OTTAWA, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Inflation in Canada remains "too high" but is headed in the right direction, a Bank of Canada official said on Tuesday, adding that the central bank will do whatever is needed to bring price increases back to target. While we're headed in the right direction, that's still too high," Beaudry said in prepared remarks provided ahead of the speech. While some have argued policymakers need to engineer a recession to avoid this, Beaudry said the bank is working to convince Canadians the current period of high inflation is temporary and it will tame surging prices. Still, economists said if consumer and business surveys due out next month show inflation has become more entrenched, the Bank of Canada may have to change its tune. The Bank of Canada has boosted its policy rate by 300-basis points in six months and earlier this month signaled it was not yet done.

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