Why the Bank of Canada Act Needs Updating: A Lesson from the Sub-Prime Crisis

When trouble in the US housing market this past summer bubbled into problems in credit markets around the world, central banks took action. In a partially successful effort to keep those markets functioning smoothly, several central banks, including the Bank of Canada, took special steps to ensure liquidity – very short-term financing – was available to financial institutions. For the Bank of Canada, these steps included extending the list of securities it would accept as collateral when providing financing.