The Bank of Canada has unveiled a new vertical $20 banknote featuring King Charles III.
In keeping with tradition, the $20 note features a portrait of Canada’s Head of State, with King Charles’s “advocacy of sustainable action and his commitment to the environment are reflected in the many botanical elements on the note,” the national bank said in a news release.
Canada’s 13 provinces and territories are represented on the note with their respective “floral emblems,” along with several culturally significant flowers among the country’s Indigenous population, including wild strawberries, western red cedar, braided sweetgrass and arctic cotton.
The notes also reference the country’s “natural heritage” and “Canadian ingenuity,” Governor General Louise Arbour said in a statement Thursday.
Quotes from artists that recognize Canada’s bilingualism, and celebrations of social advancements and scientific discoveries that have “helped define our place in the world,” also appear beside the King.
“Our currency affirms our sovereignty and our determination to define ourselves in the eyes of the world on our own terms,” Arbour said.
As is traditional on Canadian currency, the maple leaf appears in several design elements, some of which serve as key security features, making this banknote “unmistakably Canadian” and easy to authenticate.
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The note also pays tribute to Canadian troops who served during the First World War, with an illustration of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial and poppies etched on it.
“The creation of a bank note involves a tremendous amount of collaborative work. Congratulations to all of the partners and professionals who have contributed to this effort over the past few years,” Arbour said.
“From the multidisciplinary team at the Bank of Canada to its various partners and other organizations, notably the Indigenous Advisory Circle, Veterans Affairs Canada and the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, many people have lent their expertise and dedication to this project,” Arbour continued.
“You can all be proud of the result: a new note that is safe, accessible and meaningful for Canadians,” she added.
Canada’s bank notes have featured portraits of the sovereign for decades. Queen Elizabeth II first appeared on a series of $20 bills at just eight years old, when she was still Princess Elizabeth and was honoured over her 70-year reign on numerous iterations of notes.
Her childhood bill is the only portrait of the future queen as a young girl to appear on a bank note.
The Royal Canadian Mint first started circulating coins with King Charles’s face on them in 2023.
Other Canadian figures appearing on currency include former prime minister Wilfred Laurier, Nova Scotian civil rights activist Viola Desmond, and eventually Terry Fox, who was selected to appear on a new version of the $5 bill, which is yet to be released.
The government said when Fox was announced, it hoped it would inspire more Canadians to give $5 to the cause Terry Fox championed.
Laurier will move from the $5 banknote to appear on the next version of the $50 note.
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