canada 5 dollar bill

Canada is getting a new $5 bill but which iconic Canadian could be on it?

Canada is getting a new $5 bill and the shortlist of iconic Canadians that could grace the bank note's face has been revealed.

The Bank of Canada (BOC) narrowed down the lineup of over 600 qualifying nominees to eight impactful Canadians that include journalists, World War I veterans, and humanitarians.

The icons were submitted by nearly 45,000 Canadians after the BOC held an open call to the public from January 29 to March 11, 2020.

Each submission had to meet the following criteria to be an eligible nominee:

  • They are a Canadian by birth or naturalization who has demonstrated outstanding leadership, achievement, or distinction in any field, benefiting the people of Canada, or in the service of Canada
  • They have been deceased for at least 25 years (before March 11, 1995)
  • They are not a fictional character

Famous Canadians like Tim Horton and comedian John Candy made the list of 600 nominees.

Once the nominations were in, the selection process was similar to the one in 2016 that led to Viola Desmond’s portrait adorning the latest vertical $10 bill.

An Advisory Council developed the shortlist based on whether the person has impacted Canada in a positive way that has been felt across the country, and is still relevant today.

So how made the shortlist?

The council decided that these eight Canadians have done just that:

Once the shortlist was finalized, the council informed the BOC, which then submitted the lineup to the Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland.

When will this new $5 bill land in our wallets?

The name of the person selected will be announced once Freeland has made the final decision based on the Bank of Canada Act.

From there, the new bank note design process will begin. So far, the only details the BOC can confirm is that the $5 note will be made of polymer with a vertical design.

The institution expects the new bill to begin circulation in a few years.

The current face of the $5 bill is former Prime Minister Wilfred Laurier.

Lead photo by

Coach Chappy


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