Economy stalled in November and may have contracted in Q4: StatCan

By Canadian Press on January 30, 2026.

OTTAWA — Statistics Canada says economic growth was flat in November as declines in the manufacturing sector weighed on real gross domestic product in the month.

The agency says a global semiconductor shortage led to supply bottlenecks in automotive production, which sent durable-goods manufacturing to its lowest monthly levels since 2011, outside the COVID-19 pandemic.

StatCan says the end of strikes at Alberta schools, British Columbia liquor stores and Canada Post helped drive rebounds in the relevant sectors of the economy in November.

Signs the economy stalled in November came after a decline of 0.3 per cent in real GDP for October.

StatCan’s flash estimates suggest the economy grew 0.1 per cent in December as the manufacturing and wholesale trade sectors returned to growth.

If that early look at the data lines up with next month’s quarterly GDP report, StatCan says the economy would have contracted 0.5 per cent on an annualized basis in the final quarter of 2025.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2026.

Craig Lord, The Canadian Press