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Canada has adjusted well to sharp movements in its terms of trade and is enjoying the many benefits of a globalized economy, Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney said today in a speech to the British Columbia Chamber of Commerce and the Business Council of British Columbia.

I chose to speak about globalization at the outset of my tenure because it will continue to be one of the forces shaping our economy and economic policy for years to come. Steady advances in transportation, communication, and information technologies, underpinned by the more widespread adoption of free-market economic policies, are shrinking the globe and expanding the global economy.

To begin, as a little background I would like to quickly review the framework within which we conduct Canada's monetary policy. The Bank of Canada Act calls on us to mitigate "fluctuations in the general level of production, trade, prices and employment, so far as may be possible within the scope of monetary action, and generally to promote the economic and financial welfare of Canada."

The year 2007 was marked by sharply increased volatility in financial and foreign exchange markets, and a widening of credit spreads. Despite financial market turbulence, the Canadian economy continued to expand, and inflation remained close to our target of 2 per cent. In this, my final Annual Report message, I begin by reviewing the economic and financial developments and challenges of the past year. I then highlight seven important ongoing challenges faced by Canada and the Bank during my seven years as Governor.

The Bank of Canada today released its January Monetary Policy Report Update.

The Canadian economy grew broadly in line with the Bank’s expectations in the second half of 2007.

The Canadian economy continues to operate above its production capacity, despite some slowing in growth and inflation in the fourth quarter of 2007. Financial conditions have deteriorated since October, leading to tighter credit conditions in industrialized countries.

The Bank of Canada today announced that it is lowering its target for the overnight rate by one-quarter of one percentage point to 4 per cent.

Section 5.1 of the Statement of Policy Governing the Acquisition and Management of Financial Assets for the Bank of Canada's Balance Sheet states that "The Bank's holdings of Government of Canada nominal bonds and treasury bills are structured to broadly reflect the composition of the federal government's stock of nominal domestic marketable debt."