Multi-Cultural Currency

Have you taken a serious look at the new $5 Canadian bills recently? It is our suggestion you take another look. The Canadian Mint, Bank of Canada, has titled this bill “Children at Play” (2000 series)? The United States of America jokingly calls our currency, “monopoly money.” We call it “possibility paper”. Why? Flip to the back of our blue-note-bill and tell me if you can see anything wrong with ITS design-layout or composition? Still don’t see anything? Well, if you are Caucasian, which mind you I am, you may at first see absolutely nothing wrong with this verdant ice-hockey scene (perhaps w/ the exception of a #99 sweater, or the absence of a guardien de but (Goaltender). Is this a symbolic metaphor for our countries absence of a military defence system? Regardless, this in not the point under inspection). What is the point?

Have you heard of Grant Fuhr? Jarome Iginla (Maurice Richard & Art Ross Trophy Winner)? Herb Carnegie? Eldon “Pokey” Reddick? or Paul Kariya, perhaps? If not you have now. Once again what is the point? The point is these are ethnic hockey players and their numbers are increasing daily in talent, size & ability. Why can’t Middle Eastern, Native, or Latin American children play hockey? Is this, “Children at Play”, ice nativity scene symbolic of “the nations” children? These are questions we believe need serious consideration. However, this web-site is not necessarily about hockey.

Our organization -- The Fair Choice Party (FCP) & Truth Media (TM)-- is not interested in eliminating, or drastically reformatting, the Canadian $5 bill.* We are interested in altering the ethnicity, or race, of the colour of ITS “composition” & “characters”. “What colour, they’re all blue.” you may facetiously say? However, if you closely look at the facial traits; as any comprehensive sociologist or anthropologist would; the characteristics are predominately white (w/ the acceptation of perhaps an Asian on a wooden sled. And the blob kid in the back of the pond who is cherry picking.)

Signs, signifiers, icons, public propaganda and advertising campaigns bombard us daily with their symbols, trade marks, logos and billboards. You may think this is trivial to want to Change the Face-Off Currency, yet our organization believes this is a step-in-the-right direction of deconstructing the stigmas and stereotypes that can be associated with money. Those being that money is the root of all evil. For me, in Canada, that equates to: Caucasians are the root of all evil (seeing as how Caucasian Europeans dominate the make-up of the bill); inversely speaking, par example, Asian’s would be the root of all evil if we were talking about the Japanese Yen. We believe the majority of our democracy can and will change this destructive equation. Hence, “possibility papers petition” or “multi-cultural currency”. For if any country could represent all of the Worlds races: African, Asian, European, Latino, Middle Eastern & Native we know, as you know, and should know, we can all be represent on; and in; Canada’s scene in the snow. WHY CAN’T WE BE THE FIRST TO HAVE A MULTI-CULTURAL CURRENCY? JUST IMAGINE THE ¢HANGE . . . . .

TRUTH MEDIA’s objective is a simple concept. Convincing the levels of government and bureaucracy is the complication. What are we trying to “convince” them about?

Mission statement: To convince (by the objective year of 2007**) the Canadian government, literally putting their money where their mouth is, to syntactically represent the Canadian population as a “Multicultural Mosaic” on the back of the next issued currency (and there after).

How can we achieve this?

1. By looking for compromise and not wanting to rushing into a militant chant,

2. Setting a goal, or objective, which by the year 2007 we wish to see come about-face. W/ the backs of the dollar bills proudly, clearly, and sensibly displaying Canada’s true colours;

3. Create awareness using non violent protest as a means of collecting a goal of over One Million support signatures, or more, by means of: petitions, electronic mail petitions and any other media facets.

This is still a fledgling movement, building momentum. Every person counts, and as you have read, as every penny counts. Why have we taken this grassroots movement upon our selves? Simple. No one else seems to care, or is so blithely conditioned that they forgot to care. We are bringing back, and creating, a wave of awareness so we can peacefully and proudly step to the Finance Minster, Bank of Canada and/or Ottawa with a defaced five dollar bill, in a glass picture frame, and present IT to the Prime Minister himself on Parliament Hill (if need be!). CHANGE WILL HAPPEN!

THIS IS NOT A JOKE. THIS IS SERIOUS! IT IS ABOUT TIME CANADA STARTED PHYSICALLY REPRESENTING THE “CULTURAL MOSAIC” IT SO FALSELY PREACHES IN OUR POLEMICS, POST-SECONDARY SCHOOLS, AND PUBLIC PLAYGROUNDS. THERE ARE APRROXIMATELY 31 MILLION PEOPLE IN CANADA, HALF OR WHICH ARE OF ETHNIC ORIGIN, SO WHY NOT REPRESENT OUR NATION AS “A WHOLE”? OUR ORGANIZATION, TRUTH MEDIA & FCP, CAN LOOK PAST THE COLOUR OF OUR SKIN AND SEE BEAUTY IN ALL BLOOD, CREE, RACE, RELIGION, & GENDER. WILL YOU PLEASE HELP THE CAMPAIGN, SIGN THE PETITION, AND SPREAD THE WORD TO ELIMINATE RACISM IN CANADA AND THE WORLD. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, PATIENCE & UNDERSTANDING. PLEASE DO YOUR PART TO ELIMATE HATE; DON’T DESCRIMINATE!

* However, if you have any alternative designs, suggestions, opinions or beliefs please feel free to contact us. Donations may be addressed to: FCP or Truth Media / 406-2225 Triumph Str. / Vancouver, BC / V5L 1L2. Please keep your opinions to no more that a page if possible. Support, word-of-mouth and signatures are the main costs. If you are an “anarchist” the only socially rebellious action our organization permits and supports is the writing of “Possibility Paper’s” or “Eliminate Racism” on our currency. Burning money will get us no closer to a peaceful compromise. Thank you.

** Why 2008? 2008 is the 20^th ANNIVERSARY of The Canadian Charter of Rights & Freedoms. If this date is too soon for the Government of Canada we shall move our aim towards 2008, which is the 20^th ANNIVERSARY of the Multiculturalism Act of 1988. “Every individual is equal”, but, not on currency? Does that make sense? This petition gives the Government of Canada ample time to heed our suggestions. Besides being multi-cultural we do not know how the new bill will appear, however, we will suggest a nation wide competition. Regardless, we must realize, to eliminate racism starts with “the mind” and ends with “the sign”. No excuse shall be validated. CHANGE WILL HAPPEN!