TORONTO – “It will be a difficult period for the Canadian economy”. Federal Minister of Finance, Chrystia Freeland (in the pic above, from her Facebook page), issued a warning: the next few months will not be good as the Bank of Canada’s recent rate hikes to tame (according to the bank itself) skyrocketing inflation will increase borrowing costs for businesses and consumers, which will send shockwaves throughout the economy, Freeland said, effectively echoing a concept that many economists have been arguing for months.  (more…)