Bank of Canada's new $20 bill features new security features and Canadian, Indigenous motifs

The Bank of Canada unveiled its new vertical $20 bill on Thursday, featuring security measures and a design that highlights Canadian sovereignty and Indigenous cultures.

This is the second note in the central bank’s vertical series and incorporates security technologies that have never been used before on a Canadian banknote.

Central bank employees have been designing the bill for the past three years, which included consultations with stakeholder groups, experts and Indigenous community members.

“We at the bank are immensely proud of our new $20 banknote,” Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem said at an event to unveil the note on Thursday afternoon. “We plan to start circulating the new vertical $20 banknote early next year.”

Here’s a sneak peak of the bill before you get your hands on it next February.

King Charles III will be the new face of the bill, the first paper currency to feature him, replacing the late Queen Elizabeth II and continuing a longstanding tradition of featuring the reigning monarch on Canadian banknotes.

The reigning monarch has been featured on Canadian bills since 1935, starting with King George V, Charles’ great-grandfather.

Charles ascended to the throne on Sept. 8, 2022, after his mother, who reigned for 70 years, died at the age of 96.

The Bank of Canada was instructed to feature the new reigning monarch by former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s government in its next redesign process, and staff began that work after Charles’ coronation on May 6, 2023.

Charles’ portrait on the new bill was taken for the Bank of Canada by British photographer Andrew Parsons, and it was then converted into line work by a master engraver to turn the banknote into a complex work of art to prevent counterfeits.

The process is still done by hand digitally on a computer screen using a special pen and special program, and the engraver will include little details into the portrait.

“Recognized both here and around the world, our currency not only reflects the strength of our economy but also embodies the collective trust we have in our democratic institutions and our future,” Governor General Louise Arbour, who attended Thursday’s event on Charles’ behalf, said.

Commemorating the First World War

The back of the new $20 note features the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France, which was unveiled in 1926 as a tribute to all Canadians who served during the First World War.

The Battle of Vimy Ridge is widely regarded as the symbolic turning point when Canada forged a distinct national identity, after Canadian soldiers fought to capture the ridge after British and French forces previously failed to.

Around 3,600 Canadians died at Vimy Ridge and many more were seriously wounded. More than 11,000 Canadians were also killed on French soil during the war, many with no known grave.