Consumer Price Index, April 2026
Released: 2026-05-19
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 2.8% year over year in April, up from an increase of 2.4% in March.
Higher energy prices, most notably gasoline prices, drove the acceleration in the headline CPI. The removal of the consumer carbon levy in April 2025, which resulted in monthly declines for gasoline and natural gas, has now fallen out of the 12-month movement, putting upward pressure on the all-items CPI. Excluding gasoline, the CPI rose at a slower pace year over year in April (+2.0%) compared with March (+2.2%).
Moderating faster price growth in the all-items CPI was a year-over-year decline in prices for travel tours and a slowdown in rent prices.
The CPI was up 0.4% month over month in April. On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, the CPI increased 0.3%.
Chart 1
The 12-month change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and CPI excluding gasoline
Chart 2
Higher transportation prices fuel faster price growth in the all-items Consumer Price Index
Rising energy prices push inflation higher
In April, energy prices rose 19.2% year over year, following a 3.9% increase in March.
Gasoline prices continued to increase year over year in April, rising sharply by 28.6% after a 5.9% gain in March. The removal of the consumer carbon levy on April 1, 2025, resulted in a monthly price decline in that month, which put upward pressure on the year-over-year gasoline movement in April 2026. In addition to the accelerating base-year effect, prices were pushed higher by supply uncertainty (caused by the conflict in the Middle East), as well as by the switch to the more expensive summer blend. Moderating the increase was the temporary suspension of the federal fuel excise tax that went into effect on April 20.
Similarly, prices for fuel oil and other fuels increased 41.3% year over year in April, amid higher oil prices linked to the conflict in the Middle East.
A smaller year-over-year decline in prices for natural gas in April (-2.4%) compared with March (-18.1%) also contributed upward pressure to energy prices. Natural gas prices were impacted by the removal of the consumer carbon levy in April 2025.
Chart 3
Energy prices rise in April
Infographic 1
The gasoline index accelerates on a base-year effect and current events
Resulting base-year effect
The headline consumer inflation is measured as the percentage change between the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in the current reference month (April 2026) and the CPI in a base month or the same calendar month of the previous year (April 2025). A base-year effect refers to the impact that price movements from 12 months earlier have on the current reference month's headline consumer inflation. When a large 1-month upward price change in the base month stops influencing, or falls out of, the 12-month price movement, this has a downward effect on headline CPI in the current reference month. Conversely, when a large 1-month downward price change in the base month falls out, this creates upward pressure on the current reference month's 12-month figure.
Prices for clothing and footwear increase
After declining 0.4% year over year in March, prices for clothing and footwear rose 2.0% in April. The increase was led by higher prices for clothing, in particular women's clothing (+1.4%). Prices for men's clothing also contributed to the acceleration, falling less in April (-1.2%) compared with March (-2.9%).
Consumers pay less for travel tours
Year over year, prices for travel tours fell 11.0% in April, after rising 11.5% in March. The decline was led by a 17.3% monthly decrease in April, following a 5.8% gain in March. Prices for travel tours typically decline in the month of April following increased demand in the months of February and March.
Explore the Consumer Price Index tools
Check out the Personal Inflation Calculator. This interactive calculator allows you to enter dollar amounts in the common expense categories to produce a personalized inflation rate, which you can compare with the official measure of inflation for the average Canadian household—the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
Browse the Consumer Price Index Data Visualization Tool to access current (Latest Snapshot of the CPI) and historical (Price trends: 1914 to today) CPI data in a customizable visual format.
Regional highlights
Year over year, prices rose at a faster pace in nine provinces in April compared with March. Prices in Quebec increased 3.0%, up slightly from March (+2.9%). Unlike the other provinces, Quebec was not impacted by the removal of the consumer carbon levy in April 2025 due to the province's existing cap-and-trade system.
Chart 4
The Consumer Price Index increases at a faster pace in nine provinces
Price growth remains the same in British Columbia
British Columbia was the only province where price growth did not accelerate year over year, increasing 2.5% in April, the same rate as in March. Rent price growth slowed the most in this province, rising 3.4% in April, down from an increase of 6.4% in March. British Columbia's population has declined for four consecutive quarters.
At the national level, prices for rent rose at a slower pace year over year in April (+3.6%) compared with March (+4.2%). Despite the slowdown, rent prices have increased 30.8% from April 2021 to April 2026.
Note to readers
Consumer Price Index basket update in June 2026
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is based on a fixed basket of goods and services designed according to international standards and methods. On June 15, 2026, updated basket weights for the goods and services used in the calculation of the CPI will be made available in table 18-10-0007-01. The new basket weight reference period will be 2025, based on the most recent household final consumption expenditure data, as well as expenditures from the Survey of Household Spending and other alternative data.
One week later, on June 22, 2026, the May CPI will be released, based on the updated basket weights.
For general information on basket updates, consult The Canadian Consumer Price Index reference paper, chapter 8, "Weights and basket updates."
Planned maintenance
The CPI Data Visualization Tool will be temporarily unavailable from June 15 to 22, 2026, due to planned maintenance related to the updated basket.
Enhancement to the purchase of digital media index
Starting with the April reference month, prices for bestselling video games are collected monthly. Previously, prices were collected five times per year. Weighting has been introduced at the console and game level. The reported prices represent a 30-day average.
Update: Real-time data tables
Beginning with this release, Statistics Canada has discontinued updates to the Historical (real-time) releases of Consumer Price Index (CPI) statistics, measures of core inflation table (18-10-0259-01).
Existing historical data will remain publicly available in table 18-10-0259-01. Although the core measures table (18-10-0256-01) is revised over time, Table 4 in the CPI Daily release preserves the core measures as they were published at the time of release.
For additional information, users may contact the Consumer Prices Division (statcan.cpddisseminationunit-dpcunitedediffusion.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).
Next release
The Consumer Price Index for May will be released on Monday, June 22.
Products
The "Consumer Price Index Data Visualization Tool" is available on the Statistics Canada website.
More information on the concepts and use of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is available in The Canadian Consumer Price Index Reference Paper (62-553-X).
For information on the history of the CPI in Canada, consult the publication Exploring the first century of Canada's Consumer Price Index (62-604-X).
Two videos, "An Overview of Canada's Consumer Price Index (CPI)" and "The Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Your Experience of Price Change," are available on Statistics Canada's YouTube channel.
The podcast ''Eh Sayers Episode 18 - Why Food Inflation Is Such A Hard Nut To Crack'' is also available.
Find out answers to the most common questions posed about the CPI in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
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; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).
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