The Canadian economy regained strong momentum in 1999 as the U.S. economy remained vigorous, the global economy recovered, and commodity prices moved upwards.
Public sector institutions have been undergoing significant changes over the past decade. One of the most important changes has been the move to greater accountability. Public institutions are now required to be more open and to provide more information about their operations. Or, to use the word currently in vogue, to be more “transparent.”
Over the past couple of years, there has been considerable debate about productivity and our standard of living in Canada. For the most part, the discussion of these issues has been useful, but at times it has been somewhat confusing.
Since the May Report, the international economic environment has continued to improve. Economic activity abroad grew faster than expected, while inflation in the major economies remained subdued.
Good morning. The Bank of Canada has just released its tenth Monetary Policy Report. This morning, we also raised our target for the overnight interest rate by 1/4 of one percentage point to 4 3/4 per cent. This follows a similar increase yesterday in the U.S. Federal Funds rate to 5 ½ per cent. The […]
Monetary policy actions take a relatively long time to affect the economy and inflation—anywhere between 12 to 24 months. Because of this, central banks must always look ahead and must put in place today the monetary conditions that are needed to help keep the economy on a sustainable path down the road. By 'sustainable' I mean a situation where economic growth and job creation are not at risk from rising inflation.
This paper first describes the Bank of Canada's approach to the design of large-value clearing and settlement systems. It then examines the way the Bank has operated under the Payment Clearing and Settlement Act, passed by Parliament in July 1996.
It is always a pleasure to return and speak to people in my home province. This time, we are here for a meeting of the Bank of Canada's Board of Directors. Once a year, our Board meets outside Ottawa, in a different part of the country. This year, we are delighted to be in Regina.