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Canadians offer their two cents on 'ugly' new $20 featuring King Charles

Natalia Buia
Natalia Buia
|
Sep 3 2026, 8:14 pm
Canadians offer their two cents on 'ugly' new $20 featuring King Charles
Erman Gunes/Shutterstock | Zeynep Demir Aslim/Shutterstock

The Bank of Canada just unveiled a new vertical $20 banknote with King Charles on it.

This is Canada’s first banknote to feature Charles, whose portrait replaces that of the late Queen Elizabeth II, who died Sept. 8, 2022. It’s also the first time in more than 70 years that a new monarch has appeared on the $20 denomination.

Charles’ portrait is framed by leaves and flowers, which the Bank of Canada says are “inspired by the King’s lifetime dedication to the environment.”

20 dollar king charles

Bank of Canada

On the other side, the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France remains as a tribute to Canada’s contributions and sacrifices in military conflicts throughout its history.

But Canadians, naturally, are sounding off online — and they’re putting their two cents in regarding the new design.

Much of the reaction centres on the decision to feature yet another British monarch, rather than a beloved Canadian figure. One name floating around is Terry Fox, whose Marathon of Hope began in 1980. Sept. 20 will mark 46 years since Fox’s run came to an end.

Someone on X also suggested putting a “real Canadian” like astronaut Jeremy Hansen, the first Canadian to orbit the moon, on the banknote instead.

Another user on X is urging the Bank of Canada to reconsider acclaimed Canadian actor and director Matt Johnson, from Nirvana the Band the Show the Movie.

People really did not hold back when commenting on the Bank of Canada’s unveiling.

“Cheap and worthless” is how one Canadian described the new look.

“Ugly” is another word that has gotten thrown around a lot in the last couple of hours.

It seems Canadians are just sick of “old men” on their money.

One person noticed how Charles’ face on the bill resembles another polarizing political figure.

Someone else already pointed out Charles’ connection to the late Jeffrey Epstein. His brother Andrew (who has since been stripped of his royal titles) was reportedly closely associated with the convicted sex offender who was jailed for soliciting prostitution from a minor.

The vertical design is also getting mixed reviews.

The $20 is only the second Canadian banknote to go vertical, following the $10 bill featuring civil rights pioneer and businesswoman Viola Desmond, which was unveiled in 2018.

Others say it looks more like Monopoly money than Canadian money.

And a few inflation jokes were made.

The Bank of Canada says that the new note will gradually enter circulation in late February 2027.

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