Stephen Poloz is a plain-spoken economist confronting the challenges of a central banking world turned upside down by the 2008 financial crisis.

In a wide-ranging interview with The Wall Street Journal, the Bank of Canada governor acknowledges that a housing boom was a predictable offshoot of the central bank’s easy money policies launched in response to the last crisis. Still, he predicts a soft landing for housing and says he’s not too worried about financial bubbles. Bigger concerns right now include persistently low inflation, uncertainty that is preventing businesses from investing and Canada’s disappointing export performance.

Below are key excerpts of his interview: