Insights from Ottawa from the newest member of the Canadian auto dealer writing team
I thought I would introduce myself to Canadian auto dealer readers with some humour and self-derision.
You’ve probably heard this old adage before. “What happens when you put 10 economists in a room? You’ll get 11 opinions!”
Economists are notorious for disagreeing on almost everything. I would even add that if you put one economist in a room, you will get two different opinions on the same subject. Then, what’s better suited for a young and eager economist than to have an entire column dedicated to a discussion on economic and public policy topics?
That is to say, I am excited and honoured to join the ranks of columnists for the Canadian auto dealer. I have recently joined CADA as their new economist and I wanted to properly introduce myself to the readers and auto industry community.
I have served as a senior policy advisor to various federal cabinet Ministers. In these roles, I have dealt with complex nationwide issues that impacted a variety of public policy areas.
I also have worked as a researcher for a leading think tank and have been involved in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
I hold both a Master degree and a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Economics. Having lived and attended college in Montreal, I am fluently bilingual and currently serve as an active member of the Canadian Armed Forces Reserves.
We forecast that this year’s sales will fall just off 2017’s record sale of two million vehicles.
While I bring a wealth of experiences, lessons and successes to the table, I am equally as humbled to become a part of the CADA team and write a column in this magazine for our car dealer members.
I have big shoes to fill. My predecessor Michael Hatch, for the past ten
years, has done an excellent job providing dealers across the country with accurate and timely data and also writing interesting opinion pieces in this column. I am up to the challenge.
The auto sector plays a key role in the Canadian economy. In addition to being a hub for R&D, it contributes $20 billion dollars to Canada’s annual GDP. The industry directly employs more than 130,000 people, with an additional 400,000 jobs depending on the industry across the country. This summer has been particularly gloomy for car sales in Canada however, USMCA will help bring back certainty, consumer confidence and alleviate the threat of auto tariffs. We forecast that this year’s sales will fall just off 2017’s record sale of two million vehicles.
I look forward to meeting dealers across the country to learn about their business and trends in the industry. I will be contributing thoughtful opinions in reviewing trending topics through an economic lens and I look forward to writing soon.
