Now the cross-border shoppers are Americans, who can not believe what a bargain Canada is! And those cross-border shoppers are companies as well as individuals. As for the benefits of keeping the Canadian dollar, we run a referendum on that in Canada every day as people make choices about whether to use the 'loonie' or the 'greenback'. And the loonie is slowly losing ground. Many of our largest companies now keep their books and price their products in U.S. dollars. High-flyers in the corporate world are now demanding their salaries in U.S. dollars.

Whether or not to have a unique Canadian dollar symbol is something that should be judged on the benefits it creates for Canadians, compared to the alternative.

Here are some examples of using the Canadian dollar symbol in our everyday life.