Ok, this is a government plot and explains the Canadian economy.

People when the economy is tight do not buy, thus making the economy actually worse.

So, make them spend.... with subliminal force.

There is this person wandering about keeping larger bills in their wallet. They are a shame to break, because they go so quickly after you get smaller denominations....

There you are walking about minding your own business when it happens, the subliminal messages.

You have them safely tucked in your wallet in your back pocket when it happens. Dr. Oz says we fart 14 times a day. You smell it, gas with a slight maple syrup smell. Carry a purse? You sneeze, your nose is running, you need to freshen up your lipstick.... How many times are you in your purse in a day? You unbutton or unzip your purse and get a waft of maple syrup.

Suddenly, you are hungry.

You head into a store, feeling hungry...

Oh no! They tell us to never do that, we buy EVERYTHING....

This solves the mystery of the Canadian economy.

Ok,  I know how it sounds but two of my boys work part-time for Ticket Master.  They came home and told me about it and I thought oh sure get Mom to sniff a bill and then laugh and ask if the man driving the turnip truck got out to see if I was ok.... 

Think maybe IHOP or De Dutch had any involvement?

Of course, there maybe other reasons people sniff bills:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/traces-of-cocaine-on-85-of-canadian-bills/article4282444/