Jean Boivin Appointed Special Advisor to the Bank of Canada

April 15, 2009

Economics Professor Jean Boivin has been appointed to the position of Special Advisor to the Bank of Canada for a 12-month term, starting in September. Mr. Boivin will contribute to the Bank’s research on Canada’s inflation target and the monetary policy framework.

“I am pleased with this appointment, for it will give me privileged access to the Bank of Canada’s decision-making processes at a time when the economy is undergoing great changes,” explained Mr. Boivin. “My research fits in with the Bank’s concerns, so I hope that I will be able to contribute to dealing with the issues it is facing.”

Professor Boivin holds a PhD in Economics from Princeton University, and has been teaching at HEC Montréal since 2006. Before joining HEC Montréal, he taught at the Columbia School of Business. He currently holds the Chair in Monetary Policy and Financial Markets at the HEC Montréal Institute of Applied Economics.

The role of the Special Adviser is to bring additional perspectives to monetary policy discussions at the Bank of Canada. It is also intended to increase the pool of academics and private-sector economists with a direct understanding of how the institution operates and its role in determining monetary policy. Professor Boivin is the second HEC Montréal professor to hold this position since it was created in 1998. He was preceded by Daniel Racette, Director of the Institute of Applied Economics, in 1999-2000.