 The Canadian dollar's highest ever exchange rate was US$2.78, reached on July 11, 1864 after the United States had temporarily abandoned the gold standard.Unlike other currencies in the Bretton Woods system, whose values were fixed, the Canadian dollar was allowed to float from 1950 to 1962.Between 1952 and 1960, the Canadian dollar traded at a slight premium over the U.S. dollar, reaching a high of US$1.0614 on August 20, 1957.