Consumer Price Index, June 2013
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Released: 2013-07-19
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 1.2% in the 12 months to June, following a 0.7% increase in May. This 0.5 percentage point gain in the CPI was led by transportation prices, which rose 2.0% on a year-over-year basis in June after falling 0.5% in May.
Chart 1
The 12-month change in the Consumer Price Index
The acceleration in the transportation index was mostly attributable to prices for gasoline and for the purchase of passenger vehicles, both of which rose in the 12 months to June after declining in May.
Compared with June last year, gasoline prices were up 4.6%. This followed a 1.5% decrease in May. Gasoline prices increased in the 12 months to June in all provinces, with Manitoba and Alberta posting the largest gains.
Prices for the purchase of passenger vehicles rose 2.0% in the 12 months to June, after declining 0.5% in May. The year-over-year increase in June was mainly attributable to smaller monthly price declines in June 2013 compared with the same month last year.
12-month change in the major components
Consumer prices rose in six of the eight major components in the 12 months to June. The exceptions were health and personal care as well as recreation, education and reading. In addition to transportation, the shelter and food components led the increase in the CPI in June.
Chart 2
Six of eight major components increase in June
Shelter costs rose 1.2% in the 12 months to June, after increasing 1.3% in May. Natural gas prices and rent increased on a year-over-year basis in June, while mortgage interest cost decreased 3.8%.
Food prices increased 1.2% year over year in June, following a 1.3% rise in May. Compared with June 2012, consumers paid 1.3% more for food purchased from stores, as prices rose for fresh vegetables (+5.1%) and meat (+2.2%). In contrast, prices for sugar and confectionery declined 4.3%.
Consumers also paid 1.1% more for food purchased from restaurants.
12-month change in the provinces
Consumer prices rose in nine provinces in the 12 months to June, with the largest increase occurring in Manitoba. The exception was British Columbia, where prices declined on a year-over-year basis.
Chart 3
Prices increase the most in Manitoba while British Columbia posts the lone decline
In Manitoba, consumer prices increased 2.7% year over year in June, following a 1.8% gain in May. Gasoline prices rose 10.7% in the 12 months to June, after advancing 0.9% in May. Among the provinces, Manitoba posted the largest year-over-year price increase for cigarettes and for passenger vehicle registration fees.
Alberta's CPI rose 2.3% on a year-over-year basis in June, matching the increase in May. Gasoline prices advanced at a faster rate in the 12 months to June (+9.2%) compared with May (+1.6%). Conversely, smaller year-over-year price increases were observed for natural gas in June relative to May.
Prices in British Columbia fell 0.5% in the 12 months to June, after declining 0.6% in May. The province posted year-over-year price decreases for food purchased from restaurants and homeowners' replacement cost, while at the national level these indexes increased. Additionally, gasoline prices rose 3.2% year over year in June, after increasing 1.4% in May, a smaller acceleration than at the national level.
Seasonally adjusted monthly Consumer Price Index increases
On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, the CPI increased 0.3% in June, after rising 0.2% in May.
Chart 4
Seasonally adjusted monthly Consumer Price Index
The seasonally adjusted indexes for six of the eight major components increased in June. The two exceptions were alcoholic beverages and tobacco products, which declined 0.1%, and clothing and footwear, which posted no change. The transportation index rose 1.6% in June, following a 0.2% increase in May.
Bank of Canada's core index
The Bank of Canada's core index rose 1.3% in the 12 months to June, following a 1.1% increase in May.
On a monthly basis, the seasonally adjusted core index increased 0.2% in June, after posting no change in May.
Note to readers
A seasonally adjusted series is one from which seasonal movements have been eliminated. Users employing CPI data for indexation purposes are advised to use the unadjusted indexes. For more information on seasonal adjustment, see Seasonal adjustment and identifying economic trends.
The Bank of Canada's core index excludes eight of the CPI's most volatile components (fruit, fruit preparations and nuts; vegetables and vegetable preparations; mortgage interest cost; natural gas; fuel oil and other fuels; gasoline; inter-city transportation; and tobacco products and smokers' supplies) as well as the effects of changes in indirect taxes on the remaining components.
For a more detailed analysis, consult the publication The Consumer Price Index. The June 2013 issue of The Consumer Price Index, Vol. 92, no. 6 (Catalogue number62-001-X), is now available from the Browse by key resource module of our website under Publications.
More information about the concepts and use of the Consumer Price Index are also available online in Your Guide to the Consumer Price Index (Catalogue number62-557-X), from the Browse by key resource module of our website under Publications.
The Consumer Price Index for July will be released on August 23.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (613-951-4636; statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@canada.ca).
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