Statistics Canada says manufacturing sales fell in December, weighed down by production slowdowns for retooling in some auto assembly plants in Ontario. A general view of production along the Honda CRV production line is shown during a tour of the Honda manufacturing plant in Alliston, Ont., Wednesday, Apr. 5, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston
OTTAWA – Statistics Canada says manufacturing sales fell in December, weighed down by production slowdowns for retooling at some auto assembly plants in Ontario.
The agency says manufacturing sales fell 0.7 per cent to $71.2 billion in December compared with a 1.5 per cent increase in November.
Sales of motor vehicles fell 13.5 per cent to $4.4 billion in the month, the lowest level since December 2022.
Sales of chemical products also dropped 3.1 per cent to $5.4 billion, driven by a 19.7 per cent decline in sales of pharmaceutical and medicine products.
Meanwhile, sales of aerospace products and parts rose 10.6 per cent to a record $2.5 billion in December.
Total sales in constant dollars were down 0.1 per cent in December.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 15, 2024.
