Economist: Spending in Canada shows significant weakness excluding cars and gasoline

Jasleen Trehan, an economist at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, stated that Canadians' spending on daily categories such as groceries and general merchandise weakened significantly in April. Nominal retail sales grew by 0.5% in April, but core sales excluding autos and gasoline declined by 0.7%. Trehan said that the estimated growth for May shows signs of consumer resilience, but given the weakness in the labor market, lingering uncertainty over U.S. trade policy, and concerns about energy-driven inflation, the path ahead remains uncertain.