The current $10 note is purple, and the obverse features a portrait of Viola Desmond, a Black Nova Scotian businesswoman who challenged racial segregation at a film theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, in 1946.

Foil features on the note face include both the Flag and Coat of Arms of Canada.

Part of the background pattern mirrors the museum's interior architecture and its ramps connecting multiple levels.

A foil eagle feather is prominent, symbolizing ideals such as truth, power and freedom.

A quotation from section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms appears in both English and French.