John Chant

Professor Emeritus of Economics, Simon Fraser University

John F. Chant is Professor Emeritus of Economics at Simon Fraser University. He was educated at the University of British Columbia and Duke University and has taught at the University of Edinburgh, Duke University, University College Dar es Salaam, Queen's University, and Carleton University. He has written extensively on a variety of topics including monetary policy and theory, financial institutions and their regulation, and issues in higher education. Mr. Chant has been Research Director of the Financial Markets Group at the Economic Council, Research Director of the Task Force on the Future of the Canadian Financial System, and Adviser to the Governor of the Bank of Canada. He has also served as editor of Economic Inquiry and Canadian Public Policy, and as a member of the Monetary Policy Council of the CD Howe Institute. He was awarded the Western Economic Association's Award for Teaching Excellence. Mr. Chant has served as a ministerial appointee to the Board of the Canadian Payments Association and subsequently as a member of the Task Force on the Canadian Payments System. Currently, Mr. Chant serves as a Research Fellow of the C.D. Howe Institute and as a Senior Fellow and on the Editorial Board of The Fraser Institute.

Recent Research by John Chant

— Apr 28, 2022
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The Ebb and Flow of Bank of Canada Independence

The Ebb and Flow of Bank of Canada Independence is a new study that finds for an optimal relationship between the Bank of Canada and the federal government to exist, the bank must make the costs and consequences of inflation clear to the public while the government must ensure the bank operates under their agreement that inflation targeting has in fact served Canadians well.

— Oct 29, 2020
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Reforming BC Auto Insurance to Benefit Consumers

Reforming BC Auto Insurance to Benefit Consumers finds that the Government of British Columbia’s ICBC reforms haven’t gone far enough and maintain ICBC’s monopoly on basic automobile insurance—which keeps rates higher than they would be in a more open insurance market.

— Nov 15, 2018
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Understanding Why Basic Auto Insurance Rates in BC Are So High

Understanding Why Basic Auto Insurance Rates in BC Are So High finds that drivers in British Columbia pay higher rates, in part, because ICBC doesn’t fully account for age when setting rates, so older, safer drivers pay more to subsidize younger, riskier drivers, who pay less than they otherwise would. Also, ICBC uses driver premiums to pay for non-insurance related costs—such as driver testing, driver and vehicle licensing and fine collection—which also drive up costs.