People shop in a grocery store in Montreal, Wednesday, November 16, 2022. Statistics Canada is set to release a report on its January inflation reading this morning. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
OTTAWA – Canada’s annual inflation rate slowed to 5.9 per cent in January, despite grocery prices rising at an even faster pace last month.
Statistics Canada says headline inflation slowed from 6.3 per cent in December, with the deceleration reflecting a smaller month-to-month increase in prices in January 2023 compared with January 2022.
Given much of the acceleration in inflation happened in the first half of 2022, the federal agency says headline inflation will continue to slow because of base-year effects.
Meanwhile, grocery prices rose faster last month, with prices up 11.4 per cent compared with a year ago.
Statistics Canada says prices for meat, bakery goods and vegetables all rose faster on a year-over-year basis.
On a month-over-month basis, higher gas prices at the pump in January drove up the consumer price index compared with December.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 21, 2023.
