Canadian Currency

Canada’s official currency is the Canadian dollar. There are 100 cents (¢) in a dollar. Coins are different in size, shape and colour. This allows you to quickly tell them apart. The Canadian coins are:

• 5¢ – nickel, with the image of a beaver on the back;
• 10¢ – dime, with the image of the famous sailing schooner Bluenose on the back;
• 25¢ – quarter, with the image of a caribou or elk on the back;
• $1 – dollar or “loonie,” with the image of a common loon on the back;
• $2 – two dollars or “toonie,” with the image of a polar bear on the back.

All paper money is printed by the Bank of Canada in the same size, but each bill is a different colour. The most common paper bills are:

• $5 – blue, with a portrait of Sir Wilfrid Laurier;
• $10 – purple, with a portrait of Sir John A. Macdonald;
• $20 – green, with a portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada;
• $50 – red, with a portrait of W. L. Mackenzie King;
• $100 – brown, with a portrait of Sir Robert L. Borden.