Economist & Statistician
Independent economist tracking Canada's economic currents
A retired Government of Canada public servant with several decades in national accounting, fiscal policy, and international finance — now writing, programming, and thinking independently about economic trends.
"Happily married for more than half a century — devoted father, grandfather, economist, and a lifelong fan of the Canadiens de Montréal." — Philip Smith
About
Born in Montréal, I spent several decades in public service studying the economy and the numbers behind it. Today I am an independent economist and statistician, following current economic trends and studying and commenting on them via social media and publications.
My writing explores macroeconomic data — from GDP and productivity to labour markets and population dynamics — with the goal of making rigorous analysis accessible to a broader audience.
Beyond economics, I am an amateur computer programmer currently enjoying the capabilities of AI tools like Claude. I am also a devoted player of the ancient Asian game of Go, and a proud supporter of les Canadiens de Montréal.
Areas of interest
Career
Present
Self-employed
Following current economic trends and studying and commenting on them via social media, Substack, and peer-reviewed publications. Building interactive data tools and applications in R and web technologies.
Statistics Canada — Senior Role
Statistics Canada, Government of Canada
Led the National Accounts and Analytical Studies Branch, overseeing the production of Canada's national accounts, GDP, and productivity statistics. Subsequently led the Business Surveys and International Trade Statistics Branch.
Finance Canada
Finance Canada, Government of Canada
Directed fiscal policy analysis and international finance work for the Government of Canada, contributing to budget planning and international economic coordination.
From 1973
Government of Canada
Began a career spanning several decades, working across issues of national accounting, business surveys, consumer prices, fiscal policy, and international finance — three-quarters of it at Statistics Canada, the remainder at Finance Canada.
Work & Projects
International Productivity Monitor · Issue 46 · Spring 2024
This paper identifies six factors currently influencing Canada's real GDP per capita — from labour productivity and average hours worked, to the surge in non-permanent residents — and uses a multiplicative decomposition to assess their relative importance. The analysis indicates the share of permanent residents in the total population is currently the single most important downward driver.
Download PDFWeb Application
An interactive web application for tracking key Canadian macroeconomic indicators, built with modern web technologies and Statistics Canada data.
Launch applicationWeb Application
A browser-based tool for exploring and visualizing data from Statistics Canada, making official statistical releases more accessible and explorable.
Launch applicationWeb Application
An interface for working with Statistics Canada's CODR database in wide format, facilitating analysis and download of cross-tabulated statistical data.
Launch applicationR / Shiny Application
An interactive R Shiny browser for Canada's System of National Accounts database, allowing users to build flexible custom tables from macroeconomic data.
Launch applicationR / Shiny Application
An R Shiny application providing flexible access to Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey data, enabling custom tabulations of employment and labour market statistics.
Launch applicationWriting & Analysis
Regular analysis and commentary on Canadian and international economic trends — from GDP and productivity to labour markets, immigration, and macroeconomic policy.
Read on SubstackContact
I welcome messages from readers, researchers, journalists, and anyone interested in Canadian economics and data. Feel free to reach out through the form or find me on any of the platforms below.
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