Sergeant Tommy Prince, Indigenous War Hero, Deserves To Be New Face Of Canadas $5 Bill: MPs

Canadas most decorated Indigenous war veteran, Sgt. Tommy Prince, deserves to be the face of the new $5 bill, say Manitobas Conservative MPs.

Princes life exemplifies both incredible sacrifice and bravery and the persistent racism faced by Indigenous people in Canada, said Sen. Donald Plett and eight MPs, including Conservative House leader Candice Bergen and National Defence critic James Bezan, in a letter sent to the Minister of Finance last week.

Prince earned 11 medals in the Second World War and the Korean War, and was one of three Canadians to receive both the American Silver Star and the Military Medal, presented by King George VI at Buckingham Palace in 1945.

However, when Prince returned to his home province of Manitoba, he endured discrimination, poverty and illness and died while living in a Winnipeg shelter at the age of 62.

I am proud to advocate along with @MartyMorantz & my Conservative colleagues to have Sergeant Tommy Prince to be the next face on the $5 bill.

Sergeant Prince of the Brokenhead Ojibway Nation is Canada's most decorated Indigenous veteran serving in both WWII and the Korean War. pic.twitter.com/x9hANVbIoe

James Bezan (@jamesbezan) June 26, 2020","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"James Bezan","author_url":"https://twitter.com/jamesbezan","cache_age":86400,"description":"I am proud to advocate along with @MartyMorantz & my Conservative colleagues to have Sergeant Tommy Prince to be the next face on the $5 bill.Sergeant Prince of the Brokenhead Ojibway Nation is Canada's most decorated Indigenous veteran serving in both WWII and the Korean War. pic.twitter.com/x9hANVbIoe James Bezan (@jamesbezan) June 26, 2020\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false},"_theme":{"value":"","values":{"dark":"Use dark theme"}}},"provider_name":"Twitter","title":"James Bezan on 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I am proud to advocate along with @MartyMorantz & my Conservative colleagues to have Sergeant Tommy Prince to be the next face on the $5 bill.

Sergeant Prince of the Brokenhead Ojibway Nation is Canada's most decorated Indigenous veteran serving in both WWII and the Korean War. pic.twitter.com/x9hANVbIoe
James Bezan (@jamesbezan) June 26, 2020

Honouring him on the bill would be a statement in support of reconciliation, said the letter.

It is the responsibility of every Canadian to understand the injustices of the past and to resolve their spirit to ensure they are remedied in order to establish a mutually respectful relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.

The Bank of Canada is in the process of selecting a new face for the $5 note, which currently features former prime minister Wilfrid Laurier. Close to 45,000 people submitted suggestions and the banks advisory council is reviewing more than 600 historical candidates for a short list. It expects the new bills to begin circulating in a few years.

The bank followed a similar process when it chose human rights icon Viola Desmond for the $10 bill in 2016.