December 22, 2005 70 Years of Central Banking: The Bank of Canada in an International Context, 1935–2005 Bank of Canada Review - Winter 2005-2006 Michael Bordo, Angela Redish Bordo and Redish examine the evolution of central banking over the past 70 years and identify periods where Canada was either a notable innovator with regard to central banking practices or appeared to be following a slightly different course. They note that global forces seemed to play an important role in determining inflation outcomes throughout the 70-year period, and that Canada and the United States experienced roughly similar inflation rates despite some important differences in their monetary policy regimes. Canada, for example, was comparatively late in establishing a central bank, launching the Bank of Canada long after most other industrial countries had one. Canada also operated under a flexible exchange rate through much of the Bretton Woods period, unlike any other country in the 1950s and early 1960s; adopted inflation targets well before most other central banks; and introduced a number of other innovative changes with regard to the implementation of monetary policy in the 1990s. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Topic(s): Exchange rates, Inflation and prices, Monetary policy framework
December 18, 2005 Free Banking and the Bank of Canada Bank of Canada Review - Winter 2005-2006 David Laidler Economists in the nineteenth century spent considerable time discussing the merits of a free-banking system, in which each commercial bank would be able to issue its own notes and deposits, subject to a convertibility requirement backed by its own gold reserves. Such a system, the proponents argued, would be able to deliver price-level stability yet be flexible enough to withstand the vicissitudes of the business cycle. Moreover, there would be no need for central banks. While this idea has received less attention in recent years, some economists still put it forward as a practical alternative to the current system. Laidler suggests that the centralizing tendencies in banking would inevitably undermine competition within a free-banking system, and lead to the natural emergence of one dominant bank. Other developments in the twentieth century, most notably the demise of the gold standard and widespread agreement that governments should play a determining role in setting monetary policy goals, have also limited the practicality of such a system. Laidler examines the Bank of Canada's history from the free-banking perspective and concludes that the current system of inflation targeting provides a much better anchor for orderly price-level behaviour than the free-banking system's convertibility could ever guarantee. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Topic(s): Monetary policy framework
December 12, 2005 Our Approach to Monetary Policy: Inflation Targeting Remarks David Dodge Regina Chamber of Commerce Regina, Saskatchewan This year also marks the 70th anniversary of the creation of the Bank of Canada, and we too have taken the time to celebrate our contributions to Canada. At such times, while it is appropriate to look back and celebrate history and accomplishments, it is also a good opportunity to look forward and think about where we are headed. In this spirit, I'd like to talk to you today about one of our main responsibilities; that is, the conduct of monetary policy. Content Type(s): Press, Speeches and appearances, Remarks
December 12, 2005 Governor Dodge Reviews Canada's Inflation-Targeting Framework Media Relations Regina, Saskatchewan In a speech to the Regina Chamber of Commerce, Bank of Canada Governor David Dodge said that Canada's economic record over the past 15 years demonstrates the value of focusing monetary policy on keeping inflation low, stable, and predictable. Content Type(s): Press, Press releases
December 10, 2005 A History of the Canadian Dollar - by James Powell The history of Canada's money provides a unique perspective from which to view the growth and development of the Canadian economy and Canada as a nation. Author James Powell traces the evolution of Canadian money form its pre-colonial origins to the present day, highlighting the currency chaos of the colonial period, as well as the effects of two world wars and the Great Depression. Content Type(s): Publications, Books and monographs, Souvenir books
December 9, 2005 Addition of Two Primary Dealers for Government of Canada Securities Effective 13 December 2005, HSBC Securities (Canada) Inc./HSBC Bank Canada will become a primary dealer for Government of Canada marketable bonds and treasury bills, respectively, and Desjardins Securities will become a primary dealer for Government of Canada marketable bonds. Content Type(s): Press, Market notices
December 8, 2005 Towards a Made-in-Canada Monetary Policy: Closing the Circle Bank of Canada Review - Winter 2005-2006 John Chant When the Bank of Canada was first established in 1935, it had two very different models to choose from—the Bank of England and the U.S. Federal Reserve—in terms of the instruments that it might use for implementing monetary policy. Although some aspects of the Bank's early monetary policy practices, including the role of discount facilities and moral suasion, reflect the British example, other important differences shaped a distinctly Canadian approach. Chant describes what he argues are distinctively Canadian innovations: the Bank's favoured means of managing chartered bank liquidity through transfers of government deposits, the adoption of lagged reserve requirements, and the two periods in which it decided to float the Bank Rate. He also describes the series of bold initiatives that were undertaken in the 1990s with regard to simplifying clearing and settlement procedures, reducing reserve requirements, and setting the Bank's target for the overnight rate. Chant suggests that these changes have improved market efficiency, reduced risk and uncertainty, and strengthened the Bank's influence over its short-term operating target. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Topic(s): Monetary policy implementation
December 6, 2005 The Bank of Canada: An Illustrated History This volume features interesting images and anecdotes about Canada's central bank and its place in Canadian society from 1935 until the present. Content Type(s): Publications, Books and monographs, Souvenir books
December 6, 2005 Exchange Rate Determinants and Economic Impacts Conference held on 6 and 7 December 2005 (papers in unedited, electronic format only) Content Type(s): Conferences and workshops
December 6, 2005 Bank of Canada raises overnight rate target by 1/4 percentage point to 3 1/4 per cent Media Relations Ottawa, Ontario The Bank of Canada today announced that it is raising its target for the overnight rate by one-quarter of one percentage point to 3 1/4 per cent. Content Type(s): Press, Press releases