As U.S., U.K. and EU sanction violent Israeli settlers, Canada hangs back

The Trudeau government still won’t say if it’s considering imposing sanctions on violent Israeli settlers in the wake of travel bans announced by both the U.S. and the United Kingdom in recent days. The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said last week that he will recommend EU sanctions as well.  Canada, like its American, British … Read more

Annual pace of housing starts in Canada down 22% in November, says CMHC

The pace of housing starts in Canada fell by 22 per cent in November, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. said Friday. The agency says the monthly seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing starts in November came in at 212,624 units, down from 272,264 in October. A housing start is defined as the beginning of construction work … Read more

Tiff Macklem says 2024 will be a transition year for economy, too soon to consider rate cuts

Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says he expects 2024 to be a transition year as higher interest rates slow down the economy, making way for lower inflation. In his final speech of the year, the governor laid out his expectations for a softer economy next year and offered criteria for the central bank to start discussing rate … Read more

Canadian debt-to-income ratio narrowed slightly in third quarter, says StatsCan

A report from Statistics Canada says that the ratio of Canadian household debt to income narrowed in the third quarter. The agency says household credit market debt as a proportion of household disposable income in the third quarter fell to 181.6 per cent, on a seasonally adjusted basis, down from 181.9 per cent in the … Read more

Surge in newcomers putting pressure on inflation via housing demand: BoC official

The recent surge in newcomers is adding to inflation through housing demand, a senior Bank of Canada official said Thursday, warning rental and home prices could continue to rise without a boost to housing supply. In a speech in Windsor, Ont., deputy governor Toni Gravelle acknowledged many of the benefits coming from this rise in immigration, … Read more