On 1 July 2017, Canada will mark 150 years of Confederation, and this milestone will be commemorated in many ways. For its part, the Bank of Canada will mark this anniversary by issuing a new commemorative $10 bank note that will be broadly available by Canada Day 2017. Commemorative notes, while unique, are circulating notes that can be used for payment just like all other notes issued by the Bank. But some Canadians treat these bills like little pieces of history.

The Bank, which produces Canada’s bank notes, has issued only three commemorative notes to mark important milestones in Canada’s history.

In 1935, a $25 note was issued in honour of the Silver Jubilee of King George V. In 2015, a variation of the $20 note recognized the historic reign of Queen Elizabeth II. And in 1967, a special $1 note celebrated Canada’s centennial. Many will remember the events that marked this important milestone for our young country. Perhaps you, or someone you know, have held on to a 1967 $1 bill.

Anniversary celebrations are now ramping up again! The design of the special Canada 150 polymer note will be unveiled soon. In deciding what images to include on it, the Bank turned to Canadians for help.

For the first time ever, the design process began with an invitation to all Canadians to propose ideas. This open call for suggestions, followed by a nationally representative survey, asked Canadians to suggest themes and subjects to represent Canada on a note celebrating its 150th birthday. A subsequent survey then asked Canadians to rank these themes in order of preference. Focus group testing also took place to gather impressions on the designs.

The suggestions that the Bank received through these processes inspired the bank note’s content and design. And now the commemorative note carefully incorporates many Canadians’ ideas that best represent the 150th anniversary of Confederation.

Details about the design, security features, the number of commemorative $10 notes that will circulate and how to obtain them will be announced soon. In the meantime, think about what makes you proud to be Canadian as the 150th celebrations get under way. 

Visit www.bankofcanada.ca/banknotes to learn more about bank notes and follow the Bank on Twitter (@bankofcanada) for the latest news on the Canada 150 commemorative bank note.