OTTAWA, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Canada's Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 1.8 percent on a year-over-year basis in February, following a 2.3 percent increase in January, Statistics Canada said Monday.
According to the national statistical agency, the slowdown in the all-items CPI on a year-over-year basis was largely driven by a monthly increase in prices in February 2025, when the Goods and Services Tax/Harmonized Sales Tax break ended partway through the month, and as a result, consumers paid more for affected products.
The most notable index impacted by the base-year effect in February 2026 was food purchased from restaurants, in addition to smaller impacts from alcoholic beverages and toys, said the agency.
On a year-over-year basis, there was downward pressure in February from a range of indexes including gasoline, natural gas, homeowners' replacement cost, other owned accommodation expenses and travel tours, added the agency.
The CPI was up 0.5 percent month over month in February. On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, the CPI increased 0.1 percent, said Statistics Canada.
