100 Dollars - Elizabeth II Jacques Cartier

Issued to mark the 450th anniversary of Jacques Cartier's 1534 voyage into the Gulf of St. Lawrence — his first contact with the North American mainland — this coin appeared during a period of heightened Canadian nationalist sentiment around French-English historical identity. Cartier's legacy was contested political ground in 1984, with Quebec's ongoing sovereignty debates making the choice of subject pointed rather than merely celebratory.

Struck in 22-karat gold to the Royal Canadian Mint's established standard for its annual commemorative hundred-dollar series, which launched in 1976. Mintage was capped at 100,000 pieces.