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Rates are based on an average mortgage of $300,001
| Insured | 80% LTV | 65% LTV | Uninsured | Bank Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-year fixed rate | 4.99% | 5.60% | 5.60% | 6.69% |
6.79%
|
| 2-year fixed rate | 5.67% | 5.30% | 5.30% | 6.04% |
6.39%
|
| 3-year fixed rate | 4.79% | 4.94% | 4.94% | 4.94% |
5.55%
|
| 4-year fixed rate | 4.94% | 4.94% | 4.94% | 5.09% |
5.29%
|
| 5-year fixed rate | 4.74% | 4.79% | 4.79% | 4.94% |
4.84%
|
| 7-year fixed rate | 4.94% | 5.29% | 5.29% | 5.09% |
5.90%
|
| 10-year fixed rate | 5.74% | 5.89% | 5.89% | 5.84% |
7.25%
|
| 3-year variable rate | 6.10% | 6.70% | 6.70% | N/A |
8.60%
|
| 5-year variable rate | 5.90% | 6.10% | 6.10% | 6.25% |
6.59%
|
| HELOC rate | 7.20% | 7.20% | 7.20% | 7.20% | N/A |
| Stress test | 6.74% | 6.79% | 6.79% | 5.25% | N/A |
Updated
Headquartered in Canada’s capital, Ottawa, the Bank of Canada was chartered in 1934 under the Bank of Canada Act. Its purpose is to create and manage Canada’s monetary policy, ensure and promote a sound financial banking system, and issue Canadian banknotes. The Bank of Canada also provides banking services and money management for the government, and loans money to Canadian financial institutions.
The bank was originally chartered as a privately owned corporation to ensure the bank would be removed from any undue political influence.
On March 11, 1935, the Bank of Canada began operations, following the granting of royal assent to the Bank of Canada Act.
In 1938, under Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, the bank was legally designated a federal Crown corporation. The government, at the time, appointed a board of directors to manage the bank, under the leadership of a governor. Each director swore an oath of "fidelity and secrecy" before taking office.
In 1944, the Bank of Canada then became the sole issuer of legal tender banknotes in Canada.
Over time, the Bank of Canada has evolved to assist with inflationary and interest rate policies.
The Bank of Canada is a Crown corporation, whose role is to create and monitor monetary policy, as well as issue bank notes. It is run by a Board of Governors and acts as an economic lever of the Canadian economy to ensure sound financial banking systems and policies are in place.
Other banks in Canada are for-profit institutions which deal with consumer or large business customers for lending, borrowing, and financing issues. Canadian banks provide services to customers that also provide investment and savings opportunities, and some have other divisions that sell insurance and mortgage products. These banks do not set monetary policy and rely on the Bank of Canada for certain lending rates.
Private banks also work as traders and underwriters of government and corporate debt.
The Bank of Canada has many roles in Canadian economic life such as issuing monetary policy and bank notes. It has evolved, however, as a major player in inflation fighting. The Bank of Canada aims to keep inflation at the 2% midpoint of an inflation-control target range of 1 to 3%. The inflation target is expressed as the year-over-year increase in the total consumer price index (CPI).
In 2022, the Bank of Canada has raised interest rates with the desire to curb economic activity, reduce demand and thus curb inflationary tendencies within the economy.
The Bank also monitors a set of core inflation measures that allow it to look through temporary changes in total CPI and focus on the underlying trend of inflation. In this sense, these core measures of inflation act as an operational guide to help the Bank achieve the total CPI inflation target.
The Bank carries out monetary policy by influencing short-term interest rates. It does this by adjusting the target for the overnight rate on eight fixed dates each year. The overnight rate is the interest rate at which a bank lends or borrows funds from another institution in the overnight market. In Canada, the overnight rate is the interest rate the central bank sets to target monetary policy.
If the economy is struggling to grow, it could pull inflation significantly below 2%. In response, the Bank might lower the policy rate so that other interest rates across the economy go down. This means:
But if the economy is growing too fast, it could lead to rising inflation. So, the Bank raises the policy rate, which means:
The overnight rate indirectly affects mortgage rates. As the overnight rate increases, it is more expensive for banks to settle their accounts, so to compensate they will raise longer-term rates. It can also affect savings rates in the same manner.
In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic was raging, Canada saw its inflation rate decline to a low of 0.72%. The next year, mainly due to high labour demand, supply chain slowdowns, and ultimate price increases, inflation began to rise steadily. The worldwide phenomenon of high inflation affected many central bank policy changes. In 2022, the Bank of Canada began a policy of raising its overnight rates to curb inflation. From March 2022 to July 2023, the Bank of Canada raised rates 10 times to a 22-year high of 5.0 percent.
The chart below shows that historical overnight rate trends remained quite low – getting to as low as 0.25% in April of 2020. The inflation rate peaked in June of 2022, at a rate of 8.1 percent.
Since then, inflation rates have been declining steadily as oil and gas have come down, and many supply chain issues have eased. In Canada, food prices have remained a sticking point for many consumers.
While the overnight rate has remained unchanged at 5.0 percent for the last two Bank of Canada decisions, the trend of lower inflation foretells the possibility of a decrease in rates in the near future, should the lower inflation trend remain.
And while borrowing costs remain relatively high compared to just two years ago, the housing market, auto market and other areas, are seeing a growth in demand.
Effective Date |
Bank of Canada Overnight Rate |
Change (BPS) |
|---|---|---|
| July 13, 2023 | 5.00% |
0.25% 
|
| June 8, 2023 | 4.75% |
0.25%
|
| January 26, 2023 | 4.50% |
0.25%
|
| December 8, 2022 | 4.25% |
0.50%
|
| October 27, 2022 | 3.75% |
0.50%
|
| September 8, 2022 | 3.25% |
0.75%
|
| July 14, 2022 | 2.50% |
1.00%
|
| June 2, 2022 | 1.50% |
0.50%
|
| April 14, 2022 | 1.00% |
0.50%
|
| March 3, 2022 | 0.50% |
0.25%
|
| March 27, 2020 | 0.25% |
-0.50% 
|
| March 16, 2020 | 0.75% |
-0.50%
|
| March 4, 2020 | 1.25% |
-0.50%
|
| January 1, 2019 | 1.75% |
1.75%
|
*As of 2021, a change takes effect the day after its announcement.
The prime interest rate, also known as the “prime rate,” is the interest rate commercial banks charge their most credit-worthy business customers for things like variable rates and lines of credit. It is a baseline rate upon which all floating rate loans are negotiated (for example, prime + 3%). The prime rate is set by financial institutions in a competitive fashion.
The rate is individually set by each bank, but when the prime rate is moved by one bank, other banks tend to follow and use the same rate within a day or two. The prime rate tends to be set based on what the Bank of Canada sets their overnight target rate at.
After the Bank of Canada has set its overnight rate and banks have set their prime rates, mortgage rates will rise and fall. When the prime rate in Canada goes up or down, your mortgage rate will go up or down by the same amount. Variable mortgages usually come with a lower rate than fixed-rate mortgages, however there’s always a risk the rate could go up (or down) during your mortgage term.
Effective Date |
Prime rate of chartered banks |
Change (BPS) |
|---|---|---|
| July 19, 2023 | 7.20% |
0.25%
|
| June 14, 2023 | 6.95% |
0.25%
|
| February 1, 2023 | 6.70% |
0.25%
|
| December 14, 2022 | 6.45% |
0.50%
|
| November 2, 2022 | 5.95% |
0.50%
|
| September 14, 2022 | 5.45% |
0.75%
|
| July 20, 2022 | 4.70% |
1.00%
|
| June 8, 2022 | 3.70% |
0.50%
|
| April 20, 2022 | 3.20% |
0.50%
|
| March 9, 2022 | 2.70% |
0.25%
|
| April 1, 2020 | 2.45% |
-0.50%
|
| March 18, 2020 | 2.95% |
-0.50%
|
| March 11, 2020 | 3.45% |
-0.50%
|
Source: Bank of Canada
Inflation produces two results that amount to the same thing. Simply, during inflation, the costs of goods and services rise. At the same time, consumer purchasing power diminishes. Economists and the Bank of Canada measure inflation by looking at the average price of a “basket” of selected goods and services.
That basket is made up of goods and services that consumers typically buy such as food, transportation, clothing, recreation, housing and more is known as the Consumer Price Index or CPI.
Measuring the cost of living by looking at how the CPI rises or falls is how the Bank of Canada determines the rate of inflation. The Bank of Canada has set a target to keep inflation at the 2% midpoint of an inflation-control target range of 1 to 3%.
Inflation has been on a steady climb starting in 2022 until this year. After 10 interest rate hikes, the Bank of Canada has helped ease inflation from its peak of 8.1% to a total consumer price index rate of 2.9% as of January 2024. While the inflation rates have trended lower, the BoC has maintained overnight rates at its 22-year high of 5.00 percent.
As overnight rates increase, so to do bank prime rates in relation to the CPI numbers. The higher inflation seen in Canada, and worldwide, was a result of a robust labour market and a slowdown in supply chains, which led to higher prices.
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 5.9% | 5.2% | 4.3% | 4.4% | 3.4% | 2.8% | 3.3% | 4% | 3.8% | 3.1% | 3.1% | 3.4% | |
| 2022 | 5.1% | 5.7% | 6.7% | 6.8% | 7.7% | 8.1% | 7.6% | 7.0% | |||||
| 2021 | 1.0% | 1.1% | 2.2% | 3.4% | 3.6% | 3.1% | 3.7% | 4.1% | 4.4% | 4.7% | 4.7% | 4.8% | 3.4% |
| 2020 | 2.4% | 2.2% | 0.9% | -0.2% | -0.4% | 0.7% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 1.0% | 0.7% | 0.7% |
Source: Bank of Canada
Through the last couple of years since inflation began to rise, Canada’s economy has remained relatively strong and avoided a recession – so far.
Real gross domestic product rose at an annualized rate of one percent in the fourth quarter of 2023 – up from 0.5% in the third quarter. The slow growth has been mainly due to the BoC’s interest rate hike policy that has helped move inflation back from the high of 8.1%. Domestic demand is also lower at a rate of 0.7% -- also due to the higher interest rate effect.
Our exports to the US have also been a boon as they rose to 5.6% for the third consecutive quarter. Also in the US, the Federal Reserve has indicated rates may be cut this year, but they are looking for signs of a positive turnaround in their economy. They have raised rates 11 times since March 2022 and are sitting at a target range of 5.25% to 5.5%.
Here at home, the BoC has hinted at rate cuts but is taking a bit of a wait and see approach regarding inflation. Economists are fairly unanimous in saying that the next move the BoC makes will be a rate cut. But as the cliche goes, time will tell.
Find answers about questions you may have about the Bank of Canada.
The current Bank of Canada overnight rate has been consistent at 5.0% since July 2023. The bank rate is 5.25% and the deposit rate at 5%. The ongoing prime rate is 7.20%.
The last two Bank of Canada rate decisions held the overnight rate at 5.0%. As inflation has been falling, it is believed that rates may come down later this year.
Without a crystal ball, it is difficult for anyone to predict where interest rates will go this year. The Bank of Canada says inflation is likely to stay close to the 3%-mark and could gradually return to the 2% target in 2025. If the trend holds, rates may come down sooner rather than later.
The scheduled dates for the interest rate announcements for 2024 are as follows:
Joel Kranc is a freelance writer and content provider who has worked with RATESDOTCA since 2019. He holds an MA in political science from the University of Toronto and a film certificate from New York University.
He has been published in and worked for such companies as CNN, Rogers Media, Institutional Investor Magazine, The Globe and Mail, Infrastructure Investor, BenefitsPRO Magazine, Global Finance Magazine, With Intelligence, the CPP Investment Board, Hospitals of Ontario Pension Plan, and many more financial services and industry publications.
He is the author of "Retirement Planning in 8 Easy Steps," which, when released in 2015, was No. 11 on the Publisher's Weekly US Bestseller List for Business and Finance, beating out Mark Cuban's "How to Win at the Sport of Business."
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