News conference with Dr. Sylvia Ostry, Robert Douglas, Executive Director of the Centre for the Study of Inflation and Productivity (CSIP) and Patrick Robert, Associate Executive Director, CSIP, in French and English. Ostry made an opening statement about: inaccuracy of CBC report on news, formation of the Centre for the Study of Inflation and Productivity (CSIP), request of Premiers for CSIP study of price, inflation, productivity, welfare system and Canadian values, problems of employment, inflation, monetary and fiscal policy, food costs, energy prices, price indexing, wage structures, United States discussions of voluntary income, adjustments to tax structure, CSIP as early warning system, as analyzing agency, as educator for public, for analysis of sectoral problems, price increases and productivity. Followed by a statement by Robert Douglas, about: gathering of information, economic situation, publicizing findings, reliance upon public and volunteered information, organization, staff, macro economic division, short-term development, price costs, sectoral division, energy pricing, labour relations, industrial structure, communications division, quarterly report, regular research studies, specific situation reports, as national agency, approaching provincial governments, business, labour and date of full operation. Followed by questions from the news media in both French and English, addressed to Ostry, Robert Douglas, and Patrick Robert about: CSIP, legitimate price shifts, spill-over effects, research into specific industries, a non-interventionist group, rejection of supine powers, analytical role, education of the public, reports upon government policy, state of Canadian economy, optimism for future, competitiveness in foreign markets, shifts in comparative advantage, possibility of recession, cooperation with labour, study on price of beef; unit on food prices, real income, cooperation with Statistics Canada, Anti-Inflation Board (AIB), area of jurisdiction, access to AIB information, duration of CSIP, expenditures for operation, relation to Economic Council, Ostry as member of inter-departmental committees and distance from government policy formation. <73mn>
