Canada’s central bank has cut its benchmark interest rate to the lowest level since 2022, warning that a trade war with the US will probably slow the pace of Canadian economic growth and increase inflationary pressures.
The Bank of Canada on Wednesday reduced rates by 0.25 percentage points, as expected, to bring its policy rate to 2.75 per cent. It marked the seventh consecutive cut in the BoC’s monetary policy easing cycle.
The move came hours after US President Donald Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminium imported from Canada took effect earlier on Wednesday. Trump has also imposed, then delayed, 25 per cent tariffs on Canada and Mexico, despite the US having a free-trade pact with the two countries.