The Canadian fifty-dollar note is one of the most common

banknotes of the Canadian dollar Banknotes of the Canadian dollar are the banknotes or bills (in common lexicon) of Canada, denominated in Canadian dollars (CAD, C$, or $ locally). Currently, they are issued in $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100 denominations. All current notes are is ...

. It is sometimes dispensed by ATMs but not as commonly as the $20 note. From the ''Frontier'' (2011–present) series. The current 50-

dollar Dollar is the name of more than 25 currencies. The United States dollar, named after the international currency known as the Spanish dollar, was established in 1792 and is the first so named that still survives. Others include the Australian d ...

note is predominantly red in colour and is printed on polymer (plastic), not paper. In addition to being more durable than the cotton-based paper they replaced, the new notes are also more secure. It was introduced into circulation on March 26, 2012 and is part of the new ''Polymer Series'' (2011). The front features a portrait of

William Lyon Mackenzie King William Lyon Mackenzie King (December 17, 1874 – July 22, 1950) was a Canadian statesman and politician who was the tenth prime minister of Canada for three non-consecutive terms from 1921 to 1926, 1926 to 1930, and 1935 to 1948. A Liberal ...

. A large clear window runs vertically on the right hand side of the face of the note. There is a second metallic hologram image of King on the top of the window, and a hologram image of the

Centre Block The Centre Block () is the main building of the Parliament of Canada, Canadian parliamentary complex on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa, Ontario, containing the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons and Senate of Canada, Senate chambers, as we ...

of the Canadian Parliament buildings on the bottom of the window. A ribbon made of multiple number ''50''s weaves between the duplicate King portrait and the Centre Block. The top left corner of the note's face has a metallic maple leaf surrounded by a transparent border. The reverse side depicts the Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) Amundsen, a research icebreaker. Because the note is plastic, the same clear windows and metallic images that are seen on the front are seen on the reverse. As well as textured printing, this design incorporates a special tactile feature similar to

Braille Braille ( , ) is a Tactile alphabet, tactile writing system used by blindness, blind or visually impaired people. It can be read either on embossed paper or by using refreshable braille displays that connect to computers and smartphone device ...

dots for the blind indicating the denomination. From the ''Canadian Journey'' (2004) series. It features, on the front, a portrait of William Lyon Mackenzie King, the

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

, and a picture of the

Peace Tower The Peace Tower () is a focal bell and clock tower sitting on the central axis of the Centre Block of the Canadian parliament buildings in Ottawa, Ontario. The present incarnation replaced the Victoria Tower, after the latter burned down in ...

of the Parliament buildings. Security features visible from the front include a

hologram Holography is a technique that allows a wavefront to be recorded and later reconstructed. It is best known as a method of generating three-dimensional images, and has a wide range of other uses, including data storage, microscopy, and interf ...

strip along the left side, depicting the number ''50'' alternated with

maple ''Acer'' is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the soapberry family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated si ...

leaves; a

watermark A watermark is an identifying image or pattern in paper that appears as various shades of lightness/darkness when viewed by transmitted light (or when viewed by reflected light, atop a dark background), caused by thickness or density variations i ...

of King's portrait; and a broken-up number 50, which resolves itself when backlit. The reverse side depicts themes in Canadian

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

history, such as the Famous Five celebrating the Persons case, and a volunteer medal commemorating

Thérèse Casgrain Marie Thérèse Casgrain (; 10 July 1896 – 3 November 1981) was a French-Canadian feminist, reformer, politician and senator. She was a leader in the fight for women's right to vote in the province of Quebec, as well as the first woman t ...

; it also has a quotation from the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the Human rights, rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN Drafting of the Universal D ...

. The reverse also has a visible security feature: an interleaved metallic strip, reading '50 CAN' repeatedly along its length. From the ''Birds of Canada'' (1988) series. It features, on the front, a portrait of

, the

, and a picture of the Centre Block of Parliament. On the reverse side is a wilderness scene with a

snowy owl The snowy owl (''Bubo scandiacus''), also known as the polar owl, the white owl and the Arctic owl, is a large, white owl of the true owl family. Snowy owls are native to the Arctic regions of both North America and the Palearctic, breeding mo ...

. It also had a holographic sticker showing the amount in the top left side, which changes from gold to green when tilted. The front has a wavy background of extremely small but still clear numeral 50s. This "micro-printed" background is very hard to copy. Some of the printing is textured, and the raised ink can be felt. All Canadian banknotes underwent a major redesign, beginning in 1986, partially to incorporate some of the latest anti-

forgery Forgery is a white-collar crime that generally consists of the false making or material alteration of a legal instrument with the specific mens rea, intent to wikt:defraud#English, defraud. Tampering with a certain legal instrument may be fo ...

methods. Notes continued to be improved, and the design was placed into circulation on November 17, 2004. Notes were printed on paper composed of pure cotton at two

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

companies contracted for the purpose: the Canadian Bank Note Company and BA International Inc., a part of the Giesecke & Devrient GmbH group of companies. Each $50 banknote in the 1988 series was sprinkled with special green ink dots that glow when exposed to

ultraviolet Ultraviolet radiation, also known as simply UV, is electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths of 10–400 nanometers, shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation is present in sunlight and constitutes about 10% of ...

light. The ink can be scraped off, so worn notes tend to have fewer, if any, glowing dots. These were replaced with more permanent ultraviolet-detected threads in the new notes, as well as an ink imprint of the coat of arms. On December 16, 2024, it was announced that the image of

Wilfrid Laurier Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier (November 20, 1841 – February 17, 1919) was a Canadian lawyer, statesman, and Liberal politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. The first French Canadians, French ...

would be used for the next $50 banknote design and that Terry Fox's image would replace his on the $5 note. There was no announcement about King's image being used on a different note. As on all modern Canadian banknotes, all text is written in both English and French.

References

External links

Bank of Canada's banknote site
{{Canadian currency and coinage 50 Fifty-base-unit banknotes William Lyon Mackenzie King