Bank of Canada balance sheet snapshot

Summary#

The Bank of Canada published its Statement of financial position as at April 30, 2023 (unaudited). It shows total assets of $382,554 million and a reported net deficiency of -$2,151 million; the statement was signed on May 17, 2023 by Coralia Bulhoes and Tiff Macklem.

What it does#

This is a one‑day snapshot of the central bank’s books. Key line items reported include:

• Total assets: $382,554 million.
• Total investments: $356,377 million, including:
  • Government of Canada bonds (amortized cost): $101,823 million.
  • Government of Canada bonds (fair value): $218,081 million.
  • Canada Mortgage Bonds: $8,096 million.
  • Shares in the Bank for International Settlements (BIS): $503 million.
• Derivatives and Government indemnity agreements: $25,050 million.
• Cash and foreign deposits: $10 million.
• Capital assets (property, equipment, intangibles): $662 million.
• Total liabilities: $384,705 million, including:
  • Bank notes in circulation: $115,666 million.
  • Total deposits (including the Government of Canada and members of Payments Canada): $251,769 million.
  • Securities sold under repurchase agreements: $16,926 million.
• Accumulated deficit shown on the statement: $3,130 million, giving a total deficiency of -$2,151 million.

The document is labeled “unaudited” and carries the signed declarations of the bank’s chief financial officer and governor.

Who's affected#

• People who follow Canada’s public finances and central banking: economists, market analysts, journalists.
• The federal government and large financial institutions that interact with the Bank of Canada, including members of Payments Canada.
• The general public and taxpayers may be interested as a measure of the central bank’s balance‑sheet size and composition.
• If it is unclear who else might be affected, the notice itself does not specify further impacts.

Why it matters#

• The statement shows the scale of the central bank’s balance sheet and what it holds (large amounts of Government of Canada bonds and other securities).
• It reports that liabilities slightly exceed assets on that date (a net deficiency of -$2,151 million), which is a straightforward accounting result readers may notice.
• Even though this is a routine financial disclosure, analysts use these figures to track monetary policy operations, liquidity in financial markets, and how the central bank manages public funds.
• The statement is unaudited; that means it’s an internal financial snapshot rather than a final audited report.