Briefing notes

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12-month change:

  1. Consumer prices rose 2.0% in the 12 months to April, led by increases in transportation costs. This follows a 1.9% rise in March.
  2. Energy prices increased 1.1% in the 12 months to April, following a 5.1% rise in March. The slower increase in April was largely attributable to smaller price gains for gasoline and electricity, as well as price declines for natural gas (-13.9%).
  3. In April, prices rose year-over-year in all eight major components. Increases in transportation and food were major contributors to the 12-month change in the CPI.
  4. In April, year-over-year price increases in the Atlantic Provinces were among the highest in the country. Newfoundland and Labrador posted the largest year-over-year increase at 3.0%, while Alberta posted the lowest at 0.8%.

Month-to-month change:

  1. On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, the CPI increased 0.2% in April, matching the increase in March. Prices rose in five of the eight major components.
  2. On a monthly basis and before seasonal adjustment, consumer prices rose 0.4% for the fourth consecutive month.

Bank of Canada's core index:

  1. The Bank of Canada's core index rose 2.1% in the 12 months to April, led by price increases for the purchase of passenger vehicles. This follows a 1.9% gain in the core index in March.

Main contributors to the 12-month change in the CPI:

Main upward contributors:

  1. Purchase of passenger vehicles (+3.4%)
  2. Gasoline (+3.3%)
  3. Passenger vehicle insurance premiums (+3.6%)
  4. Homeowners' replacement cost (+2.4%)

Main downward contributors:

  1. Natural gas (-13.9%)
  2. Fresh vegetables (-9.9%)
  3. Video equipment (-12.8%)
  4. Computer equipment, software and supplies (-6.6%)

Main contributors to the monthly change in the CPI, not seasonally adjusted:

Main upward contributors:

  1. Gasoline (+3.2%)
  2. Purchase of passenger vehicles (+1.3%)
  3. Homeowners' maintenance and repairs (+4.8%)

Main downward contributors:

  1. Natural gas (-8.2%)
  2. Furniture (-1.7%)
  3. Mortgage interest cost (-0.4%)
  4. Women's clothing (-0.7%)
Twelve-month and monthly percentage change in the most quoted indexes, not seasonally adjusted