The loonie topped 80 cents US, while Canada's main stock index edged higher in early trading and U.S. stock markets moved lower.
The Canadian dollar traded for 80.11 cents US compared with 79.69 cents US on Wednesday.
The rise in the currency came as the S&P/TSX composite index was up 16.37 points at 18,500.90.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 4.31 points at 31,957.55. The S&P 500 index was down 2.62 points at 3,922.81, while the Nasdaq composite was down 10.32 points at 13,587.65.
The April crude oil contract was down 25 cents at US$62.97 per barrel and the April natural gas contract was down a penny at US$2.79 per mmBTU.
The April gold contract was down US$18.90 at US$1,779.00 an ounce and the May copper contract was up two cents at US$4.33 a pound.