Asset purchases are now arguably a  standard non-standard monetary policy tool, as all three major central banks have since embarked in some form of asset purchases, and are currently in different stages of implementation.

And on Friday, the Bank of Canada became the latest to join the parade, when it announced for the first time plans to buy government-backed mortgage bonds in an attempt to boost its balance sheet and arguably, to stabilize Canada's flagging housing market.

The move, part of a decision to include government-guaranteed debt issued by federal Crown corporations, will allow Canada's central bank to offset continued growth in bank notes, the central bank said in an statement Friday. It will also give it flexibility to further reduce its participation at primary auctions of Canadian government bond "to help increase the tradeable float of those benchmark securities and hence support their secondary market liquidity."