Highlights

Warning View the most recent version.

Archived Content

Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please "contact us" to request a format other than those available.

12-month change:

  1. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 1.2% in the 12 months to February, following a 0.5% increase in January.
  2. The 0.7 percentage point increase in the 12-month change was led by transportation prices which rose 2.0% on a year-over-year basis in February, after falling 0.5% in January.
  3. Consumer prices rose in seven of the eight major components in the 12 months to February. The exception was clothing and footwear.
  4. In all provinces, consumer prices rose at a faster year-over-year rate in February compared with January, led primarily by price increases for gasoline and for the purchase of passenger vehicles.
  5. The largest increase in consumer prices was in Newfoundland and Labrador, while the smallest occurred in Alberta and British Columbia.

Month-to-month change:

  1. On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, the CPI increased 0.7% in February after posting no change in January.
  2. On a monthly basis and before seasonal adjustment, the CPI advanced 1.2% in February. This followed monthly decreases in November and December, and a 0.1% rise in January.

Bank of Canada’s Core Index:

  1. The Bank of Canada’s core index rose 1.4% in the 12 months to February, following an increase of 1.0% in January.

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

Main upward contributors:

  1. Purchase of passenger vehicles (+2.5%)
  2. Gasoline (+3.9%)
  3. Food purchased from restaurants (+2.2%)
  4. Rent (+1.6%)
  5. Homeowners’ replacement cost (+2.3%)

Main downward contributors:

  1. Mortgage interest cost (-4.2%)
  2. Video equipment (-10.2%)
  3. Electricity (-1.1%)
  4. Digital computing equipment and devices (-5.1%)
  5. Children’s clothing (-6.5%)

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

Main upward contributors:

  1. Gasoline (+8.4%)
  2. Clothing (+5.0%)
  3. Purchase of passenger vehicles (+2.1%)
  4. Fresh vegetables (+6.4%)
  5. Traveller accommodation (+4.5%)

Main downward contributors:

  1. Electricity (-0.8%)
  2. Cereal products (-0.5%)
  3. Mortgage interest cost (-0.1%)
  4. Air transportation (-0.2%)
  5. Computer equipment, software and supplies (-0.3%)