Canada manufacturing sales off in February

Canadian manufacturing sales slid downward for a second month in February, off 0.3 percent to $49.1 billion, Statistics Canada reported Tuesday from Ottawa. The dip came after a 1.3 percent decline in January and affected 11 of 21 industry groups, representing about 64 percent of Canadian manufacturing, the agency said. "Motor vehicle assembly sales were down 8.7 percent, the first decline since June 2011," the report said. "Similarly, motor vehicle parts sales were down 7.2 percent, the first decrease since August." The second largest decline was posted by food manufacturers, particularly in grains and seafood processing. Manufacturing sales in food were down 3.1 percent to $6.9 billion from a month earlier. The aerospace sector posted a wild upward swing of 32.1 percent to $1.2 billion in February after a 32.7 percent drop in January, StatsCan said. The non-metallic mineral product sector also saw a solid 22.9 percent jump to $1.2 billion as unseasonably warm winter weather helped the construction industry, the report said.