There is a move on to honour an Indigenous war veteran on a new Canadian five dollar bill.
Conservatives like MP Tom Kmiec say Sergeant Tommy Prince deserves the honour.
He calls him “A great Indigenous Canadian who embodies duty, courage, bravery, and patriotism.”
Prince was born in Petersfield, Manitoba in 1915. He attended residential school from the age of five until he graduated in grade eight.
He jointed the army cadets as a teenager and was eventually accepted in the army at the age of 24 and served during the Second World War and in Korea.
Military service took a heavy toll on his health and following an honourable discharge he faced a difficult return to civilian life in Manitoba where he lived in poverty and in poor health. He died homeless in a shelter in 1977.
The Conservatives note Sergeant Prince received metals from King George VI but did not get benefits afforded to other veterans because he was Indigenous.
The Bank of Canada is now accepting proposals to find the new face of the five dollar bill and there is now an online petition in support of making that person Tommy Prince.
