Commemorative $10 Note and Canada’s History



The Bank of Canada in its quest to make the celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary as a Confederation, has unveiled a new bank note. The new commemorative $10 is just the fourth of its kind in Canada’s 150 years as a Confederation and it is also one of the very few periods that a Canadian indigenous man and woman have been featured on a bank note.

According to Stephen Poloz, Governor of the Bank of Canada, “The note is intended to captivate our imagination and instil pride in what we, as a nation, have accomplished. It celebrates the natural beauty and majesty of our land and some of the important parliamentarians who helped shape our great country.

The new commemorative $10 bank note comes with some very unique features that clearly highlight the way of life of the people of Canada, its political achievements and a trip down memory lane. The front of the new $10 note displays the faces of four staunch political figures in the history of Canada and these people are Sir George-Etienne Cartier, Agnes Macphail, James Gladstone and Sir John A. Macdonald.

The only lady on the front of the $10 note, Agnes Macphail happens to be Canada’s first elected female Member of Parliament and was elected in the year 1921. Her political journey was further taken to a different level when in the year 1943 she won a seat in the legislative house of Ontario.

Gladstone, popularly called by his Blackfoot name ‘Akay-na-muka’ is from the Kainai (Blood) Tribe and he happens to be the first indigenous senator of Canada. James Gladstone presence is also seen as an acknowledgement to the indigenous Canada people. On the back of the new note, there are a variety of images that depict the rich culture of Canada. Some of these images include the Owl’s Bouquet in a holographic form. This is also seen as a further acknowledgement of the indigenous Canadian people since the Owl’s Bouquet is artistic display that was made by Kenojuak Ashevak, an Inuit. It is therefore not surprising to know that Ashevak’s family were present during the unveiling of the new bank note.

Aside Gladstone and Macphail, there is also the well-known portrait of Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada’s first Prime Minister and Sir George-Etienne Cartier, a fellow father of the Confederation. In an article published in the CBC News, Governor of the Bank of Canada had this to say about the assertion that about $40 million notes of the new commemorative $10 bank note will be put in circulation, “just more than enough for every Canadian to keep one.” The new $10 note is expected to become a legal tender from the 1st of June, 2017.

The new bank note also features artistically created maple leaves that gives a 3D view on the eye but flat when touched. This in addition to the new magnetic ink which has a colour that keeps on changing any time it is tilted are some of the unique security features that have also been introduced to make the new commemorative $10 bank note.


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