Why the Bank of Canada needs to prepare Canadians for rate hikes: Globe and Mail Op-Ed

We have been stuck in a low-interest period for almost a decade now, and with that apparent inertia comes the challenge of knowing when to start reversing course. Last Wednesday’s interest rate announcement and press release by the Bank of Canada were slightly more hawkish (or slightly less dovish) in tone than its previous announcement, but it gave no explicit hints that rate increases are on the immediate horizon. However, stronger economic data that support the bank’s own internal forecasts suggest they should be. At a minimum, communication with the public should start to prepare the market for such increases.

To understand why, let’s review the concept of the neutral rate of interest. In the world of central banking, the…

Jon Johnson – Return of the Softwood Lumber Dispute (Part V)

Robson, Busby, and Omran – Show us the Budget Numbers!

Bill Robson on Bloomberg: Dallas Fed speaks out on U.S.-Canada trade

Dallas Fed President Robert Kaplan says he feels very strongly that the U.S. trade relationship with both Canada and Mexico are essential to U.S. competitiveness.  Bloomberg TV Canada talks to Bill Robson, President & CEO, C.D. Howe Institute about the Fed’s position on trade and its impact on the economy.

Jon Johnson on BNN: A sectoral deal a better option in softwood lumber dispute

Jon Johnson, senior fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute and a former advisor to the Canadian government during NAFTA negotiations, joins BNN to discuss what he believes is a better option for tackling the softwood lumber dispute.

Read Jon Johnson’s Intelligence Memo, “Return of the Softwood Lumber Dispute (Part V).”

The Paradox of Productivity, Technology, and Innovation in Canadian Healthcare

Innovations In Healthcare Should Focus More On Cost-effectiveness

Comment améliorer la couverture vaccinale des enfants au Canada

Quelques Canadiens très bruyants s’opposent à la vaccination, mais ils ne constituent pas la principale raison de l’insuffisance de la couverture vaccinale. Ce video examine une stratégie ciblant plutôt le groupe important de parents « réticents à vacciner », comprenant les enfants qui reçoivent certains vaccins, mais pas tous, et ceux qui prennent du retard.

How Can We Improve Childhood Vaccination?

A vocal few Canadians hold anti-vaccine views, but they are not the main reason for insufficient childhood vaccination coverage across Canada. This video looks at how a much more sensible strategy to reverse falling vaccine rates among Canadian children would be to target parents classified as “fence-sitters” – those who partially but  not fully immunize their children.

For more information on how Canada can improve immunization rates among children, read In Need of a Booster: How to Improve Childhood Vaccination Coverage in Canada, by Colin Busby, Aaron Jacobs and Ramya Muthukumaran.

Bank of Canada Should Hold Overnight Rate at 0.50 Percent Next Week; Hike to 1.00 Percent by May 2018: C.D. Howe Institute Monetary Policy Council

May 18, 2017 — The C.D. Howe Institute’s Monetary Policy Council (MPC) said the Bank of Canada should keep its target for the overnight rate, the very short-term interest rate it targets for monetary policy purposes, at 0.50 percent at its next announcement on May 24, 2017.  Looking ahead, the Council said the Bank should hold the target at 0.50 percent over the next six months, and hike to 1.00 percent by May of 2018.

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…

Thorsten Koeppl – What The “terminator” Tells Us About Blockchain And Your Privacy

Lawrence Herman on BNN: Freeland’s ‘battle-scarred’ team capable of tackling NAFTA renegotiations

Institute Senior Fellow, Lawrence Herman, joined BNN to discuss the upcoming NAFTA negotiations.