Economists had expected an increase of 2.1%
Unemployment rate hit record low at 5.4%
Federal debt as a percentage of GDP is expected to be 30.7%
Canadians owed nearly $1.78 in credit market debt for every dollar of household disposable income
Growth in household spending slowed to 0.3% in the quarter
Inflation report comes ahead of the Bank of Canada’s interest rate decision next week
12 of 20 sectors gained ground as the manufacturing sector grew 1.2%
Rising gasoline prices helped push the consumer price index to its highest reading since 2011
Although the indicator increased to its highest level since 2011, the surveys were completed before the U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum were announced
The 1.68-percentage point decline marks the biggest improvement on record