Statistics Canada says wholesale sales fell 1.3% in December in Canada. It’s the first decline after seven consecutive increases. The decrease is attributed to sharply lower sales of motor vehicles; motor vehicle parts and accessories; and machinery, equipment and supplies.

On the other hand, even with the decline in December, sales for the month were still 3.0% higher than levels observed before the COVID-19 pandemic, with all 10 provinces recording higher sales than in February 2020. December sales were the third highest for the sector on record.

Despite provincial governments’ increased restrictions on business activity in December, the drop in the sector was consistent with previous monthly fluctuations. In 2019, the average monthly movement was plus or minus 1.2%, and no individual month moved more than 1.7% one way or the other.
Lower sales were recorded in seven provinces, accounting for 96% of total wholesale sales in December. Ontario and British Columbia posted the largest decline in monthly sales. Sales in Saskatchewan fell 4.1 per cent to $2.4 billion.