Real gross domestic product (GDP) was up 0.2% in February, with goods-producing industries driving the growth for the second consecutive month, reported Statistics Canada on Thursday.
Goods-producing industries grew 0.4% in February, driven by expansions in manufacturing and mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction. Services-producing industries edged up 0.1%, as rebounds in transportation and warehousing and wholesale trade were largely offset by contractions in the public sector, said the federal agency.
Statistics Canada said the manufacturing sector led the growth in February, rising 1.8% in the month. This was the largest monthly growth in the sector since January 2023 (+2.2%) and was driven by a 3.6% expansion in durable-goods manufacturing industries.
It said the wholesale trade sector rose 0.9% in February, largely offsetting January’s decrease. Motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and accessories merchant wholesalers (+6.1%) led the growth in February, corresponding to increased production of motor vehicles as well as higher exports and imports of passenger cars and light trucks and motor vehicle engines and parts.
Statistics Canada said advance information indicates that real GDP was essentially unchanged in March. Increases in wholesale trade and transportation and warehousing were offset by decreases in retail trade and mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction. Owing to its preliminary nature, this estimate will be updated on May 29 with the release of the official GDP by industry data for March.
“With this advance estimate for March, information on real GDP by industry suggests that the economy expanded 0.4% in the first quarter of 2026.”
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