Statistics Canada says wholesale sales slipped 0.1% in May to $44.1-billion because of a sharp decline in the agricultural supplies industry.
The agency says sales were down 1.5% on a volume basis, partly because the Canadian dollar slipped against its American counterpart.
Sales rose in six of the seven subsectors surveyed, but poor weather in the West meant lower farm demand for fertilizer and seeds, which hurt agricultural sales.
The largest increases in dollar terms were in the machinery, equipment and supplies subsector, where sales rose 1.9% and the food, beverage and tobacco subsector, which was up 1.3%.
Sales were down in six provinces, with much of the downturn coming in the Prairie provinces.
Saskatchewan had the single steepest decline among the provinces, with sales off 12.3%.
