Council Reports

July 5, 2018 — The C.D. Howe Institute’s Monetary Policy Council (MPC) called for the Bank of Canada to raise its target for the overnight rate, its benchmark policy interest rate, to 1.50 percent at its next announcement on July 11, 2018. Looking further ahead, the Council called for the Bank to hold the target at 1.50 percent in September, with further increases raising it to 2.00 percent by July of 2019.

The MPC provides an independent assessment of the monetary stance consistent with the Bank of Canada’s 2 percent inflation target. Jeremy Kronick, an Associate Director, Research at the C.D. Howe Institute chaired the 120th Council’s meeting. Council members make recommendations for the Bank of Canada’…

May 24, 2018 — The C.D. Howe Institute’s Monetary Policy Council (MPC) called for the Bank of Canada to hold its target for the overnight rate, its benchmark policy interest rate, at 1.25 percent at its next announcement on May 30, 2018. Looking further ahead, the Council called for a hike in the target to 1.50 percent in July, with further increases raising it to 2.00 percent by May of 2019.

The MPC provides an independent assessment of the monetary stance consistent with the Bank of Canada’s 2 percent inflation target. William Robson, the Institute’s President and CEO, chairs the Council. Council members make recommendations for the Bank of Canada’s upcoming interest-rate announcement, the subsequent…

Report of the C.D. Howe Institute Competition Policy Council   There’s a major job vacancy coming soon in Ottawa: The Commissioner of Competition. The current Commissioner, John Pecman, will be retiring from his role as the head of the Competition Bureau this spring. This is a unique opportunity for the federal government to reflect on the performance of the Competition Bureau and articulate a set of priorities for the new Commissioner.   There should be two long-term priorities for the new Commissioner of Competition, according to the majority view of the C.D. Howe Institute’s Competition Policy Council, which held its fifteenth meeting on April 24, 2018. The first priority is to improve the timeliness and efficiency of the…

Report of the C.D. Howe Institute Competition Policy Council   There’s a major job vacancy coming soon in Ottawa: The Commissioner of Competition. The current Commissioner, John Pecman, will be retiring from his role as the head of the Competition Bureau this spring. This is a unique opportunity for the federal government to reflect on the performance of the Competition Bureau and articulate a set of priorities for the new Commissioner.   There should be two long-term priorities for the new Commissioner of Competition, according to the majority view of the C.D. Howe Institute’s Competition Policy Council, which held its fifteenth meeting on April 24, 2018. The first priority is to improve the timeliness and efficiency of the…

April 12, 2018 — The C.D. Howe Institute’s Monetary Policy Council (MPC) called for the Bank of Canada to maintain its target for the overnight rate, the very short-term interest rate it targets for monetary policy purposes, at 1.25 percent at its next announcement on April 18, 2018. Looking further ahead, the Council called for a target of 1.50 percent in May, with further increases taking the target to 2.00 percent by April of 2019.

The MPC provides an independent assessment of the monetary stance consistent with the Bank of Canada’s 2 percent inflation target. William Robson, the Institute’s President and CEO, chairs the Council. Council members make recommendations for the Bank of Canada’s upcoming interest-…