On the occasion of the 75th birthday of His Majesty King Charles III. The Royal Canadian Mint on Tuesday unveiled coins featuring his image that Canadians will be able to exchange starting in December.
• Also read: The first coins depicting King Charles were minted on Tuesday
With his slightly frizzy hair and his straight nose, Charles III. appear in profile and wear modern and sober clothing, the ensemble of shirt, jacket and tie.
Her face is turned to the left, the opposite side to that of the previous monarch, the late Queen Elizabeth II, as is British tradition.
Photo from Facebook | Royal Canadian Mint
The first $1 coin was minted Tuesday at the Royal Canadian Mint’s facility in Winnipeg, where about 1 billion coins are minted annually.
The Bank of Canada will also have to replace the number, a process that could take several years. This has appeared on banknotes and coins for seven decades.
Canada is swimming against the tide
Many Commonwealth member countries – including Australia and at least six Caribbean countries – have decided to stop displaying the monarch’s head on their coins following the death of Elizabeth II last year.
With Australia (which will, however, retain the King’s profile on its $20 bills), the islands have Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines used This transition period is used to bring about change.
Others broke off relations long ago, such as Jamaica, which made the decision in 1969.
Like New Zealand and the United Kingdom, Canada remains tied to tradition, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau having developed a bond with Elizabeth II since his childhood as the former prime minister’s son.
Canadians, on the other hand, disagree: A poll by Angus Reid conducted before the king’s coronation last May found that 62% of people opposed the idea of the new monarch succeeding his mother.
Not surprisingly, Quebec is where opposition to anything related to the monarchy is lowest within the federation.
Justin Trudeau and Governor General Mary Simon sent their congratulations to Charles III in two separate statements on Tuesday.
“The government could have preferred other symbols that are more consistent with the democratic values that Quebecers value, but it has once again made a mistake by choosing a monarchical symbol of an institution from the past that has no democratic legitimacy and of “They are rejected by a majority of Canadians and an even clearer majority of Quebecers,” said Rhéal Fortin, spokesman for the Bloc Québécois for the monarchy.