The eighth series ofbanknotes of the Canadian dollar was first released by theBank of Canada in 2018. Like the preceding2011 Frontier series, the 2018 series consists ofpolymer banknotes designed for increaseddurability and to incorporate moresecurity features. It is the first series issued by the Bank of Canada printed in avertical configuration.
The banknotes were designed by theCanadian Bank Note Company, which also prints the banknotes. The first note, the$10 bill featuring Viola Desmond, was revealed onInternational Women's Day, 8 March 2018, and was released to the public on 19 November 2018.[1] Future notes will come at a slower pace than previous series to allow technological innovations to be worked into their design as time goes on.
The $10 note is the first Canadian banknote in history to possess avertical orientation; future banknotes of other denominations (such as the $5, $20 and $50 notes) are expected to share the similar vertical orientation.[2]
In January 2020, theBank of Canada confirmed it would begin soliciting suggestions for the historic Canadian who would replaceWilfrid Laurier on the$5 note.[3] The Bank of Canada released a shortlist of candidates under consideration for the bill in November 2020 which included figures such asPitseolak Ashoona,Won Alexander Cumyow,Terry Fox, and others.[4] In accordance with theBank of Canada Act, theMinister of Finance will make the final decision and the name of the individual selected will be announced thereforth. Once the new portrait subject has been selected, the banknote design process would be initiated and the polymer note will possess a vertical design.[2] In 2020, the Bank of Canada stated that the new $5 note would be in circulation within a few years; however, in a 2024 update, it was announced that, because the redesign of the $20 note to replaceElizabeth II's portrait with that ofCharles III was underway, work on redesigning the $5 note had been halted.[2] On 16 December 2024, it was revealed that Terry Fox had been selected to appear on the $5 note.[5]
The $10 note is purple, and the obverse features a portrait ofViola Desmond, aBlack Nova Scotian businesswoman who challengedracial segregation at a film theatre inNew Glasgow, Nova Scotia, in 1946. The background of the portrait is a colourful rendition of the street grid ofHalifax, Nova Scotia, including the waterfront,Citadel, and Gottingen Street, where Desmond's Studio of Beauty Culture was located. Foil features on the note face include both theflag andCoat of Arms of Canada. This is the first Canadian banknote to feature neither aCanadian prime minister nor a member ofthe Canadian royal family in its solo portrait.[6]
The reverse features theCanadian Museum for Human Rights inWinnipeg, Manitoba. Part of the background pattern mirrors the museum's interior architecture and its ramps connecting multiple levels. A foileagle feather is prominent, symbolizing ideals such as truth, power, and freedom. A quotation fromsection 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms appears in both English and French.
The foil window at the base of the note includes an iridescent rendering of theLibrary of Parliament's vaulted dome ceiling, which can be seen from both sides of the note.
In 2019, theInternational Bank Note Society awarded the design the top prize in its annual banknote design competition. It won against new currency designs from Switzerland, Norway, Russia, and the Solomon Islands.[7]
After theaccession of Charles III to the throne following thedeath of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, the Government of Canada announced that a portrait of Charles will appear on the new $20 banknote.[8] In 2024, a Bank of Canada spokesperson said the bank had begun the design process of the $20 note, and that it should be issued in a few years.[9] In a further statement, the Bank of Canada released additional details of the upcoming $20 note, confirming that it will be made of polymer, vertical, primarily green in colour, and feature Charles III on the front and theCanadian National Vimy Memorial on the back. The note will also contain enhanced security features and is expected to enter circulation in early 2027.[10]
On 16 December 2024 it was announced thatWilfrid Laurier will appear on the next$50 note, replacingWilliam Lyon Mackenzie King.[5]
