Reverse: Along the rim on top, “CANADA” and “DOLLAR”. In the center, a portrait of Samuel de Champlain with the habitation he built at the foot of Cap-aux-Diamants at Kébec (now Quebec City). Along the rim at the bottom, “1608-2008”.

Obverse: The portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Along the rim, the inscriptions "ELIZABETH II" on the left, and "D•G•REGINA" on the right. At the bottom, the Royal Canadian Mint mark.

On July 3, 1608, Samuel de Champlain founded a settlement at Kébec, an Algonquin word meaning “place where the river narrows”. This was the site of an abandoned St. Lawrence Iroquoian settlement called Stadacona. Quebec quickly became one of North America’s largest maritime cities. Today, the only walled city on the continent continues to draw people from around the world. In 1985, the "Historic District of Old Quebec" was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.