Statistics Canada says manufacturing sales up 0.7 per cent in December

OTTAWA – Statistics Canada says manufacturing sales rose 0.7 per cent in December to $64.0 billion, led by a gain in sales of plastic and rubber, motor vehicles and fabricated metal, as well as wood product industries.

The agency says sales of plastic and rubber products rose 11.8 per cent to a record $3.5 billion in December, driven by higher seasonal demand for plastic products.

Sales increased 8.2 per cent in the motor vehicle sector, while motor vehicle part industries gained 1.6 per cent.

Fabricated metal product sales gained 5.1 per cent and wood product sales rose 3.7 per cent.

Sales in constant dollars gained 0.6 per cent in December, indicating a higher volume of goods sold.

For the full year, manufacturing sales rose 17.5 per cent to $718.4 billion for 2021.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 16, 2022.