Council Reports

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-…

March 1, 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 March 7, 2018 and at the following announcement in April. Looking further ahead, the Council called for a target of 1.50 percent by September, and 1.75 percent by March 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…

The C.D. Howe Institute’s Business Cycle Council met on Wednesday December 13 to review its assessments of Canadian business cycle dates.

The C.D. Howe Institute Business Cycle Council, chaired by Steve Ambler, is an arbiter of business cycle dates in Canada. The Council meets on an annual basis, or as warranted when economic conditions indicate the possibility of entry to, or exit from, a recession. The Council also acts as a conduit for research aimed at developing a deeper understanding of how the economy evolves and to provide guidance to policymakers.

The Council defines a recession as a pronounced, persistent, and pervasive decline in aggregate economic activity. In deciding on the occurrence and timing of a…