Five things to watch for in the Canadian business world in the coming week

TORONTO – Five things to watch this week in Canadian business:

Mining Meeting: The four-day PDAC Mining and Investment Conference, held annually in Toronto, begins on Monday. This year’s event is expected to feature more than 1,000 exhibitors and 23,000 attendees from upwards of 100 countries.

Women’s Day: Victor Dodig, CEO of CIBC, participates in a discussion Tuesday in Toronto about women in business at the Rotman School of Management’s International Women’s Day event.

Bank of Canada Interest Rate Announcement: The central bank is scheduled to make its next interest rate announcement Wednesday. “Instead of a rate cut, look for an all-talk, no action dovish tilt from the Bank of Canada in its message,” says Avery Shenfeld, chief economist for CIBC World Markets. The rate is at 0.5 per cent.

Mr. Trudeau Goes To Washington: Canada’s prime minister is in Washington, D.C., this week to meet with President Barack Obama for an official state visit, including a glitzy state dinner at the White House on Thursday night. It will be the first White House state dinner in 19 years for a Canadian leader, when Bill Clinton hosted Jean Chretien in 1997.

Jobs: On Friday, Statistics Canada will release its eagerly anticipated labour force survey for February. At last check in January, the bite of the oil-price shock had sunk its teeth deeper into the job markets of Canada’s oil-producing provinces, with Alberta posting its worst unemployment rate in a decade.