Our economy stalled in March, as a teacher's strike in Ontario and the global spread of the coronavirus disrupted the movement of people and goods, figures released by Statistics Canada revealed Thursday.
Analysts had forecast an increase of 0.1% in February, matching the 0.1% rise seen in January.
The nation's number crunchers said the global spread of the virus, which forced officials to shutter non-essential businesses across Canada beginning in mid-March, affected Canada's growth potential in February because of disruptions in global supply chains and international travel.
Further economic disruptions will be reflected in the March data. The agency said in a flash estimate released earlier this month that it believes data will show the Canadian economy shrank a record 9% in March as the coronavirus pandemic forced shutdowns.
In February, StatsCan said educational services fell 1.8%, the biggest decline since June 2014, due to intensifying rotating strikes by elementary and secondary school teachers in Ontario.
Meanwhile, the country's transportation and warehousing sector contracted 1.1% in February, as seven of the 10 sub-sectors posted declines. Rail transportation fell 5.1% on the month as protesters blocked rail lines across the country, while air transportation fell 2.6% as air carriers canceled some international flights.
