Bank of Canada unveils new $10 banknote to celebrate Canada's 150th anniversary

The creation of a commemorative banknote, as reported CBCNews, was done only for the fourth time in Canada's history.

Previous commemorative notes were: a $25 note for King George V's Silver Jubilee in 1935, a centennial dollar bill in 1967 and a more recent $20 note commemorating Queen Elizabeth II becoming Canada's longest-ruling monarch, CBCNews reports said.

The announcement was made by Stephen Poloz, Governor of Bank of Canada and Ginette Petitpas Taylor, parliamentary secretary to the minister of finance and showed the bill at the bank's headquarters in Ottawa on Friday.

Poloz thought the plan to print 40 million notes would be more than sufficient for every Canadian to keep one.

Portraits featured at the front of the bill are: Canada's first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, and fellow Father of Confederation Sir George-Étienne Cartier, Canada's first female member of Parliament, Agnes MacPhail, and James Gladstone, Canada's first Indigenous senator and member of the Kainai (Blood) Tribe.

It is for the first time that the an indigenous Canadian and a woman other than the Queen are featured on the country’s currency.

The note’s front also carries images of Parliament’s Hall of Honour, the names of all the provinces and territories and a depiction of the Memorial Chamber Arch in the Peace Tower of Parliament’s centre block.

The reverse of the bill featured a variety of Canadian vistas, based on public feedback on what Canadians wanted to see on the bill, said Poloz and added the intent of new $10 bill is to instill a sense of pride in Canadians’ accomplishments as a nation.

The landscapes on the reverse of the bill include: the Lions and Capilano Lake from British Columbia, fields of Prairie wheat, the Canadian Shield as seen in Quebec, a view of the Atlantic Ocean from Cape Bonavista in Newfoundland and Labrador and the northern lights as they would be seen in Wood Buffalo National Park.

Some security features are present in the note for the first time in Canada, said the Bank of Canada. Below the owl illustration, maple leaves are present which appear to be printed in 3D, but are in fact flat to the touch.

The novel feature of the bill is a magnetic ink that changes colour from blue to green when tilted.

The ceremony included blessings from Inuit and Algonquin people before and after the note was presented to the public.

(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)