TORONTO: Canada’s central bank has apologized for editing out the image of an Asian female scientist from the early versions of its new $100 polymer banknote.

Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney’s statement on the apology came just days after a news report that the bank had replaced the sketch with that of a white woman, sparking nationwide outrage in this multicultural country.

The original image was changed after focus groups the bank had consulted on the new bills raised questions about the woman’s ethnicity.

“In the development of our $100 banknote, efforts by the banknote designers to avoid depicting a specific individual resulted in an image that appears to represent only one ethnic group,” Carney said in his statement posted on the bank’s website.

“That was not the bank's intention and I apologize to those who were offended. The bank's handling of this issue did not meet the standards Canadians justifiably expect of us,” he added.

He said the altered sketch was a photoshopped image of a South Asian woman looking through a microscope.

Carney promised to review the bank’s design process in light of the note debacle, saying the banknotes belonged to all Canadians.

A nation of about 35 million, Canada’s population in 2006 included 5.2 million people from visible minority groups.

The Bank of Canada began circulating the polymer notes late last year, with the introduction of the $100 bill.

A $50 bill was introduced in March, and other denominations are expected to go into circulation by the end of next year, as part of a campaign against counterfeiting.


- Bernama