Laurentian University's Dominic Giroux to have a say in choosing female icon for bank note

Up North5:44Choosing a woman to appear on Canadian money

The nomination period is open to pick a distinguished Canadian woman to appear on our money. Dominic Giroux, president of Laurentian University, is on the panel to help choose.

The president of Laurentian University says he's not allowed to say who he thinks should be the next woman to appear on Canadian bank notes. But Dominic Giroux will have a hand in selecting a female icon.

He said he's honoured to be on a panel chosen by the Bank of Canada, which also includes champion athlete Perdita Felicien and professor Margaret Conrad from the University of New Brunswick.

So far, 120 different women have been nominated, Giroux said.

He said the panel will select three to five names to recommend to the governor of the Bank of Canada.

"Obviously we'll be looking for iconic Canadian women who have had a national impact, and that Canadians would associate themselves to have on their banknote," he told CBC News.

Giroux said one of the requirements is that the woman must have been dead for at least 25 years.

"The Bank wants the historians to have done all their work in terms of assessing the impact of those Canadians in ensuring their future actions do not compromise their reputation and integrity," he said.

Through public consultation, the list will be narrowed down, Giroux added.

The Governor of the Bank of Canada will make the final decision from three to five finalists.

The bank note will come out in 2018.