# Prosperity certificate > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Prosperity_certificate > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Prosperity_certificate.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosperity_certificate > Source revision: 1343327977 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Certificates introduced in Alberta in 1936 A prosperity certificate. In 1936, the [Alberta Social Credit Party](/source/Alberta_Social_Credit_Party)–led government of [Alberta](/source/Alberta), Canada, introduced **prosperity certificates** (also known as **velocity dollars**[1]) in an attempt to alleviate the effects of the [Great Depression](/source/Great_Depression_in_Canada). [Premier](/source/Premier_of_Alberta) [William Aberhart](/source/William_Aberhart)'s government had won power in the [1935 provincial election](/source/1935_Alberta_general_election) partly on the scheme. At the height of the Great Depression, the local government in [Vermilion, Alberta](/source/Vermilion%2C_Alberta) started paying its employees in [scrip](/source/Scrip).[2] Prosperity certificates originated as a province-wide extension to this local program across Alberta. The certificates were not issued to the general public as Aberhart had promised in his election platform but instead were used to pay relief workers on provincial public works projects and were put into circulation via special agreements with municipalities.[3] Although not technically money, each certificate was marked with a value of one [dollar](/source/Canadian_dollar), and redeemable for $1 Canadian at the end of its life or on certain dates during the course of the program. Other certificates were in the amount of $5. $239,000 worth of scrip was issued in August 1936.[4]: 60 A goal of the program was to encourage spending and circulation of the spending power. To achieve this, hoarding of the certificates was discouraged by requiring the holder to affix to the back of a certificate a 1¢ stamp every week for the certificate to maintain its validity. Thus people were encouraged to spend whatever certificates they had each week, to avoid having to make too many payments of the one-percent tax. As the program intended, possessors of the certificates tried to avoid having to purchase and affix the stamps, by spending the certificates before the week's validity expired. This stamp scrip, innovated by [Silvio Gesell](/source/Silvio_Gesell), was not part of the theories of Aberhart's mentor, [social credit](/source/Social_credit) founder Major [C. H. Douglas](/source/C._H._Douglas). The hassle and expense of the stamps made the certificates unpopular with the public. The tiny gummed postage-style stamps (smaller than 1 cm2 (0.16 sq in)) were prone to falling off.[5] Another issue was finding a seller who would accept the unusual currency. The [Army & Navy Stores](/source/Army_%26_Navy_Stores_(Canada)), a chain of department stores, accepted the currency when some other merchants would not. Oddly, the currency was not accepted by the government itself for payment of taxes. The notes were intended to be redeemed after two years of issue, when 104 stamps would have been affixed. But the program was cancelled after only about one year.[6] The notes could be returned to the government for redeeming in Canadian currency.[4] Alberta's prosperity certificates have never been listed in the [Standard Catalog of World Paper Money](/source/Standard_Catalog_of_World_Paper_Money). ## See also - [Demurrage currency](/source/Demurrage_currency) - [Local currency](/source/Local_currency) - [Prosperity Bonus](/source/Prosperity_Bonus), also nicknamed *Ralph bucks*, a 2006 $400 dividend to every Albertan ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-baynham-2023_1-0)** Baynham, Jacob (14 November 2023). ["What If Money Expired?"](https://www.noemamag.com/what-if-money-expired/). *Noema Magazine*. Berggruen Institute. Retrieved 26 April 2025. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Chatters, Charles H. (March 1933). "Is Municipal Scrip a Panacea?". *Public Management*. **9**: 323–325. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1111/j.1467-8292.1933.tb01317.x](https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fj.1467-8292.1933.tb01317.x). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** "History of Canadian Money" website 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-powe-1951_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-powe-1951_4-1) Bruce Allen Powe, The Social Credit Program and the Alberta Treasury Branches, MA thesis, UofA, 1951 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Babiak, Todd (2013-09-26). [*Just Getting Started: Edmonton Public Library's First 100 Years, 1913-2013*](https://www.google.com/books/edition/Just_Getting_Started/GQj4AAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Prosperity+certificate+stamps+fall+off&pg=PA90&printsec=frontcover). University of Alberta Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-88864-728-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-88864-728-3). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Charlton Standard Catalogue of Canadian Government Paper Money, ISSN 1716-0731, 18th edition, p. 13. Charlton Press. v t e Social credit Movements Canada Abolitionist Party of Canada Alberta Social Credit Party British Columbia Social Credit Party Canada Party Christian Credit Party Committee on Monetary and Economic Reform Les Démocrates Manitoba Social Credit Party New Democracy Pauper Party of Ontario Parti crédit social uni Pilgrims of Saint Michael Ralliement créditiste Ralliement créditiste du Québec Social Credit Board Social Credit Party of Canada Social Credit Party of New Brunswick Social Credit Party of Ontario Social Credit Party of Saskatchewan Oceania Australian League of Rights Country Party (New Zealand) Democratic Labour Party (New Zealand) Douglas Credit Party Social Credit Party (New Zealand) Social Credit-NZ Solomon Islands Social Credit Party Europe British People's Party Irish Monetary Reform Association Social Credit Party of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Social Credit Party of Ireland People William Aberhart Lavern Ahlstrom Bruce Beetham W. A. C. Bennett John Horne Blackmore Eric Butler Réal Caouette Vernon Cracknell C. H. Douglas Louis Even A. N. Field Ron Gostick John Hargrave Robert A. Heinlein Norman Jaques Solon Earl Low Hugh MacDiarmid Ernest Manning Roly Marks Neil Morrison Al Overfield Ezra Pound Manasseh Sogavare Ken Sweigard John Turmel History 1937 Social Credit backbenchers' revolt Prosperity certificate Social Credit Party of Canada split, 1963 Category --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Prosperity certificate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosperity_certificate) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosperity_certificate?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.