The Bank of Canada is in hot water again over bank notedesign, just days after it revamped its policies to avoid more embarrassing controversies about thecountry's currency.

Former governor Mark Carney apologized to Canadians in August 2012 when it was revealed the bankhad erased the Asian features of a female scientist featured on prototypes of the new $100 plasticbanknote, after focus groups raised questions about her ethnicity.

A penitent Carney ordered a review of the design process for all future banknotes and StephenPoloz, his successor, last week announced a new process as well as an online public consultation,ending Nov. 10.

But the announcement has only stirred up more trouble for the bank, as a group pressing to haveimages of famous women included in the next set of banknotes learned that their petitions andletters have apparently fallen on deaf ears.

The Bank of Canada's newly released design principles say nothing about putting women on thecurrency, vaguely referring only to "diversity."

"It's disappointing, it's insulting, it's discriminatory and it'soffensive," said Merna Forster, a historian and author in Victoria who has been leading thepublic campaign.

"How many more surveys and public consultations will it take to convince the Bank of Canadato commit to including women on bank notes," she said in an interview. "This is notrocket science."

The current series of polymer banknotes feature no famous Canadian women, though the Queen'simage is on all denominations. The previous series included images of the Famous Five, who foughtfor women's rights in Canada, and Therese Casgrain, a Quebec feminist. But they were allreplaced on the new $50 note by an image of an icebreaker

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Bank of Canada still not committed to women on currency, petition says(www.cbc.ca/news/politics/bank-of-canada-still-not-committed-to-women-on-currency-petition-says-1.2795349)