The C.D. Howe Institute has posted the transcript of former Ambassador David Mulroney’s speech to the C.D. Howe Institute on Canada-China relations. He made the remarks at the Institute’s 2012 Annual Calgary Policy Dinner, held on October 24, 2012.

The newly established C.D. Howe Institute Business Cycle Council has determined authoritative dates for the onset of the 2008/2009 recession and the resumption of economic growth in Canada.  Based on a careful analysis of key economic indicators, the Council determined that the recession started in November 2008 and lasted seven months until May 2009. As a foundation for further work on business cycles, the Council has also agreed on a common set of reference dates for historical recessions in Canada starting in 1929.

October 18, 2012 — The C.D. Howe Institute’s Monetary Policy Council (MPC) today recommended that the Bank of Canada maintain its target for the overnight rate, the very short-term interest rate it targets for monetary policy purposes, at 1.00 percent at its next announcement on October 23, 2012. The Council further recommended that the Bank hold the overnight rate target at 1.00 through April of 2013, and called for a target of 1.50 percent by October of next year.

C.D. Howe Institute’s Monetary Policy Council Urges Bank of Canada to Hold Overnight Rate at 1.00 Percent

August 30, 2012 — The C.D. Howe Institute’s Monetary Policy Council (MPC) today recommended that the Bank of Canada maintain its target for the overnight rate, the very short-term interest rate it targets for monetary policy purposes, at 1.00 percent at its next announcement on September 5, 2012. The Council further recommended that the Bank hold the overnight rate target at 1.00 through March of 2013, and called for a target of 1.25 percent by August of next year.

May 31, 2012 — The C.D. Howe Institute’s Monetary Policy Council (MPC) today recommended that the Bank of Canada maintain its target for the overnight rate, the very short-term interest rate the Bank targets for monetary policy purposes, at 1.00 percent at its next announcement on June 5, 2012. The MPC further recommended that the Bank hold the overnight rate target at 1.00 through the end of the year, and called for a target of 1.25 percent by June 2013.

April 12, 2012 — The C.D. Howe Institute’s Monetary Policy Council (MPC) today recommended that the Bank of Canada maintain its target for the overnight rate, the very short-term interest rate the Bank targets for monetary policy purposes, at 1.00 percent at its next announcement on April 17, 2012. While most members in the group felt that strength in domestic demand and growing household debt warranted increases in the overnight rate over time, the MPC’s formal recommendation was for the overnight rate to remain at 1.00 through October, and rise to 1.50 percent by April 2013.

March 6, 2012 — The C.D. Howe Institute’s Monetary Policy Council (MPC) today recommended that the Bank of Canada maintain its target for the overnight rate, the very short-term interest rate the Bank targets for monetary policy purposes, at 1.00 percent at its next announcement on March 8, 2012. Tension between concerns about inflation running above target domestically and fear of adverse events abroad led the group, on balance, to recommend that the overnight rate should stay at 1.00 percent over the coming year.

January 12, 2012 — The C.D. Howe Institute’s Monetary Policy Council (MPC) today recommended that the Bank of Canada maintain its target for the overnight rate, the very short-term interest rate the Bank targets for monetary policy purposes, at 1.00 percent at its next announcement on January 17, 2012.