The Bank of Canada is widely expected to keep its key interest rate unchanged at 2.25 per cent on Wednesday.

In October, governor Tiff Macklem signalled that policymakers would not consider further cuts, assuming economic growth and inflation evolved as forecasted.

“Governing council sees the current policy rate at about the right level to keep inflation close to two per cent while helping the economy through this period of structural adjustment,” he said.

Strong job growth since the summer is among the reasons central bankers would want to stay put in the last rate decision of the year, according to economists.

In November, the economy gained 54,000 jobs, while the unemployment rate fell to 6.5 per cent from 6.9 per cent in October.

At the same time, gross domestic product (GDP) fo

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