About the note
The portrait of Sir Wilfrid Laurier was engraved by C. Gordon Yorke of the British American Bank Note Company (BABN). The source photo was from the Ottawa studio of photographer William James Topley. Laurier served as Canada’s Prime Minister from 1896–1911. He was our seventh Prime Minister and the first French Canadian in that role.
On the back of this bank note is a view of the Johnstone Strait, along the northeast shore of Vancouver Island. The boat is a salmon seiner christened the BCP 45. It and its all‑Indigenous crew fished the waters of the BC coast for nearly 70 years. The BCP 45 is now in a museum in Campbell River and is an official National Historic Site of Canada. The source photograph was taken by George Hunter in 1958, and the original engraving by George Gundersen of BABN was later darkened by C. Gordon Yorke. The 5‑dollar note was reissued in 1979 with the serial numbers moved to the back for machine reading.
At a glance
- Portrait: Sir Wilfrid Laurier
- Date of issue: December 4, 1972 (modified: October 1, 1979)
- Last day issued: September 30, 1979 (modified: April 27, 1986)
- Signatures:
- Deputy Governors Gerald K. Bouey, Ruston W. Lawson and John W. Crow
- Governors Louis Rasminsky and Gerald K. Bouey
- Dimensions: 15.2 cm x 7 cm
- Design: Thomas De La Rue Company Ltd.
- Printer: Canadian Bank Note Company Ltd.
- Status: legal tender
