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On Tuesday, December 6 at 2:30 NL time, Economist Glen Hodgson will virtually deliver an economic webinar for techNL members to help you prepare for long-term success going into 2023.

The global and Canadian economies recovered well in 2021 from the pandemic shutdown period. Effective vaccines and treatments for COVID, plus exceptional monetary and fiscal stimulus, permitted the gradual reopening of the economy and a return to a positive growth pathway for output and employment.

Strong growth was initially projected for 2022. However, supply chain bottlenecks and a spike in energy prices largely due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine fueled a sharp rise in inflation. Central banks were also slow to respond to the inflationary threat and the bank of Canada and others have hoisted interest rates in multiple large steps as they struggle to bring inflation back under control.

Economic growth has stalled and there is now a strong possibility of recession into 2023. The current context faces many complications and risks. Key questions include:

• Has inflation peaked? How quickly will it decline? How high will interest rates go in order to contain the inflationary pressures, and when will they peak?
• What’s the growth outlook for 2023? Are higher interest rates creating conditions for a recession in Canada, the U.S. and elsewhere?
• What is happening in housing and equity markets?
• What other longer-term challenges will define the longer-term growth capacity of the economy? (e.g. aging demographics, climate change)
• In an environment of higher interest rates, stubborn inflation and recession risk, what can individual businesses do to position themselves for longer-term success?

Glen Hodgson

Economist and financial consultant 

Glen Hodgson has 40 years of experience in global and Canadian macro-economics, international finance, fiscal policy, and other “big picture” topics.

Glen’s career spanned the Conference Board of Canada, where he was Senior Vice-President and Chief Economist for over a decade; Export Development Canada (EDC); the Canadian Department of Finance; and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington D.C.

His current affiliations include: Senior Fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute; Chief Economist with International Financial Consulting Ltd; Fellow with the Public Policy Forum; and expert advisor at the Canadian Climate Institute. He is Chairman of the Veristell Institute, a think tank focused on advancing corporate social purpose, and a past president and board member of the Ottawa Economics Association.      

Glen is a recipient of the Ottawa Economics Association’s award of distinction, recognizing his contribution to Canadian economic analysis and policy.

Recent work includes: research studies for C.D. Howe Institute on climate risk management by Canadian banks, the governance of Crown corporations, and on the Canadian green bond market; a UN project to develop the first integrated national financial framework for Nigeria; the legislative review of EDC; and various articles on topics like the impact of the COVID pandemic, and the economics of climate change and sustainable finance.  

Glen has co-authored two books and written approx. 450 reports, briefings and articles. He has delivered many presentations to audiences of all types and sizes, and done numerous media interviews via print, TV, radio and social media. 

He is a graduate of McGill University (MA and PhD candidate in economics, 1981), and the University of Manitoba (BA (Honours), 1978).