Ontario's struggling automotive industry helped boost the fortunes of Canadian manufacturers in February, by pushing national manufacturing sales totals to their highest gains since last summer.
Statistics Canada reports that monthly manufacturing sales increased by 2.2 per cent in to $42.9 billion in February, the first jump in that category since July of last year.
The boost in sales came largely from Ontario's auto industry, which reported gains after numerous slowdowns -- and plant shutdowns --the previous month.
Overall, motor vehicle manufacturers reported a 34.5 per cent sales gain, as well as a 38.5 per cent increase in auto parts sales in February.
While these numbers were a marked improvement over the industry's January sales, Statistics Canada said they were approximately 40 per cent below the sales from the same time last year.
Statistics Canada said that if the motor vehicle and parts sales hadn't been included in the February figures, national manufacturing sales would have been down by 0.2 per cent.
Ontario, which is home to the lion's share of the Canadian automotive industry, saw a 7.2 per cent increase in sales in February. It was the province's first gain in manufacturing after six months of sliding sales.
But even with the bump, Ontario's sales figures were 20 per cent below what they were the previous February.
Industry Minister Tony Clement said Thursday that the federal government will provide a $145 million auto initiative to jump-start the auto industry, which provides tens of thousands of jobs.
Outside of Ontario, manufacturing sales slipped by 1.5 per cent.
Manufacturing sales were up by 8.4 per cent in Newfoundland and Labrador and three per cent in Saskatchewan.
In B.C., manufacturing sales dropped by 2.5 per cent and in Quebec, they dropped by 2.3 per cent.
Statistics Canada said sales in nine of 21 manufacturing industries increased in February.
With files from The Canadian Press
