Five things to watch for in the Canadian business world in the coming week

TORONTO — Five things to watch for in the Canadian business world in the coming week:

Election

The leaders of the four federal political parties are expected to be on the campaign trail this week. Trade and how they will deal with U.S. President Donald Trump will be top issues for the campaign, which polls suggest will be a battle between newly minted Liberal Leader Mark Carney and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.

HBC

The liquidation sales at Hudson’s Bay are set to start Monday as the company looks to close all but six of its stores. The retailer received approval last week to begin selling off inventory at the bulk of its 80 stores as well as three Saks Fifth Avenue stores and 13 Saks Off 5th locations in Canada that it owns through a licensing agreement.

Bank of Canada

The Bank of Canada will release Wednesday its summary of deliberations for its recent rate decision when it cut its key policy interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 2.75 per cent. Governor Tiff Macklem said last week that the uncertainty surrounding U.S. tariffs is already taking a toll on the economy as businesses delay investments.

BRP results

BRP Inc. will report its fourth quarter and full-year financial results on Wednesday. The Ski-Doo and Sea-Doo maker laid off workers last year as demand for its popular snowmobiles and personal watercraft slowed after booming during the pandemic.

Economic report

Statistics Canada is scheduled to release its gross domestic product figures for January on Friday. The agency’s early estimate for the first month of the year pointed to an increase of 0.3 per cent, helped by strength in mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction, wholesale trade and transportation and warehousing, partially offset by decreases in retail trade.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 23, 2025.

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The Canadian Press