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Pedro Antunes

Chief Economist

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About

Pedro Antunes is the Chief Economist at The Conference Board of Canada where he provides insights and general direction for economic products, which include reports and economic indicators about Canada, its regions, and sectors. He provides professional testimony before parliamentary and senate committees along with media appearances in both English and French. Pedro is widely sought to speak to industry leaders and decision-makers on a wide range of issues and topics impacting Canadians.

Past Work Experience

Pedro started his professional career in 1987 with the Canadian forecast team at the Bank of Canada, joining the Board in 1992 as part of the provincial forecast team. Over time, he had responsibility for the economic analysis of different provinces and sectors. He also worked on several international projects to help decision-makers in Tunisia, Morocco, Jordan, and Ukraine develop appropriate forecasting and policy analysis tools. Among other topics, Pedro has researched the impact of Canada’s demographic change on labour markets, the fiscal sustainability of health care, productivity, and long-term economic growth.

Academic Background

Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Economics, Bishop’s University
Master of Arts in Economics, Queen’s University

Contact

antunes@conferenceboard.ca

Our customers need to look ahead and plan for what is coming, and the economic forecasts are crucial inputs. But the work we do goes beyond the forecasts, it really boils down to guiding the policy debate on important issues to Canada and Canadians with evidence.

Get to Know Pedro

What brought you to the Conference Board?

I joined the Conference Board in September 1991. It was a tough job market back then and economist job openings were in short supply. So, to be perfectly frank, I took the job because I got the offer. But it really was my dream job right from the get-go. Joining an organization that was investing and building its large-scale economic models was a terrific opportunity to dive deep into what I loved—applied economics. We were in product development mode back then, diving deep into the Canadian economy and building new forecasts such as the long-term forecasts and adding detail to our provincial and national databases.

What impact do you hope to see from your work?

It has always been clear to me how important the data and forecasts are for guiding business and public sector plans. Our customers need to look ahead and plan for what is coming, and the forecasts are crucial inputs. But the work we do goes beyond the forecasts, it really boils down to guiding the policy debate on important issues to Canada and Canadians with evidence. The economic tools and forecasts help us get clarity about critical issues in Canada, what drives our standard of living and how policy levers will affect our future performance.

What do you do when you’re offline?

I spend much of my free time trying to wear away the boundless energy of my 2½ year old poodle, Tiago. We run, snowshoe, X-country ski and toss the ball every day. We’re considering skijoring but more training is required. Once COVID is past, I hope to play a few more years of soccer wit

Pedro in the News & Media Appearances

CBC Rundown with Carole MacNeil

Pedro Antunes spoke with CBC’s Carole MacNeil to discuss the labour market in Canada including the impact of low immigration and government programs such as CRB/EI.

CBC   •   October 12, 2021

La confiance des consommateurs s’effrite partout au Canada, sauf en Ontario

ICI Toronto   •   March 18, 2023
Article

BoC likely to ‘hit the hammer a little harder’ on interest rates

BNN Bloomburg   •   July 5, 2022
Video

Unpacking the parties’ platform pledges for Ottawa homeowners, present and future

Ottawa Citizen   •   August 28, 2021
Article

Alberta to Lead in Economic Growth

Calgary Business   •   June 9, 2021
Article

Varcoe: As oil hits $70, new forecast shows Alberta’s economy primed to lead Canada in growth in 2021 and ’22

Calgary Herald   •  June 8, 2021
Article

Can we be coaxed back to the core? A new study sizes up the daunting challenge facing Toronto’s downtown

Toronto Star   •   June 8, 2021
Article

Other News