Canada's new vertical $20 bill features King Charles, debuts February 2027
The Bank of Canada unveiled a redesigned $20 note Thursday with security features never before used on Canadian currency. Queen Elizabeth II appeared on every version since 1935.
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Canada's most circulated banknote is getting a complete redesign. The Bank of Canada officially unveiled a new vertical $20 bill featuring King Charles III on Thursday at a ceremony in Ottawa, ending the monarch's nearly 90-year presence on the denomination.
Queen Elizabeth II first appeared on the Canadian $20 bill in 1935 as an eight-year-old princess and remained on it through nearly every redesign since. The new note marks the first time in generations a different monarch's portrait appears on Canada's most common paper bill.
The redesigned bill stands vertically rather than horizontally and features King Charles's portrait rendered in raised ink that can be felt as well as seen. The note weaves in botanical elements as a nod to the King's advocacy for sustainability and the environment. Thirteen flowers on the note represent one official floral emblem from each province and territory, connected by winding stems and leaves modelled after artwork in the Books of Remembrance on Parliament Hill.
A circular window features four plants with cultural significance to Indigenous Peoples in Canada—wild strawberries, western red cedar, arctic cotton, and braided sweetgrass—recommended by the Bank of Canada's Indigenous Advisory Circle. These plants represent sustenance, gratitude, and healing. The Canadian National Vimy Memorial appears on the back, surrounded by poppies scattered as a nod to flowers that grew across battlefields and cemeteries on the Western Front during World War I.
The bill includes security features never before used on Canadian currency: a security bubble containing magnified "20"s, a colour-shifting maple leaf, a pulsing maple leaf built into a purple security stripe, and a poppy design with spinning bands. The purple security stripe contains elements that spin, transform, and pulse when the note is moved. The bill also includes tactile features and large high-contrast numbers to aid accessibility.
The note is predominantly green and made of polymer. Canadians can expect to start seeing the new $20 bill in circulation as of February 2027. Over one billion $20 notes were in circulation at the end of 2023, making this the denomination with the highest circulation volume.
By the numbers
When will the new Canadian $20 bill enter circulation?
The new $20 bill will begin circulating in February 2027.
How long did Queen Elizabeth II appear on the Canadian $20 bill?
Queen Elizabeth II appeared on the Canadian $20 bill from 1935 until the new design was unveiled, a span of nearly 90 years.
How many security features on the new $20 bill have never been used on Canadian currency before?
The new $20 bill includes four security features never before used on Canadian currency: a security bubble containing magnified '20's, a colour-shifting maple leaf, a pulsing maple leaf within a purple security stripe, and a poppy design with spinning bands.
How many $20 notes were in circulation at the end of 2023?
Over one billion $20 notes were in circulation at the end of 2023, making it Canada's most circulated banknote denomination.
