About the note
The portrait featured on the face of this note is of Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden. Next to Borden is a drawing of the west entrance of Parliament Hill’s East Block. The portrait was engraved by Czeslaw Slania from a watercolour by Jorge Peral. Slania was a world‑renowned engraver who, in his day, was the world’s most prolific stamp engraver. Borden was Canada’s Prime Minister from 1911–1920, leading Canada during the economic and social upheavals of the First World War. His government also founded the National Research Council, which is quite suitable for the theme on back of this note.
The theme for the back vignette is Exploration and Innovation. Appearing to float above the earth over the map of Canada is RADARSAT‑1, Canada’s first commercial observation satellite. It was used to monitor natural resources and climate change. Opposite the modern map is an older map of Eastern Canada from 1632 created by Samuel de Champlain. The canoe next to it and the satellite above it convey the past and future of exploration of Canada. The quotation on the left is from the Miriam Waddington poem Jacques Cartier in Toronto, in which she questions Cartier as a “discoverer” while contrasting his activities with modern, multicultural Canada.
At a glance
- Portrait: Sir Robert Borden
- Date of issue: March 17, 2004
- Last day of issue: November 13, 2011
- Signatures:
- Deputy Governor W. Paul Jenkins
- Governors David A. Dodge and Mark J. Carney
- Dimensions: 15.2 cm x 7 cm
- Design: Canadian Bank Note Company Ltd. (Jorge Peral)
- Printer: BA International Inc., Canadian Bank Note Company Ltd.
- Status: legal tender
