View source for Toonie

{{Short description|Canadian two-dollar coin}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox coin
| Country             = Canada
| Denomination        = Toonie
| Value               = 2.00
| Unit                = [[Canadian dollar|CAD]]
| Mass                = 6.92
| Diameter            = 28
| Thickness           = 1.75
| Edge                = Intermittent milled/smooth
| Composition         = {{indented plainlist|
* 2013–present:
* Outer ring – [[Steel]], nickel plating
* Inner core – [[Aluminum bronze]] (92%&nbsp;[[Copper|Cu]], 6%&nbsp;[[Aluminum|Al]], 2%&nbsp;Ni), [[brass]] plating
* 1996–2012:
* Outer ring – 99% [[Nickel|Ni]]
* Inner core – Aluminum bronze
}}
| Years of Minting    = 1996–present
| Catalog Number      = -
| Obverse             = Toonie - back.png
| Obverse Design      = [[Elizabeth II]], [[Monarchy of Canada|Queen of Canada]]
| Obverse Designer    = [[Susanna Blunt]]
| Obverse Design Date = 2003
| Obverse Discontinued = 2023
| Obverse2 Design      = [[Charles III]], [[Monarchy of Canada|King of Canada]]
| Obverse2 Designer    = Steven Rosati
| Obverse2 Design Date = 2023
| Reverse             = Toonie - front.png
| Reverse Design      = [[Polar bear]] in early summer on an [[Sea ice|ice floe]]
| Reverse Designer    = [[Brent Townsend]]
| Reverse Design Date = 1996
| Reverse Discontinued = 2012
| Reverse2             = Toonie.2012.design.reverse.png
| Reverse2 Design      = [[Polar bear]] in early summer on an [[Sea ice|ice floe]]
| Reverse2 Designer    = [[Brent Townsend]]
| Reverse2 Design Date = 2012
}}
The '''toonie''' (also spelled '''twonie'''<ref>{{Cite web|last=International|first=Radio Canada|date=January 5, 2021|title=Old Canadian banknotes lose legal tender status|url=https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/01/05/old-canadian-banknotes-lose-legal-tender-status/|access-date=September 4, 2021|website=RCI {{!}} English}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=February 19, 2016|title=Toonie turns 20 years old|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/toonie-turns-20-feb-2016-1.3455199|website=CBC|access-date=November 27, 2022}}</ref> or '''twoonie'''<ref>{{Cite web|date=February 24, 2015|title=Greater Sudbury to buy Ramsey Lake Island for a twoonie|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/greater-sudbury-to-buy-ramsey-lake-island-for-a-twoonie-1.2968539|website=CBC|access-date=November 27, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=August 12, 2021|last=Acres|first=Victoria|title='Twoonie Tuesdays' a hit in Rodney|url=https://thechronicle-online.com/news/local-news/twoonie-tuesdays-a-hit-in-rodney|url-status=dead|website=thechronicle-online|language=en-CA|archive-date=August 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812183612/https://www.thechronicle-online.com/news/local-news/twoonie-tuesdays-a-hit-in-rodney|access-date=November 27, 2022}}</ref>), formally the '''Canadian two-dollar coin''' ({{Langx|fr|pièce de 2 dollars canadiens}}, nicknamed {{lang|fr|deux [[piastre]]s}} or {{lang|fr|deux piastres rond}}), was introduced on February 19, 1996, by [[Minister of Public Works (Canada)|Minister of Public Works]] [[Diane Marleau]]. {{as of|2025|post=,}} it possesses the highest monetary value of any circulating [[Coins of the Canadian dollar|Canadian coin]]. The toonie is a [[bi-metallic coin]] which on the [[Obverse and reverse|reverse]] side features an image of a [[polar bear]] by artist [[Brent Townsend]]. The obverse, since 2023, bears a portrait of King [[Charles III]]. It has the words "Charles III / {{lang|la|[[Dei Gratia Rex|D.G. Rex]]}}"; {{cn span|before 2023, the words were in a [[typeface]] different than that used on other Canadian coins|date=January 2025}}.<ref name=mint2>{{cite web|url=https://www.mint.ca/en/discover/faces-of-the-monarch/king-charles-effigy |title=A New Royal Era |publisher=[[Royal Canadian Mint]] |access-date=January 7, 2024}}</ref> 

The coin is manufactured using a patented distinctive bi-metallic coin-locking mechanism.<ref name="mint">{{cite web|url=http://www.mint.ca/store/mint/learn/2-dollars-5300016 |title=Balance and composition – the 2-dollar coin |publisher=[[Royal Canadian Mint]] |access-date=November 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426205430/http://www.mint.ca/store/mint/learn/2-dollars-5300016 |archive-date=April 26, 2012}}</ref> The coins are estimated to last 20 years. The discontinued [[Withdrawn Canadian banknotes#$2|two-dollar bill]] was less expensive to manufacture but lasted only one year on average.<ref>{{cite news |first=Fred |last=Langan |url=http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/1996/feb/20/canadas-new-coin-a-toonie-by-fred-langan-the-chris/ |title=Canada's new coin a 'toonie'? |via=The Christian Science Monitor |date=February 20, 1996 |newspaper=Las Vegas Sun |access-date=December 2, 2011}}</ref>

On April 10, 2012, the [[Royal Canadian Mint]] (RCM) announced design changes to the [[loonie]] and toonie, which include new security features.<ref>{{cite web|last=Royal Canadian Mint|title=The Loonie and Toonie have evolved|url=http://www.mint.ca/store/mint/learn/new-1-and-2-6800002|publisher=Royal Canadian Mint|access-date=November 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120423110121/http://www.mint.ca/store/mint/learn/new-1-and-2-6800002 |archive-date=April 23, 2012}}</ref><ref name="new2"/>

Coins minted prior to 2012 consist of an [[aluminum bronze]] inner core with a pure [[nickel]] outer ring;<ref name="ČuhajMichael2011">{{cite book|author1=George S. Čuhaj|author2=Thomas Michael|title=2012 Standard Catalog of World Coins 2001 to Date|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KQO4pV-1qlMC&pg=PA144|date=July 11, 2011|publisher=Krause Publications|isbn=978-1-4402-1575-9|page=144}}{{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> but in March–May 2012, the composition of the inner core switched to aluminum bronze coated with multi-ply plated [[brass]], and the outer ring switched to steel coated with multi-ply plated nickel.<ref name="new2">{{cite web |url=http://www.mint.ca/store/mint/learn/the-new-2-coin-6800006 |title=The New $2 Coin |publisher=[[Royal Canadian Mint]] |access-date=April 21, 2012 |archive-date=April 13, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120413021322/http://www.mint.ca/store/mint/learn/the-new-2-coin-6800006 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The weight dropped from 7.30 to 6.92{{nbsp}}g, and the thickness changed from 1.8 to 1.75&nbsp;mm. The Mint said that multi-ply plated steel technology, already used in Canada's smaller coinage, produces an electromagnetic signature that is harder to counterfeit than that of regular alloy coins; also, using steel provides cost savings and avoids fluctuations in the price or supply of nickel.<ref name="gaz">{{cite web |url=http://www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2012/2012-01-04/html/sor-dors324-eng.html |title=Order Amending Part 2 of the Schedule to the Royal Canadian Mint Act |work=Canada Gazette |publisher=Government of Canada |access-date=January 14, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://montrealgazette.com/business/money/Material+change+store+loonies+toonies/5992375/story.html |title=Material change in store for loonies, toonies |newspaper=Montreal Gazette |agency=Postmedia News |date=January 14, 2012 }}{{Dead link|date=July 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }}</ref>

==Naming==
"Toonie" is a [[portmanteau]] word combining the number "two" with the name of the [[loonie]], Canada's one-dollar coin. It is occasionally spelled "twonie" or "twoonie", but Canadian newspapers and the Royal Canadian Mint use the "toonie" spelling.

[[Jack Anawak|Jack Iyerak Anawak]], member of Parliament from [[Nunavut (electoral district)|Nunatsiaq]] (the electoral district representing what is now the territory of [[Nunavut]]), suggested the name "Nanuq" [nanook, [[polar bear]]] in honour of the [[Inuit]] and their northern culture; however, this proposal went largely unnoticed beside the popular "toonie".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://openparliament.ca/hansards/1325/13/only/ |title=Jack Iyerak Anawak on Two-Dollar Coin - Hansard April 26th, 1996, Retrieved March 30, 2011 |publisher=Openparliament.ca |date=April 26, 1996 |access-date=December 2, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=1881577 |title=WordReference Forums - Vocabulaire Anglo-Normand, Retrieved March 30, 2011 |publisher=Forum.wordreference.com |date=August 5, 2010 |access-date=December 2, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Poff |first1=Stephanie |title=The Story Behind Your Pocket Change |url=http://cwf-fcf.org/en/news-features/articles/150th/the-story-behind-your-pocket.html |publisher=Canadian Wildlife Federation |work=cwf-fcf.org |access-date=February 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190213064148/http://cwf-fcf.org/en/news-features/articles/150th/the-story-behind-your-pocket.html |archive-date=February 13, 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The name "toonie" became so widely accepted that in 2006, the RCM secured the rights to it. A competition to name the bear resulted in the name "Churchill", a reference both to [[Winston Churchill]] and to the common polar bear sightings in [[Churchill, Manitoba]].<ref>[http://www.mint.ca/store/news/canadians-choose-churchill-as-official-name-of-toonie-polar-bear-5800028?cat=News+Releases&nId=700002&nodeGroup=About+the+Mint Royal Canadian Mint] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628200630/http://www.mint.ca/store/news/canadians-choose-churchill-as-official-name-of-toonie-polar-bear-5800028?cat=News+Releases&nId=700002&nodeGroup=About+the+Mint |date=June 28, 2011 }}. "Canadians Choose Churchill as Official Name of Toonie Polar Bear." Retrieved January 27, 2011.</ref>

==Launch==
Finance Minister [[Paul Martin]] announced the replacement of the $2 banknote with a coin in the [[1995 Canadian federal budget]] speech.<ref name="budget">{{cite news|title=It's a real toss-up but here's our 2-cents worth: Call the $2 coin an American dollar|last=Girard|first=Daniel|newspaper=[[Toronto Star]]|date=March 11, 1995}}</ref> The RCM spent {{currency|17400|CAD}} to canvass 2,000 Canadian households regarding which of the 10 theme options they preferred.<ref name="budget" />

Under the direction of [[Hieu C. Truong]], the RCM engineering division designed the two-dollar coin to be made from two different metals. The metals for the bimetallic coin would be lighter and thinner than those produced anywhere in the world. To join the two parts, the engineering division selected a bimechanical locking mechanism.<ref name="autogenerated177">Royal Canadian Mint: 100 Years of History, p.177, Published by Les Éditions Stromboli, 2008, St. Lambert, Québec, Canada, Project Co-ordinator: Francesco Bellomo, Project Manager for Royal Canadian Mint: Susan Aubry, Legal Deposit: Library and Archives Canada, {{ISBN|2-921800-26-8}}</ref> By the end of 1996, the Winnipeg facility had struck 375 million of these coins.<ref>The Charlton Standard Catalogue of Canadian Coins, 61st Edition, p.139, edited by W.K. Cross, The Charlton Press, Toronto, Ontario, {{ISBN|0-88968-315-8}}</ref> The coin was officially launched at [[Bens De Luxe Delicatessen & Restaurant|Ben's Deli]] in Montreal on February 19, 1996.<ref name="autogenerated177"/>

The weight of the coin was originally specified as {{convert|112.64|gr|lk=in}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/canada-gazette/093/001060-119.01-e.php?document_id_nbr=11239&image_id_nbr=677412&f=p |title=Canada Gazette, 42-43-44 ELIZABETH II, Chapter 26, p. 614}}</ref>

The community of [[Campbellford, Ontario]], home to the coin's designer, constructed an {{convert|8|m|ft|adj=mid|-tall}} toonie [[monument]],<ref>[http://janroncommunications.com/ArchivedNews/PressRelease/pr-canada-two-dollar.html "Canada's two-dollar coin and its polar bear turn 10 this year"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101105011819/http://janroncommunications.com/ArchivedNews/PressRelease/pr-canada-two-dollar.html |date=November 5, 2010 }}. [[CNW Telbec]], August 28, 2006.</ref> similar to the "Big Loonie" in [[Echo Bay, Ontario|Echo Bay]] and the [[Big Nickel]] in [[Greater Sudbury|Sudbury]].

Unlike the [[loonie]] before it, the toonie and the $2 bill were not produced concurrently with each other, as the $2 bill was withdrawn from circulation on February 16, 1996, three days prior to the toonie's introduction.<ref>{{cite web |title=About legal tender |website=Bank of Canada |url=https://www.bankofcanada.ca/banknotes/about-legal-tender/ |access-date=November 27, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Whatever Happened To...?: Catching Up with Canadian Icons |last1=Kearney |first1=Mark |last2=Ray |first2=Randy |isbn=9781550026542 |date=September 30, 2006 |page=245 |publisher=Dundurn |quote=The $2 note ceased being issued on February 16, 1996.}}</ref>

[[File:Giant Toonie Monument Obverse Side.jpg|thumb|The obverse side of the Giant Toonie Monument in Campbellford, Ontario]]

==Commemorative editions==
{|class="wikitable"
|+ Commemorative editions of the Canadian $2 coin
!Year
!Theme
!Artist
!Mintage
!Notes
|-
|1999
|The founding of [[Nunavut]]
|G. Arnaktavyok
|25,130,000
|The coin features an [[Inuit|Inuk]] drummer.
|-
|2000
|Knowledge/{{lang|fr|Le Savoir}}
|Tony Bianco
|29,880,000<ref>{{cite book |last=Cross |first=W. K. |title=A Charlton Standard Catalogue Canadian Coins |date=July 2005 |edition=60th |isbn=978-0889682979 |page=179|publisher=Charlton Press }}</ref>
|Millennium edition, the coin value "2 dollars" appears on the obverse instead of on the reverse. It also features three polar bears. The issue date of the 2000 coin is on the reverse instead of the obverse side.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.canlii.org/en/ca/laws/regu/sor-2000-245/latest/sor-2000-245.html |title=Order Authorizing the Issue of a Two Dollar Circulation Coin Commemorating the Millennium and Specifying its Characteristics, SOR/2000-245 |publisher=CanLII |date=November 19, 2011 |access-date=December 2, 2011}}</ref>
|-
|2006
|Churchill, 10th anniversary of $2 coin
|Tony Bianco
|5,005,000<ref name="Annual Report 2008">{{cite report |author=Royal Canadian Mint |title=2008 Annual Report – Making History |year=2008 |url=https://www.mint.ca/globalassets/about/company/reports/2008/2008-annual-report_making-history.pdf |access-date=November 23, 2022 |page=57}}</ref>
|Featuring an updated pose of the bear looking up at the dramatic lines of the [[aurora borealis]]. The first circulation coin to be introduced with the new mintmark.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/toonie-turns-10-and-gets-a-facelift-1.627035 |title='Toonie' turns 10 ... and gets a facelift |publisher=Cbc.ca |date=August 28, 2006 |access-date=November 27, 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107204945/http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2006/08/28/toonie.html |archive-date=November 7, 2012}}</ref>
The issue date reads 1996–2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.talismancoins.com/catalog/Canada_2006_10thAnn_$2.jpg|title=Talisman Coins|access-date=July 25, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008134316/http://www.talismancoins.com/catalog/Canada_2006_10thAnn_$2.jpg|archive-date=October 8, 2011}}</ref>
|-
|2008
|Québec, 400th anniversary of founding of [[Quebec City]], the first French settlement in North America
|The coin was designed by jeweller Geneviève Bertrand, a Quebec City native. The engraving was done by RCM engraver William Woodruff.
|6,010,000<ref name="Annual Report 2008"/>
|The design of the coin is dominated by a large fleur-de-lis. Other elements include a ship and lines representing the St. Lawrence River.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mint.ca/store/mint/learn/quebec-400th-anniversary-toonie-2600002 |title=Pièce de 2 $ du 400e de Québec (2008) |website=Royal Canadian Mint |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110307135832/http://www.mint.ca/store/mint/learn/quebec-400th-anniversary-toonie-2600002 |archive-date=March 7, 2011 |access-date=November 27, 2022}}</ref>
|-
|2011
|[[Boreal Forest]], honouring Canada's boreal forest dedicated to the centennial of [[Parks Canada]].
|Nolin BBDO Montreal
|5,000,000<ref name="Annual Report 2014">{{cite report |author=Royal Canadian Mint |title=2014 Annual Report – Tomorrow's Mint |year=2014 |url=https://www.mint.ca/globalassets/about/company/reports/2014/2014-annual-report_tomorrows-mint.pdf |access-date=November 23, 2022 |page=83}}</ref>
|Features three stylized trees, a bird, and a man.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mint.ca/store/product/legendary_nature_coins.jsp?campaignName=Legendary&pId=400008&lang=en_CA&rcmeid=van_legendary |title=Order your boreal forest toonies today |access-date=December 8, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121119091821/http://www.mint.ca/store/product/legendary_nature_coins.jsp?campaignName=Legendary&pId=400008&lang=en_CA&rcmeid=van_legendary |archive-date=November 19, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.coinnews.net/2012/06/22/canadian-hms-shannon-2-coin-commemorates-war-of-1812/|title=Canadian HMS Shannon $2 Coin Commemorates War of 1812|first=Darrin Lee|last=Unser|date=June 22, 2012|access-date=July 25, 2016}}</ref>
|-
|2012
|[[War of 1812]]: HMS ''Shannon''
|Bonnie Ross
|5,000,000<ref name="Annual Report 2014"/>
|Part of a series of commemorative issues on the War of 1812. Features a modified reverse with {{HMS|Shannon|1806|6}} in the centre core, as well as artwork with "The War of 1812, HMS ''Shannon''" in the outer ring.
|-
|2014
|Wait for Me Daddy
|Claude Dettloff
|5,000,000<ref name="Annual Report 2014"/>
|Inspired by the iconic photograph ''[[Wait for Me, Daddy]]'', which was taken on October 1, 1940, in New Westminster, British Columbia, by photographer [[Claude P. Dettloff|Claude Dettloff]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mint.ca/store/coins/wait-for-me-daddy-coin-pack-2014-prod2210026#.VE6eA_nF81J.|title=Wait for Me, Daddy Coin Pack (2014)|website=Royal Canadian Mint|access-date=November 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816144730/http://www.mint.ca/store/coins/wait-for-me-daddy-coin-pack-2014-prod2210026#.V7MninbP2Uk |archive-date=August 16, 2016}}</ref>
|-
|2015
|200th anniversary of the birth of [[John A. Macdonald]]
|Glen Green
|5,000,000
|The design features a portrait of John A. Macdonald superimposed on the map of Canada in the centre; in the outer ring are the dates "1815" and "2015".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mint.ca/store/coins/sir-john-a.-macdonald-coin-pack-2015-prod2280471?rcmiid=link%7Ccategorypage%7CSir%20John%20A.%20Macdonald%20Coin%20Pack%20(2015)%7CShop-New%20Releases%20&#.VLYaZYrF-Rs|title=Sir John A. Macdonald Coin Pack (2015)|website=Royal Canadian Mint|access-date=November 27, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220082546/http://www.mint.ca/store/coins/sir-john-a.-macdonald-coin-pack-2015-prod2280471?rcmiid=link%7Ccategorypage%7CSir%20John%20A.%20Macdonald%20Coin%20Pack%20(2015)%7CShop-New%20Releases%20& |archive-date=December 20, 2016}}</ref> 2,150,000 of these coins were produced in 2014 (though still dated 2015), with the remaining 2,850,000 being produced in 2015.<ref name="Annual Report 2016">{{cite report |author=Royal Canadian Mint |title=2016 Annual Report – With Pride and Purpose |year=2016 |url=https://www.mint.ca/globalassets/about/company/reports/2016/2016-annual-report_with-pride-and-purpose..pdf |access-date=November 23, 2022 |page=87}}</ref>
|-
|2015
|100th anniversary of the poem "[[In Flanders Fields]]" 
|Glen Loates
|5,000,000<ref name="Annual Report 2016"/>
|Part of a collection featuring a coloured and uncoloured quarter duo, the reverse depicts [[John McCrae]] sitting in a field of poppies as he composes the poem.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mint.ca/store/campaign/CirculationPoppy-3600018|title=2015 Remembrance Coin Pack (2016)|publisher=Royal Canadian Mint|access-date=October 16, 2018|archive-date=October 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181017001738/https://www.mint.ca/store/campaign/CirculationPoppy-3600018|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
|2016
|75th anniversary of the [[Battle of the Atlantic]]
|Yves Bérubé
|5,000,000<ref name="Annual Report 2016"/>
|Features a sailor aboard a Canadian warship who presses his eye to the viewfinder of his anti-aircraft gun, scanning the skies for threats. Two other Canadian vessels in the distance while a [[Bristol Beaufighter]] flies overhead.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mint.ca/store/campaign/CCCPBattleAtlantic-5900014|title=75th Anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic Coin Pack (2016)|publisher=Royal Canadian Mint|access-date=October 16, 2018|archive-date=October 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181017042903/https://www.mint.ca/store/campaign/CCCPBattleAtlantic-5900014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
|2017
|''Dance of the Spirits''
|Timothy Hsia
|10,000,000 (including coloured and regular issues)<ref name="Annual Report 2017"/>
|Commemorating the [[Canada 150|150th anniversary]] of the Confederation of Canada. The design shows a pair of paddlers dwarfed by a night sky alive with the ever-shifting movement of the [[aurora borealis]]. The aurora portion glows in the dark. The theme of the coin is "Our Wonders".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://goodtimes.ca/canada-150-toonie-makes-history/|title=The Canada 150 Toonie Makes History (2017)|publisher=Good Times |last=Brown |first=Lola Augustine|date=June 20, 2017 |access-date=November 27, 2022}}</ref>
|-
|2017
|100th anniversary of the [[Battle of Vimy Ridge]]
|Tony Bianco
|5,130,000<ref name="Annual Report 2017">{{cite report |author=Royal Canadian Mint |title=2017 Annual Report – Delivering Results |year=2017 |url=https://www.mint.ca/globalassets/about/company/reports/2017/2017-annual-report_delivering-results-eng.pdf |access-date=November 23, 2022 |page=86}}</ref>
|The coin design features the [[Canadian National Vimy Memorial]] in Vimy, France, flanked by a [[First World War]] soldier on the left and a veteran soldier on the right.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mint.ca/store/coins/2017-2-special-wrap-roll-the-battle-of-vimy-ridge-prod3040428|title=The Battle of Vimy Ridge Special Wrap Roll (2017)|publisher=Royal Canadian Mint|access-date=November 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181017003257/https://www.mint.ca/store/coins/2017-2-special-wrap-roll-the-battle-of-vimy-ridge-prod3040428|archive-date=October 17, 2018}}</ref>
|-
|2018
|100th anniversary of the [[Armistice of 11 November 1918]]
|Laurie McGaw
| {{plainlist|
* 2,000,000 (with applied colour)
* 1,000,000 (regular issue)<ref>{{cite news |author=CBC News |publisher=CBC News |date=October 15, 2018 |title=New coin marks 100 years since end of First World War |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/new-toonie-armistice-anniversary-1.4863519 |access-date=November 23, 2022}}</ref>
}}
|The coin design features two symbols of remembrance: a soldier's helmet represents the end of the First World War and serves as a reminder of the many lives lost during history's first mechanized war. Below the helmet lies a large poppy, the official bloom of remembrance, whose bright scarlet colour is re-created on the selectively coloured coins.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mint.ca/store/coins/2018-2-special-wrap-roll-100th-anniversary-of-the-armistice-of-1918-prod3280012?rcmiid=link%7Ccategorypage%7C2018_2_Special_Wrap_Roll_100th_Anniversary_of_the_Armistice_of_1918%7CShop-Armistice&|title=100th Anniversary of the Armistice of 1918 Special Wrap Roll (2018)|publisher=Royal Canadian Mint|access-date=November 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309053912/https://www.mint.ca/store/coins/2018-2-special-wrap-roll-100th-anniversary-of-the-armistice-of-1918-prod3280012?rcmiid=link%7Ccategorypage%7C2018_2_Special_Wrap_Roll_100th_Anniversary_of_the_Armistice_of_1918%7CShop-Armistice& |archive-date=March 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-
|2019
|75th anniversary of the [[Battle of Normandy]]
|Alan Daniel
|{{plainlist|
* 2,000,000 (with applied colour)
* 1,000,000 (regular issue)<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |publisher=Cision |date=May 27, 2019 |title=Royal Canadian Mint honours Canadians who landed at Juno Beach with a $2 circulation coin commemorating the 75th anniversary of D-Day |url=https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/royal-canadian-mint-honours-canadians-who-landed-at-juno-beach-with-a-2-circulation-coin-commemorating-the-75th-anniversary-of-d-day-832321800.html |access-date=November 23, 2022}}</ref>
}}
|The coin features Canadian soldiers en route to [[Juno Beach]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mint.ca/en/shop/coins/2019/$2-coin-75th-d-day-anniversary |title=$2 Coin: 75th D-Day Anniversary |website=Royal Canadian Mint |access-date=November 23, 2022}}</ref>
|-
|2020
|100th anniversary of the birth of artist [[Bill Reid]]
|Bill Reid
| {{plainlist|
* 2,000,000 (with applied colour)
* 1,000,000 (regular issue)<ref>{{cite news |last=Uguen-Csenge |first=Eva |publisher=CBC News |date=July 28, 2020 |title=New toonie features work of Haida artist Bill Reid |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/royal-canadian-mint-bill-reid-toonie-1.5666371 |access-date=November 23, 2022}}</ref>
}}
|The design features a rendering of the {{lang|hai|Xhuwaji}}, the [[Haida people|Haida]] grizzly bear, along with his name and the year of issue placed between two micro-engraved maple leaves.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mint.ca/store/coins/2020-bill-reid-commemorative-collector-keepsake-prod3670024 |title=2020 Bill Reid Commemorative Collector Keepsake |website=Royal Canadian Mint |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802174609/https://www.mint.ca/store/coins/2020-bill-reid-commemorative-collector-keepsake-prod3670024 |archive-date=August 2, 2020 |access-date=November 27, 2022}}</ref>
|-
|2020
|75th anniversary of the end of the [[World War II]]
|Thomas Shingles
| {{plainlist|
* 2,000,000 (with applied colour)
* 1,000,000 (regular issue)<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |publisher=Cision |date=September 2, 2020 |title=Royal Canadian Mint $2 circulation coin celebrates 75th anniversary of the allied victory that ended the Second World War |url=https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/royal-canadian-mint-2-circulation-coin-celebrates-75th-anniversary-of-the-allied-victory-that-ended-the-second-world-war-825088751.html |access-date=November 23, 2022}}</ref>
}}
|The design is based on the [[Nickel (Canadian coin)|''Victory'' nickel]] by Thomas Shingles, featuring a large "V" for Victory overlaid with a torch topped by orange and yellow flames. The Canadian victory emblem is flanked by maple leaves, while the double dates "1945" and "2020" appear at both left and right, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. The words "Victory" (English) and "{{lang|fr|Victoire}}" (French) appear on the outer ring, with an inscription in International Morse code, that when translated reads "We win when we work willingly" (English) and "{{lang|fr|La bonne volonté est gage de victoire}}" (French). The words "Remember" (English) and "{{lang|fr|Souvenir}}" (French) are added to the bottom part of the outer ring.
|-
|2021
|100th anniversary of the discovery of [[insulin]]
|Jesse Koreck
| {{plainlist|
* 2,000,000 (with applied colour)
* 1,000,000 (regular issue)<ref>{{cite news |last=Ho |first=Solarina |publisher=CTV News |date=July 15, 2021 |title=New toonie celebrates 100th anniversary of insulin discovery |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/article/new-toonie-celebrates-100th-anniversary-of-insulin-discovery/ |access-date=November 23, 2022}}</ref>
}}
|The design features a monomer, the building block of the insulin molecule, along with scientific instruments used in the early formulation of insulin, including a vial, mortar and pestle, and Erlenmeyer flask overlaid on a maple leaf, with red blood cells, glucose and insulin molecules, the words "insulin" and "{{lang|fr|insuline}}" appearing on the coin's outer ring and the dates "1921" and "2021" on the upper part of the coin's outer ring.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mint.ca/store/coins/discovery-of-insulin---commemorative-collector-keepsake-2021-prod3800021 |title=Discovery of Insulin - Commemorative Collector Keepsake (2021) |website=Royal Canadian Mint |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718043448/https://www.mint.ca/store/coins/discovery-of-insulin---commemorative-collector-keepsake-2021-prod3800021 |archive-date=July 18, 2021 |access-date=November 27, 2022}}</ref>
|-
|2022
|50th anniversary of the [[Summit Series]]
|Joel Kimmel
| {{plainlist|
* 2,000,000 (with applied colour)
* 1,000,000 (regular issue)<ref>{{cite news |last=Chaar |first=Mike |publisher=MTL Blog |date=October 1, 2022 |title=Canada Is Getting A New $2 Coin & Here's What It Looks Like (PHOTOS) |url=https://www.mtlblog.com/canada-is-getting-a-new-2-coin-heres-what-it-looks-like-photos |access-date=November 23, 2022}}</ref>
}}
|The design features two hockey players representing Team Canada, with the team's stylized maple leaf emblem, with "the series" in English and French, and the words "50 years" and "{{lang|fr|ans}}" appearing on the coin.<ref>[https://www.mint.ca/en-us/shopping/themes/summit-series The Summit Series collection] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004040420/https://www.mint.ca/en-us/shopping/themes/summit-series |date=October 4, 2022 }} [[Royal Canadian Mint]] (https://www.mint.ca). Retrieved on October 2, 2022.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mint.ca/en-us/shopping/archives/2021/2022-2-50th-anniversary-of-the-summit-series-colourized-special-wrap-roll- |title=2022 $2 50th Anniversary of the Summit Series Colourized Special Wrap Roll |website=Royal Canadian Mint |access-date=November 27, 2022}}</ref>
|-
|2022
|Honouring [[Queen Elizabeth II]]
|Brent Townsend
|4,305,025<ref>{{cite report |url=https://www.mint.ca/globalassets/about/company/reports/2023/annual-report-2023/rcm-ar-2023-en-final.pdf |title=Annual Report 2023 - Striking a Balance |author=Royal Canadian Mint |date= |page=96 |access-date=July 28, 2024 |year=2023}}</ref>
|Marking the end of Queen Elizabeth II's reign. With the same design as a regular toonie, except that the outer ring is coloured black, like a mourning band, instead of its usual silver.<ref>{{cite web |title=Honouring Queen Elizabeth II |website=Royal Canadian Mint |url=https://www.mint.ca/en/stories/honouring-queen-elizabeth-ii |access-date=December 7, 2022}}</ref> The colouring is achieved by using black nickel.<ref name="cbc-honour-queen-elizabeth">{{cite news |title=New $2 coin honouring life of Queen Elizabeth goes into circulation this month |publisher=CBC News |date=December 7, 2022 |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/queen-coin-mint-1.6677090 |access-date=December 7, 2022}}</ref>
|-
|2023
|[[National Indigenous Peoples Day]]
|Megan Currie, Myrna Pokiak (Agnaviak) and Jennine Krauchi
| {{plainlist|
* 2,000,000 (with applied colour)
* 1,000,000 (regular issue)<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/new-2-coin-honours-indigenous-people/ |title=New $2 coin honours Indigenous people |last=Fleming |first=Tyler |date=June 21, 2023 |access-date=August 2, 2023 |publisher=CTV News Ottawa}}</ref>}}
|The design features three motifs representing Inuit, Métis and First Nations culture. Features the transitional effigy of the Queen, with the dates of her reign, and date of issue on the obverse.
|-
|2023
|100th anniversary of the birth of [[Jean Paul Riopelle]]
|Jean Paul Riopelle
| {{plainlist|
* 2,000,000 (with applied colour)
* 1,000,000 (regular issue)<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.narcity.com/canada-new-coin-orange-when-you-get-toonie |title=Canada's New Coin Is Splashed With Orange & Here's When You Can Get The Toonie (PHOTO) |last=Belmonte |first=Lisa |date=October 3, 2023 |access-date=October 3, 2023 |publisher=Narcity}}</ref>}}
|The coin features a recreation of Riopelle's {{lang|fr|L'Hommage à Rosa Luxemburg}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mint.ca/en/shop/coins/2023/2023-commemorative-collector-keepsake-card-100th-anniversary-of-the-birth-of-jean-paul-riopelle-pack-208343 |title=2023 Commemorative Collector Keepsake Card – 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Jean Paul Riopelle |website=Royal Canadian Mint |access-date=October 3, 2023}}</ref>
|-
|2024
|100th anniversary of the [[Royal Canadian Air Force]]
|Piu Yan Fong
| {{plainlist|
* 2,000,000 (with applied colour)
* 1,000,000 (regular issue)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/heres-how-to-get-a-new-rcaf-100th-anniversary-toonie-in-ottawa/ |title=Here's how to get a new RCAF 100th anniversary toonie in Ottawa |last=Szperling |first=Peter |date=September 19, 2024 |access-date=November 4, 2024 |publisher=CTV News |format=video |quote="It comes in both a coloured version, there will be two million of those and one million noncoloured." |archive-date=October 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007170122/https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/here-s-how-to-get-a-new-rcaf-100th-anniversary-toonie-in-ottawa-1.7044928 |url-status=live }}</ref><!-- The only quote I could find of the mintage was from the news broadcast of this article, not the written article itself. The quote is from the video's transcription, not the actual words spoken, though the same meaning is conveyed. If there's a better source out there, please replace this one -->}}
|The coin features a [[Lockheed C-130 Hercules#Variants|CC-130H Hercules]] in the centre with the RCAF roundel above it, coloured on select coins. The outer rim features eight other RCAF aircraft: the [[Fleet Finch|Finch Mk. II]], [[CSR-123 Otter]], [[Canadair Sabre|F-86 Sabre Mk. 6]], [[Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck|CF-100 Canuck Mk. 5]], [[CT-114 Tutor]], [[CC-115 Buffalo]], [[CF-188 Hornet]], and [[CH-146 Griffon]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mint.ca/en/shop/coins/2024/2024-commemorative-collector-keepsake-card-100th-anniversary-of-the-royal-canadian-air-force-pack-247636?recommendationId=540109789501 |title=2024 Commemorative Collector Keepsake Card – 100th Anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force |website=Royal Canadian Mint |access-date=November 4, 2024}}</ref>
|-
|2024
|Celebrate [[Inuit Nunangat]]
|Tegan Voisey, Thomassie Mangiok, Charlotte Karetak, and Mary Okheena
| {{plainlist|
* 2,000,000 (with applied colour)
* 1,000,000 (regular issue)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://dailyhive.com/canada/canada-new-circulation-coin-inuit-nunangat |title=Canada just got a colourful new coin that you could find in your change |last=Docto |first=Isabelle |date=November 5, 2024 |access-date=November 10, 2024 |publisher=Daily Hive}}</ref>}}
|Designed by four Inuit artists, representing the four treaty areas of Inuit Nunangat: Nunatsiavut ({{lang|iu|ᓄᓇᑦᓯᐊᕗᑦ}}), Nunavik ({{lang|iu|ᓄᓇᕕᒃ}}), Nunavut ({{lang|iu|ᓄᓇᕗᑦ}}), and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region ({{lang|iu|ᐃᓄᕕᐊᓗᐃᑦ ᓄᓇᖓ}}). The centre core features [[Nuliajuk]], spirit of the sea, alongside a walrus, narwhal, two beluga whales, a seal, and an Arctic char. The outer ring features four regionally-specific [[ulu|uluit]] ({{lang|iu|ᐅᓗᐃᑦ}}) on one side, and lettering "Inuit Nunangat" on the other. Between the maple leaf security features on the bottom of the coin is a pattern used in tradition of both Inuit tattooing and clothing.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mint.ca/en/shop/coins/2024/celebrating-inuit-nunangat-coloured-special-wrap-roll |title=2024 $2 Celebrating Inuit Nunangat Colourized Special Wrap Roll |website=Royal Canadian Mint |access-date=November 10, 2024}}</ref>
|-
|2025
|Celebrating the life and art of [[Daphne Odjig]]
|Daphne Odjig
| {{plainlist|
* 2,000,000 (with applied colour)
* 1,000,000 (regular issue)
|Based on a 1977 painting ''Folk Singer'' by Daphne Odjig (1919–2016). The centre core features a cropped depiction of a woman holding a drum. The outer ring includes an engraved reproduction of a fisher, from her 1978 painting ''The Indian in Transition'', where it appears as a visual representation of her surname.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mint.ca/en/blog/2025-09-behind-the-design-daphne-odjig?srsltid=AfmBOoqoPeP56MS8IAJJomLy3N16SSugg0xpyRXirW83i3Br5UKJeMqL |title=Behind the Design: Daphne Odjig Commemorative $2 Circulation Coin |website=Royal Canadian Mint |access-date=October 1, 2025}}</ref>
|-
|}

==Specimen set editions==
From 2010 to 2015, the Royal Canadian Mint issued a two-dollar coin that depicts a different and unique image of a young animal on the coin's reverse. These special toonies have limited mintages and are available only in the six-coin specimen sets.
{|class="wikitable"
|-
!Year
!Theme
!Artist
!Mintage
!Full-set issue price
|-
|2010
|Young [[lynx]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mint.ca/store/coin/special-edition-specimen-set---young-lynx-2010-prod840001|title=Special Edition Specimen Set - Young lynx (2010)|publisher=Royal Canadian Mint|access-date=October 16, 2018|archive-date=October 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181017042922/https://www.mint.ca/store/coin/special-edition-specimen-set---young-lynx-2010-prod840001|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|Christie Paquet
|15,000
|$49.95
|-
|2011
|Elk calf<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mint.ca/store/coin/special-edition-specimen-set---elk-calf-2011-prod1060001|title=Special Edition Specimen Set - Elk Calf (2011)|publisher=Royal Canadian Mint|access-date=October 16, 2018|archive-date=October 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181017003300/https://www.mint.ca/store/coin/special-edition-specimen-set---elk-calf-2011-prod1060001|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|Christie Paquet
|15,000
|$49.95
|-
|2012
|Wolf cubs<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mint.ca/store/coin/special-edition-specimen-set---wolf-cubs---mintage-15000-2012-prod1410001|title=Special Edition Specimen Set - Wolf Cubs (2012)|publisher=Royal Canadian Mint|access-date=October 16, 2018|archive-date=October 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181017042920/https://www.mint.ca/store/coin/special-edition-specimen-set---wolf-cubs---mintage-15000-2012-prod1410001|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|Emily Damstra
|15,000
|$49.95
|-
|2013
|Black bear cubs<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mint.ca/store/coin/special-edition-specimen-set---black-bear-cubs---mintage-17500-2013-prod1680042|title=Special Edition Specimen Set - Black Bear Cubs (2013)|publisher=Royal Canadian Mint|access-date=October 16, 2018|archive-date=October 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181017042924/https://www.mint.ca/store/coin/special-edition-specimen-set---black-bear-cubs---mintage-17500-2013-prod1680042|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|Glen Loates
|17,500
|$49.95
|-
|2014
|Baby rabbits<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mint.ca/store/coins/special-edition-specimen-set---baby-rabbits-2014-prod2000027|title=Special Edition Specimen Set - Baby Rabbits (2014)|publisher=Royal Canadian Mint|access-date=November 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181017003254/https://www.mint.ca/store/coins/special-edition-specimen-set---baby-rabbits-2014-prod2000027 |archive-date=October 17, 2018}}</ref>
|Pierre Leduc
|17,500
|$49.95
|-
|2015
|Baby raccoons<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mint.ca/store/coins/special-edition-specimen-set---baby-raccoons-2015-prod2440077|title=Special Edition Specimen Set - Baby Raccoons (2015)|publisher=Royal Canadian Mint|access-date=November 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181017042852/https://www.mint.ca/store/coins/special-edition-specimen-set---baby-raccoons-2015-prod2440077|archive-date=October 17, 2018}}</ref>
|Clinton Jammer
|15,000
|$49.95
|}

==First strikes==
{{Unreferenced section|date=October 2018}}
{|class="wikitable"
|-
!Year
!Theme
!Mintage
!Issue price
|-
|2005
|Polar bear
|2,375
|$14.95
|-
|2006
|10th anniversary toonie
|5,000
|$15.95
|-
|2006
|New Mint Mark
|5,000
|$29.95
|}

==Separation of metals==
A failure in the bimetallic locking mechanism in the first batch of toonies caused some coins to separate if struck hard or frozen. Despite media reports of defective toonies, the RCM responded that the odds of a toonie falling apart were about one in 60 million.<ref name="cbc.ca">{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1707742417 |title='Toonie' makes its debut |work=CBC Archives |publisher=CBC |date=September 20, 1995 |access-date=February 4, 2020}}</ref> Deliberately attempting to separate a toonie is considered to be "defacing coin currency", a summary offence under section 456 of the [[Criminal Code (Canada)|Canadian ''Criminal Code'']].<ref>{{Cite canlaw
|short title  = Criminal Code
|abbr         = R.S.C.
|year         = 1985
|chapter      = C-46
|section      = 456
|subsection   = 
|wikilink     = Criminal Code (Canada)
|link         = https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-46/page-58.html#h-123300
|linkloc      = Justice Laws Website
|amended1     = 
}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal bar|Canada|Money|Numismatics}}
* [[Newfoundland 2-dollar coin]] (antedating Canada's coin)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://openparliament.ca/hansards/1325/13/only/ Jack Iyerak Anawak on Two-Dollar Coin - Hansard April 26th, 1996]

{{Canadian currency and coinage}}

[[Category:1996 establishments in Canada]]
[[Category:Coins of Canada]]
[[Category:Bi-metallic coins]]
[[Category:Two-base-unit coins]]
[[Category:Bears in art]]
[[Category:Currencies introduced in 1996]]