Canada December 8 2016 11:43am 00:59 Who is Viola Desmond? The first Canadian woman to grace front of banknote Desmond was a black Nova Scotian activist who was often described as Canada’s Rosa Parks for her 1946 decision to sit in a whites-only section of a Nova Scotia movie theatre. Who is Viola Desmond? The first Canadian woman to grace front of banknote Responsive site?