RemarksDavid DodgeCanadian Netherlands Business and Professional Association, and the European Union Chamber of Commerce in TorontoToronto, Ontario
The Bank of Canada has been around for over 70 years. Throughout this period, the Bank has had one over-arching mandate: to promote the economic and financial welfare of Canadians. Over the years, we have learned that the best contribution that monetary policy can make in this regard is to give Canadians confidence in the future value of their money.
he Bank of Canada today released the January update to the Monetary Policy Report, which discusses current economic and financial trends in the context of Canada's inflation-control strategy.
The Canadian economy is judged to have been operating at, or just above, its production capacity at the end of 2006, following weaker-than-expected growth in the second half of last year. This slowdown stemmed from reduced demand for Canadian exports - related to weakness in the U.S. automotive and housing sectors - and from the need for Canadian businesses to adjust inventories.
Canada's macroeconomic policies are second to none in supporting financial system efficiency, but work is needed to bring the country's structural policies up to that level, Bank of Canada Governor David Dodge said today.
The FSR reports on developments and trends in financial systems here and abroad, summarizes recent research by Bank staff on financial sector policies, and promotes discussion of how to strengthen our financial system. In short, the goal of the FSR is to improve financial system efficiency and stability.
The Bank of Canada today released the document Renewal of the Inflation-Control Target: Background Information, which describes Canada's experience with inflation targeting, reports on some key issues bearing on the framework for conducting monetary policy, and identifies issues warranting further research.