Has the Bank of Canada joined Harper’s muzzling brigade?

Veteran B.C. newspaper satirist Dan Murphy drew a funny editorial cartoon the other day. It looks like a $50 bill, except it’s for $90,000 and features a picture of Mike Duffy.

We would show it to you here, but Canadian law says that could land us in prison for six months, and we don’t want to get shanked in Wilkie.

Murphy’s cartoon, you see, caught the attention of the Bank of Canada, which on Thursday fired off a rocket of a letter demanding that the image be deleted from the website of his Edmonton-based representatives, Artizans.

You have to get permission before reproducing a bank note image, the letter said, and Murphy didn’t ask.

“Moreover,” it continued, “the bank will not approve requests where the reproduction tarnishes or diminishes the importance of currency to Canadians.”

Artizans took down the picture—briefly—but it’s back up. The ball is now in the court of the political censors at the Bank of Canada—the folks who brought you “neutral ethnicity” not long ago.

As the illustration above indicates, there’s a tradition of satirical currency image-making in Canada. (Diefenbackstory here.) But under Harper, it appears, no further laughter will be permitted.

(Pro tip: if you purchase the Duffybuck, avoid scratching it. That smell ain’t maple syrup.)

[H/t Alex Himelfarb]

UPDATE: Haha! Reader Brian Busby provides the other bracket.