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| Used with the permission of the Bank of Canada. |
The Bank of Canada unveiled a new polymer bank note series
today at its head office in Ottawa.
Information on the polymer material and advanced new security features was
released, along with the images and designs of the soon-to-be-issued $100 and
$50 bank notes, and the themes for the remaining notes in the series.
Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty and RCMP Commissioner
William J. S. Elliott joined Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney for the
unveiling ceremony.
Minister Flaherty spoke of the importance of cash as a means
of payment in the daily lives of Canadians, adding this is why it is important
Canadians see their story reflected in the designs. “These bank notes evoke the
country’s spirit of innovation, and their designs celebrate Canada’s
achievements at home, around the world and in space,” he said. “Bank notes are
cultural touchstones that reflect and celebrate our Canadian experience.”
The $100 note, which is to be issued in November 2011,
features images that focus on Canadian innovations in the field of medicine:
from pioneering the discovery of insulin to treat diabetes, to the invention of
the pacemaker and to the role Canadian researchers have played in mapping the
human genetic code. Sir Robert Borden, Prime Minister of Canada between 1911
and 1920, in an updated portrait, remains on the front of the note.
The $50 note, which will be issued in March of 2012,
features images of the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Amundsen in the North,
reflecting Canada’s
leading role in Arctic research. It also evokes the part that Canada’s
northern frontier—with its vastness and splendour—has played in shaping our
cultural identity. An updated portrait of William Lyon Mackenzie King, the
Canadian Prime Minister between 1921 and 1930 and again from 1935 to 1948, is
on the front of the note.
The notes will contain a number of unique features that
expand the frontiers of bank note security and will make them difficult to
counterfeit but easy to check. Most prominent are two transparent areas: the larger
area extends from the top to the bottom of the note and contains complex
holographic features; the other is in the shape of a maple leaf.
“The Bank’s objective with every new series is to produce a
bank note that Canadians can use with the highest confidence,” said Governor
Mark Carney. "The Bank is combining innovative technologies from around
the world with Canadian ingenuity to create a unique series of bank notes that
is more secure, economic and better for the environment."
RCMP Commissioner Elliott stated that, “These new and
technically innovative notes will go a long way to deter the threat of
counterfeiting in coming years.” He added that the RCMP will “continue to work
with the Bank of Canada, and our policing partners, to maintain public confidence
in Canada’s
currency.”
In the next six months, the Bank will focus on raising
public awareness of the coming note series. It will also continue to provide
information to the cash-handling industry to help prepare the system for
polymer notes, and will work to inform retailers, financial institutions and
law enforcement agencies about how to check the new security features once the
notes enter circulation.
Starting with the $20 note in 2012, the remaining bank notes
in the polymer series will be issued by the end of 2013. The themes of the
other denominations will be:
- $20 The Canadian National Vimy Memorial—evokes the contributions and sacrifices of Canadians in conflicts throughout our history. (Portrait: HM Queen Elizabeth II)
- $10 The Canadian train—represents Canada’s great technical feat of linking its eastern and western frontiers by what was, at the time, the longest railway ever built. (Portrait: Sir John A. Macdonald)
- $5 Canadarm2 and Dextre—symbolize Canada’s continuing contribution to the international space program through robotics innovation. (Portrait: Sir Wilfrid Laurier)
The specific designs and detailed images of these notes will
not be released until their official unveiling dates.
- Excerpt from Bank of Canada Announcement
Links to examples of new notes and security features
I hope this new bills are counterfeit proof. I'm tired of stores not accepting legitimate currency like 50s and 100s because they are afraid of counterfeit bills. At my old business we trained staff to detect counterfeit bills and we never had to eat a fake bill because we stopped them from coming in. I wish more stores did that kind of training.
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