Canada ‘affirms sovereignty’ with new vertical $20 bill featuring King Charles

Amid bitter trade tensions with the Trump administration, a redesigned Canadian $20 bank note was officially unveiled Thursday featuring a portrait of King Charles, who hailed Canada as “indeed strong and free” amid hostility from the U.S.

The new vertical note, the second in the Bank of Canada’s vertical series, was held out at an official unveiling in Ottawa Thursday as “more than a piece of currency” — and the most popular one at that among Canadians.

“It’s also a reflection of the strength and stability of Canada’s financial system, one of the most trusted in the world and an important foundation of our economic resilience,” said Liberal MP Wayne Long, secretary of state for the Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions.

In addition to being “a beautiful work of art,” the new bank note, like all Canadian currency, is a “symbol of confidence,” Long said. “Confidence in our institutions, confidence in our economy and confidence in our future.”

The unveiling might seem a strategically timed move to shore up support from the King, who, during his official visit to the White House in April reminded U.S. President Donald Trump, who’d been taunting Canadians with “51st state” rhetoric and references to Prime Minister Mark Carney as “governor,” that the monarch is Canada’s official head of state.

The U.S. and Canada were set to host the FIFA World Cup. “So in one sense, Mr. President, as heads of state, we are joint hosts,” the King said at the time.

Last year, the King declared “the True North is indeed strong and free” during an historic throne speech opening Parliament.

In addition to featuring distinctive symbols of Canadian identity, Canada’s currency “affirms our sovereignty and our determination to define ourselves in the eyes of the world on our own terms,” Governor General Louise Arbour said.

The new vertical $20 bill is “both visually stunning and more secure than ever,” Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem said at Thursday’s unveiling (the new note won’t enter circulation until February 2027).

The “dynamic features” on the new, and still predominantly green bill are “easy to check, and hard to fake,” Macklem said.

For example, tilting the purple security stripe makes images of maple leaves, poppies and 20s pulse, spin and move, features to help thwart counterfeiters and allow Canadians to easily authenticate the new note.

The portrait of King Charles on the front is surrounded by a “floral and leafy tapestry inspired by the King’s lifetime dedication to the environment,” reads a Bank of Canada press release.

It is the first bank note to feature a portrait of the King since his accession to the throne following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on Sept. 8, 2022.

The image on the back features the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in northern France, a war memorial commemorating Canadians who served during the First World War, “particularly those whose final resting place is unknown,” Macklem said.

The bank note features the official flower of every province and territory, gold maple leaves and raised ink on the King’s portrait. A circular window features plants that are culturally important to Indigenous Peoples — wild strawberries, western red cedar, braided sweetgrass and Arctic cotton.

The first bank note in the vertical series, a $10 note, features the civil rights pioneer Viola Desmond.

Canadians use the $20 bank note more than any other denomination.

Since 1937, when King George VI first appeared on the $20 bill, Canada’s banknotes “have borne the likenesses of Canada’s sovereign monarchs,” Arbour said.

Queen Elizabeth II was featured on Canada’s bank notes for more than seven decades, “first as a young princess and then as the reigning sovereign,” Arbour said.

“Her image became one of the most recognizable in our currency for generations of Canadians.”

“Today, this tradition continues with His Majesty King Charles III,” she said.

National Post