(Ottawa) Manufacturing sales rose 1.4% to $71 billion nationally in July, led by higher sales in the petroleum and coal and chemical subsectors, Statistics Canada said.
The increase follows a 1.7% drop in June.
The agency said sales in the petroleum and coal products subsector rose 6.7 percent to $8.6 billion in July, with most refineries selling more, helped by higher prices and demand.
Sales of chemicals jumped 5.3% to $5.6 billion in July, driven by higher sales of pharmaceuticals and medicines.
Sales of wood products fell 4.8% in July to $2.9 billion, the lowest level since May 2023.
In constant dollars, overall manufacturing sales increased 0.9% in July.