Economics

Inflation in Canada Unexpectedly Falls Back to Near Zero

  • Drop in airline prices were major downward contributor
  • The reading was ‘a big step back,’ says CIBC’s Mendes

Declines in air transportation prices were a major downward contributer to the headline inflation figure. 

Photographer: James MacDonald/Bloomberg
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Price pressure in Canada returned to almost zero in July.

The consumer price index increased only 0.1% from the same month a year earlier, Statistics Canada reported Wednesday from Ottawa. That’s a reversal from last month when inflation turned positive on higher gas, food and shelter prices. On a monthly basis, prices were flat, and seasonally adjusted actually fell 0.1%.