Total manufacturing sales rose 4.2% to $77.1 billion in April, following a 3.4% increase in March. Sales rose in 17 of the 21 subsectors, led by the petroleum and coal product (+22.6%) and food (+2.9%) subsectors. Sales of primary metals (-4.6%) declined the most. Total manufacturing sales excluding petroleum and coal products were up 1.4% on a month-over-month basis in April, while they increased 10.6% on a year-over-year basis, according to Statistics Canada.
In constant dollars, total manufacturing sales rose 1.8% in April, while the Industrial Product Price Index increased 2.0%, it noted.
Petroleum and coal product sales reached another record high in April, rising 22.6% to $11.8 billion, following a 25.5% increase in March. The gain was driven primarily by higher volumes, as sales in constant dollars rose 17.5% in April. Several refineries ramped up production after maintenance shutdowns in March. In addition, the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping route for oil, continued to exert upward pressure on energy and petroleum product prices in April, reflecting heightened supply concerns in international markets. On a year-over-year basis, petroleum product sales in current dollars were up 77.1% in April. Meanwhile, exports of refined petroleum energy products (including liquid biofuels) increased 56.3% month over month,” said the federal agency.
“Sales of food products reached their record high, rising 2.9% to $13.9 billion in April. Sales in constant dollars were up 2.4%. Higher sales of grain and oilseed milling contributed the most to the increase. On a year-over-year basis, total sales of food in current dollars increased 5.9%.”
Sales in the manufacturing sector rose in seven provinces in April, led by Alberta and followed by Quebec. Meanwhile, Manitoba posted the largest decline, said Statistics Canada.
“Sales in Alberta rose 16.7% to $10.5 billion in April, the highest level on record. Gains were reported in 15 of the 21 subsectors, led by the petroleum and coal product (+33.1%), food (+22.4%) and chemical (+8.6%) subsectors. Within food manufacturing, the increase was driven by the grain and oilseed milling as well as the meat product industry groups, while the rise in chemical manufacturing sales was largely attributable to increased sales in resin, synthetic rubber, and artificial and synthetic fibres and filaments manufacturing. On a year-over-year basis, total sales in Alberta rose 23.2% in April.”
Mario Toneguzzi
Mario Toneguzzi is Managing Editor of Canada’s Entrepreneur. He has more than 40 years of experience as a daily newspaper writer, columnist, and editor. He was named in 2021 and 2024 as one of the top business journalists in the world by PR News. He was also named by RETHINK to its global list of Top Retail Experts 2024, 2025 and 2026.
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