The Canadian Gold Maple Leaf is the official bullion gold coin of Canada and is produced by the Royal Canadian Mint. The brainchild of Walter Ott, it is one of the purest gold coins of regular issue in the world, with a gold content of .9999 fineness (24 carats), with some special issues .99999 fine. That is, it contains virtually no base metals at all—only gold exclusively from gold mines in Canada.

The coin was first introduced in 1979. At that time, the only available bullion coin was the South African Krugerrand, which was not widely available because of an economic boycott of apartheid-era South Africa. Coins minted between 1979 and 1981 have gold content of .999.

The coin is offered in ¹/₂₀ oz, ¹/₁₀ oz, ¹/₄ oz, ¹/₂ oz, and 1 oz denominations and is guaranteed to contain the stated amount (in troy ounces) of .9999 fine gold (24 carat). The coins have legal tender status in Canada for the face values of these coins ($1, $5, $10, $20 and $50) which is subject to the Canadian Currency Act in association with the Royal Canadian Mint Act. Although categorized under non-circulating bullion coins in the latter Act, these coins are still under the former Act, legal tender.

The ¹/₂₀, ¹/₁₀, ¹/₄, and ¹/₂ troy ounce coins are identical in design to the one troy ounce coin except for the markings on the obverse and reverse sides that indicate the weight and face value of the coin. In 1994, ¹/₁₅ oz ($2.00 face value) gold and platinum coins were issued, possibly for use in jewelry. They were not very successful, and so 1994 remains the only year in which ¹/₁₅ oz gold and platinum bullion coins were produced.