OTTAWA – It has been more than a year since Stephen Poloz took over as governor of the Bank of Canada. Replacing Mark Carney, now the top policymaker at the Bank of England, would be a hard act to follow for anyone — cutting a high profile as the first central bank “rock star,” as the media dubbed him.
But Canadian businesses appear to have warmed to Mr. Poloz, 58, and his folksy style of speaking and just-an-ordinary-guy persona.
According to a survey by the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada, 71% of respondents say they have become more comfortable with Mr. Poloz, who took over from Mr. Carney in June 2013.
“The fact that Mr. Poloz did not come in and shake things up likely contributes to the viewpoint of growing comfort,” said Kevin Dancey, president and CEO of CPA Canada.
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Even so, Mr. Poloz, the former head of Export Development Canada, has streamlined a number of the central bank’s publications and brought more clarity to policy statements.
Meanwhile, the CPA’s second-quarter survey found that 56% of executives remained optimistic about how the Canadian economy will perform over the next 12 months — that’s the highest level since the first quarter of 2011.
Also, 48% of respondents said they expected to add employees in the coming year, up from 43% in the first quarter.