Canadian manufacturing sales climbed in August, led by metal and chemical sectors

Skip to Content News Archives Economy Defence Energy Oil & Gas Renewables Electric Vehicles Mining Commodities Agriculture Real Estate Mortgages Mortgage Rates Finance Banking Insurance Fintech Cryptocurrency Defence Work Wealth Smart Money Wealth Management Investor Personal Finance Family Finance Retirement Taxes High Net Worth FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials More Innovation Information Technology FP500 Podcasts Small Business Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Financial Post Store Obituaries Place a Notice Advertising Advertising With Us Advertising Solutions Postmedia Ad Manager Sponsorship Requests Classifieds Place a Classifieds ad Working Profile Settings My Subscriptions My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ News Economy Energy Mining Real Estate Finance Defence Work Wealth Investor FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.HomeNewsEconomyCanadian manufacturing sales climbed in August, led by metal and chemical sectorsData did not include full implementation of latest 50% U.S. tariffsMolten copper is prepared during the manufacturing process inside Glencore PLC's Canadian Copper Refinery in Montreal, Que. on Oct. 3, 2026. Photo by ANDREJ IVANOV/AFP via Getty Images filesManufacturing sales in Canada climbed in August while wholesale trade dipped, but the effects from the new 50 per cent United Statestariffs were not reflected in the data.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLYSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountThe figures, published on Thursday, showed manufacturing sales rose by 1.5 per cent to $79.9 billion in August following a 0.3 per cent dip in July.The gains were broad-based, with 12 out of 21 subsectors reporting gains between July and August. The primary metal and chemical subsectors — which rose by 14 per cent and 4.4 per cent, respectively — led the gains, which were partially offset by a 2.6 per cent decline in transportation equipment sales.This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Excluding motor vehicles and parts, manufacturing sales were up by 2.1 per cent month over month.SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE: FP West: Energy Insider brings you behind the oilpatch’s closed doors with exclusive insights from insiders every Wednesday morning.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of FP West: Energy Insider will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againOn a year-over-year basis, total manufacturing sales were up 14.2 per cent in August.Total manufacturing inventories edged up by 0.2 per cent to $127.7 billion, driven by increased inventories of fabricated metals and machinery.Meanwhile, total wholesale trade dipped by 1.6 per cent to $91.6 billion in August, with sales decreasing in five out of seven subsectors.The largest decreases were seen in sales of motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts and accessories, which dipped by 3.8 per cent, and agricultural supplies, which dipped by 12.4 per cent.Wholesale trade fell by 1.8 per cent in August in volume terms, which excludes petroleum, petroleum products and other hydrocarbons as well as oil seed and grain.On a year-over-year basis, wholesale trade was 7.2 per cent higher in August.Wholesale inventories were unchanged from July to August at $141 billion. Decreases were reported in three out of seven subsectors, with the largest declines seen in the motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and accessories subsector, followed by the food, beverage and tobacco subsector. Increases in the personal and household goods subsector partially offset the decreases, along with pharmaceuticals and pharmacy supplies.This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Thursday’s manufacturing sales and wholesale trade data reflects a time period before the full implementation of new 50 per cent tariffs, which were announced in July and came into effect on Aug. 22. Those will be reflected in the September data, which will be released by Statistics Canada in mid-November.Economists largely expect that the Canadian economy grew at a slower pace in the third quarter of 2026 after it grew at an annualized rate of 3.3 per cent in the second quarter, largely due to heightened uncertainty from the ongoing trade tensions and threats of additional tariffs from the U.S.The Bank of Canada projected third-quarter economic growth at an annualized rate of 1.5 per cent in its July Monetary Policy Report, but governor Tiff Macklem previously warned that the outlook has changed because global oil prices remain elevated from the conflict in the Middle East and trade tensions with the U.S. have intensified.The central bank’s next Monetary Policy Report will be published on Oct. 28, along with an interest rate announcement.This advertisement has not loaded yet.Notice for the Postmedia NetworkThis website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. 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