Canada’s labour market suffered its largest monthly job loss in four years, shedding 84,000 positions in February, according to Statistics Canada. Despite this, Prime Minister Mark Carney argued the country is faring relatively well compared with the United States. Speaking in Norway, he noted that over the past six months, Canada created more than 80,000 jobs, with unemployment at 6.7% and wages growing 4.2%, the fastest pace in years.
By contrast, US Bureau of Labour Statistics data shows that the United States lost around 6,000 jobs over the same period, reflecting net losses from gains of roughly 243,000 offset by losses of 249,000.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre criticized Carney, attributing the job losses to government mismanagement and “job-killing” policies. Carney defended his administration, highlighting investments across the economy aimed at mitigating external pressures, including trade-related uncertainties stemming from US actions.
