Bank of Canada governor apologizes for ‘Asian’ banknote controversy

Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney apologized Monday for the way the image of an Asian woman was removed from the initial design for new $100 banknotes.

The bank handled the issue poorly, Carney said in a statement.

“I apologize to those who were offended — the Bank’s handling of the issue did not meet the standards Canadians justifiably expect of us,” the statement said.

“Our banknotes belong to all Canadians, and the work we do at the bank is for all Canadians.”

The central bank came under fire last week when The Canadian Press revealed that the image of an Asian woman had been removed from the original design after some focus groups raised questions about her ethnicity.

Some of the focus participants said the Asian woman did not represent Canada, while others said other ethnic groups should be shown as well.

The groups were based in Calgary, Toronto, Montreal and Fredericton; many in Toronto approved of the use of an Asian woman as a symbol of Canadian multiculturalism.

In the end, an image of a Caucasian-looking woman was substituted in a move a bank spokesman said was to restore “neutral ethnicity.” The original design never went into circulation.

Spokespersons for the Chinese Canadian National Council initially called the move “racist,” and demanded the bank change its policies to stop “erasing” visible minorities from Canada’s money.

On Monday, Carney called Victor Wong, the executive director of the Toronto-based council, to discuss the apology.

“This is a win-win,” Wong said, noting that the council appreciated his statement. “I had a brief and cordial telephone conversation with Governor Carney … and CCNC has offered to give input into the Bank of Canada review process.”

Carney’s statement did not clarify whether the central bank intends to change its banknote policies to allow so-called ethnic groups or visible minorities to appear on Canada’s currency.

He acknowledged that an early design for the new $100 polymer banknote, issued last November, was a “‘Photoshopped’ image based on an original photograph of a South Asian woman looking through a microscope.”

That appears to contradict a statement by bank spokesman Jeremy Harrison last week that the original image “was not designed or intended to be a person of particular ethnic origin.”

Carney said while that image was shown to eight focus groups in 2009, the bank was already changing it to ensure it did not resemble an actual person — suggesting the focus-group input had no bearing on the decision.

The bank has declined to say what changes it made to the image. Critics have said the Caucasian-looking woman does not have “neutral ethnicity,” as the bank claims, but merely represents the dominant group in Canada.

A bank spokeswoman again refused a request by The Canadian Press for a copy of the original image, saying the bank does not release rejected designs.

A marketing professor of Asian heritage, Ken Wong of Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont., said Carney had no choice but to apologize given the public outcry.

“The person on the bill is a Canadian regardless of ethnicity; it (the image) should never have been changed,” Wong said. “If Carney needs to apologize for anything, it is for being overly sensitive to political correctness run amok.”

Wong said the bank should leave images of people off all bills, except for historic figures such as prime ministers.

 

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