About the note
The original photograph of Queen Elizabeth II was supplied by Anthony Buckley & Constantine, photographers to the Royal Family at the time. The engraving was done by Stanley H. Doubtfire of De La Rue Company. Beside the Queen is a view of the 1862 Library of Parliament attached to the current Centre Block on Parliament Hill. The $20 note is one of four notes in this series to feature a colour‑shifting patch, a small gold rectangle that changes colour as the note is tilted and that cannot be duplicated by photocopier or colour printer. This technology was developed by the Bank of Canada in collaboration with the National Research Council Canada.
Like all notes in this series, the $20 features a bird on the reverse. In this case, the bird is the common loon. The original image was created by renowned nature artist John Crosby and prepared for lithography by Yves Baril of the Canadian Bank Note Company, who reproduced it in gouache and coloured pencil. Except in the dry southern prairies, the common loon is found across Canada, extending north into the tundra. Unique to North America, loons are among the oldest bird species, dating back millions of years. This was the first series of Canadian bank notes with backs printed entirely by lithography.
At a glance
- Portrait: Queen Elizabeth II
- Date of issue: June 29, 1993
- Last day of issue: September 28, 2004
- Signatures:
- Deputy Governors Gordon G. Thiessen, Bernard Bonin and Malcolm D. Knight
- Governors John W. Crow, Gordon G. Thiessen and David A. Dodge
- Dimensions: 15.2 cm x 7 cm
- Design: De La Rue Company Ltd.
- Printer: British American Bank Note Company Ltd., Canadian Bank Note Company Ltd.
- Status: legal tender
