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Remarks by David Dodge, Governor of the Bank of Canada, to the Canadian Economics Association

This volume features interesting images and anecdotes about Canada's central bank and its place in Canadian society from 1935 until the present.

We are working on several technical projects designed to help us prepare for the future of money and payments.

Productivity plays a critical role when it comes to our national standard of living. Productivity growth is the main element that contributes to continued improvements in real incomes and overall prosperity. Rising productivity lets businesses pay higher wages, while keeping costs down, employment high, and profits coming in. That's why economists like me spend a lot of time thinking about ways to improve the productivity of our economy.

In 2024, the Bank of Canada reviewed and updated its Contingent Term Repo Facility policy, incorporating lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and other global market developments, such as the UK gilt crisis in September 2022. This paper accompanies the March 17, 2025, Contingent Term Repo Facility market notice and provides background information and further details about the design of the revised policy.

Results of the third-quarter 2026 survey show that consumers’ long-term inflation expectations rose to match elevated shorter-term expectations. Consumers continued to cite trade tensions and energy prices as key sources of inflation. Expectations at all horizons moved higher following the breakdown of trade talks between Canada and the United States. Before trade talks broke down, the Canadian Survey of Consumer Expectations (CSCE) indicator edged higher, reflecting improvements in consumers’ views of their financial health. Consumers cited gains in financial asset values and greater confidence in the labour market as reasons for these improved views of financial health. Workers’ perceptions of the labour market moved closer to their survey average. Perceptions improved among workers more exposed to trade with the United States but deteriorated among workers in sectors where artificial intelligence poses a higher risk of task replacement. At the same time, spending plans deteriorated from already weak levels as high prices and economic uncertainty continue to weigh on consumers.

Deputy Governor Tim Lane will discuss the importance of shadow banking, its fragilities, and reform efforts underway to make it more resilient.

It has been a difficult year. The financial turmoil that began mid-2007 deteriorated into a full-blown global financial crisis through 2008. While the resilience and soundness of the Canadian financial system were in many respects exceptional, the scale of the financial crisis and the subsequent global recession had an increasing impact by year’s end on our financial system and our economy.

We consider ways central banks could adapt in the event of an increased risk of a dash for cash from asset managers. We explore ideas such as new facilities that ease asset managers’ ability to convert existing assets to cash or new assets with liquidity that central banks would guarantee.