Canadian ten - dollar note - wikipedia Canadian ten - dollar note Ten dollars ( Canada ) Value 10 Canadian dollars Width 152.4 mm Height 69.85 mm Security features Holographic stripe, Watermark, EURion constellation, Tactile marks, Registration device, Raised printing, UV printing Paper type Polymer Years of printing 2001 -- present Obverse Design Sir John A. Macdonald Designer Bruce Stewart Design date 2001 2005 Reverse Design Via Rail route map, featuring The Canadian. In the background ; the Canadian Rockies Designer Bruce Stewart Design date 2001 2005 The Canadian ten - dollar note is one of the most common banknotes of the Canadian dollar. The current ten - dollar note is dominantly purple in colour. The front features a portrait of Canada 's first Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald, and a metallic image of the Library of Parliament. The reverse side shows Via Rail 's train, the Canadian, with the Canadian Rockies in the background ; this is accompanied by a Via Rail route map. Yellow dots representing the EURion constellation can be found on both sides. As well as textured printing, this design includes Braille dots for the blind indicating the denomination as a new tactile feature. An updated version of the note began circulation on May 18, 2005, with new security features. On the front, these include a holographic stripe along the left side, depicting the number 10 alternated with maple leaves ; a watermark of Macdonald 's portrait ; and a broken - up number 10, which resolves itself when backlit ( the latter two which replaced the shiny - leaf feature ). On the back, it has an interleaved metallic strip, reading ' 10 CAN ' repeatedly along its length. The version of the note issued in 1971 depicted the operations of Polymer Corporation on its back. Less - visible security features include ultraviolet - detected threads in the paper, as well as an ink imprint of the coat of arms. As with all modern Canadian banknotes, all text is in both English and French. A new ten - dollar note made with polymer, as part of the `` Frontier Series '', was released on November 7, 2013. The new note features a new portrait of Sir John A. Macdonald and hologram of the Library of Parliament on the front and the Canadian ( Via Rail train pulled using F40PH - 2 locomotive ) in the Rockies on the back. After mistakenly identifying Mount Edith Cavell and Mount Marmot as appearing in the background, the Bank of Canada later corrected them as Lectern Peak, Aquila Mountain, Mount Zengel and other mountains. On December 8, 2016, Viola Desmond was chosen as the first Canadian woman to appear on the ten - dollar note after being on a shortlist of five. The note will be issued in 2018. For 2017, the Bank of Canada has issued a special commemorative design, celebrating the 150th anniversary of the confederation of Canada. Series Main colour Obverse Reverse Series Year Issued Withdrawn 1935 Series Purple Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood Harvest allegory 1935 11 March 1935 1937 Series Purple George VI Transportation allegory 1937 19 July 1937 1954 Series Purple Elizabeth II Mount Burgess, British Columbia 1954 9 September 1954 Scenes of Canada Purple John A. Macdonald Polymer Corporation oil refinery in Sarnia, Ontario 1971 8 November 1971 27 June 1989 Birds of Canada Purple John A. Macdonald Osprey 27 June 1989 17 January 2001 Canadian Journey Series Purple John A. Macdonald Peacekeeping forces and war memorial ; poppy field and excerpt from `` In Flanders Fields '' by John McCrae 2001 17 January 2001 18 May 2005 2004A / 2006 / 2008 18 May 2005 7 November 2013 Frontier Series Purple John A. Macdonald The Canadian passenger train 2013 7 November 2013 References Jump up ^ `` $10 design '' ( PDF ). Bank of Canada. Jump up ^ Beeby, Dean ( July 29, 2014 ). `` Bank of Canada erases mountain ID from $10 bill after questions raised ''. Ottawa Citizen. Canadian Press. Jump up ^ Kathleen Harris ( 8 December 2016 ). `` Black rights activist Viola Desmond to be first Canadian woman on $10 bill ''. CBCNews. Retrieved 8 December 2016. Jump up ^ Sammy Hudes ; Megan Dolski ( 24 November 2016 ). `` Five women shortlisted for new Canadian bank notes ''. Toronto Star. Retrieved 25 November 2016. Unannotated references http://www.bankofcanada.ca/banknotes/banknote150/ External links Bank of Canada 's banknote site Polymer -- Bank of Canada Canadian banknotes and coins Canadian coinage 1 ¢ ( penny ) 5 ¢ ( nickel ) 10 ¢ ( dime ) 25 ¢ ( quarter ) 50 ¢ ( 50 - cent piece ) $1 ( Voyageur dollar ) $1 ( loonie ) $2 ( toonie ) Commemorative coins Royal Canadian Mint numismatic coins ( 20th century ) Royal Canadian Mint numismatic coins ( 2000s ) Royal Canadian Mint numismatic coins ( 2010s ) Royal Canadian Mint ice hockey coins Royal Canadian Mint Olympic coins Royal Canadian Mint RCMP coins Silver dollar Gold Maple Leaf Silver Maple Leaf Platinum Maple Leaf Big Maple Leaf Ottawa Mint sovereign Canadian banknotes $5 $10 $20 $50 $100 Commemorative banknotes Withdrawn banknotes Canadian banknotes by Series 1935 Series 1937 Series 1954 Series Scenes of Canada Birds of Canada Canadian Journey Series Frontier Series Historical currencies of Canada New France livre Canadian pound New Brunswick pound Newfoundland pound Nova Scotian pound Prince Edward Island pound British Columbia dollar New Brunswick dollar Nova Scotian dollar Prince Edward Island dollar Newfoundland dollar Early Canadian banking system Newfoundland dollar 1 ¢ 5 ¢ 10 ¢ 20 ¢ 25 ¢ 50 ¢ $2 Coins of the Newfoundland dollar Organizations and institutions Bank of Canada Canadian Bank Note Company Royal Canadian Numismatic Association Canadian Numismatic Association medals and awards Canadian Paper Money Society Currency Museum Royal Canadian Mint Community currencies Calgary dollar Toronto dollar Canadian Tire money Salt Spring dollar Pioneer Bonus Bucks Mac 's Dollars ( Whitehorse, YT ) Other Canadian dollar History of Canadian currency List of people on coins of Canada List of foreign countries with coinage struck at the Royal Canadian Mint Royal Canadian Mint tokens and medallions Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Canadian_ten-dollar_note&oldid=805457970 '' Categories : Banknotes of Canada by denomination John A. Macdonald Ten - base - unit banknotes Talk About Wikipedia Français Edit links This page was last edited on 15 October 2017, at 15 : 02. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: whose portrait is on the canadian $10 bill
Answer: John A. Macdonald