Peter Howitt’s Work Goes Well Beyond Economic Growth Theory

From: Steve AmblerTo: Inflation WatchersDate: October 23, 2025Re: Peter Howitt’s Work Goes Well Beyond Economic Growth Theory Earlier this month, Canadian Peter Howitt – former Western University professor, former Fellow-in-Residence and current International Fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute – received the Nobel Prize in economics alongside Philippe Aghion and Joel Mokyr for their work […]

Canadians Feel Financially Worse Off Than a Year Ago – and Most See Little Relief Ahead

In the Bank of Canada’s Canadian Survey of Consumer Expectations, all age groups considered themselves financially worse off today than 12 months ago. With the exception of the seemingly always optimistic 18–24-year-olds, all age groups expect to be worse off in 12 months as well. These results indicate a poor state of financial well-being that will act as […]

More Rate Cuts to Come if Inflation Stays Subdued

From: Jeremy M. Kronick and Steve AmblerTo: Bank of Canada observersDate: September 22, 2025Re: More Rate Cuts to Come if Inflation Stays Subdued On Wednesday, the Bank of Canada cut its policy rate by 25 basis points to 2.5 percent in a move widely anticipated by financial markets. The cracks in the Canadian economy we outlined after […]

Trumpian mercantilism, meet basic arithmetic

Published in Financial Post. This summer, the Trump administration announced trade deals with Japan and the European Union (EU). Each involved lower barriers to U.S. exports, more foreign direct investment (FDI) into the U.S., and higher U.S. tariffs on EU and Japanese goods. The U.S. looked like it was winning on all fronts. According to […]

The case for a rate cut was clear, but the future remains cloudy

Published in The Globe and Mail. On Wednesday, the Bank of Canada cut its policy rate by 25 basis points to 2.5 per cent. The cut was widely anticipated by financial markets. The cracks in the Canadian economy we mentioned in these pages after the bank’s last announcement in July have become far more visible. Gross domestic […]

Assessing the Bank of Canada’s Inflation Surge Fight

From: David Andolfatto and Fernando M. MartinTo: Interest rate watchersDate: August 19, 2025Re: Assessing the Bank of Canada’s Inflation Surge Fight A low and stable inflation rate environment promotes economic efficiency and fairness. And since the early 1990s the Bank of Canada’s monetary policy framework has included a 2-percent inflation target in a 1 to […]

Goods Inflation Remains Low but Services Inflation Remains Stubbornly High

After peaking at 8.1 percent in June 2022, headline inflation sits just below the Bank of Canada’s target at 1.9 percent. While goods inflation remains low, services inflation remains stubbornly high, contributing to the Bank’s recent decision to leave its policy rate unchanged at 2.75 percent. Services sectors tend to be more labour-intensive than goods […]

Why Canada Must Confront the Politicization of US Financial Oversight

From: Duncan Munn and Jeff KehoeTo: Financial regulation watchersDate: August 13, 2025Re: Why Canada Must Confront the Politicization of US Financial Oversight The independence and integrity of US financial regulation are under unprecedented strain. In a wave of executive orders and administrative actions, Donald Trump has systematically reshaped the regulatory landscape – weakening oversight, politicizing […]

How Trump’s War on the Fed Can Hit Your Mortgage

From: Jerzy Konieczny and Steve AmblerTo: Interest rate watchersDate: August 11, 2025Re: How Trump’s War on the Fed Can Hit Your Mortgage Donald Trump has a new target. It’s not China, Mexico or Prime Minister Mark Carney, but Jerome Powell, chair of the US Federal Reserve. If Mr. Trump gets his way, the fallout won’t stop with the […]

An Understandable Hold But Cracks Suggest Cuts Coming

From: Jeremy M. Kronick and Steve AmblerTo: Interest rate watchersDate: August 8, 2025Re: An Understandable Hold But Cracks Suggest Cuts Coming Last week, the Bank of Canada held its policy rate steady at 2.75 percent. Although headline inflation has been at or below target for nine of the last 11 months, there are some signs of […]

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