OTTAWA, May 16 (UPI) -- Petroleum and coal helped Canadian manufacturing sales advance 1.9 percent to 49.7 billion in March, Statistics Canada reported Wednesday.
"Sales of petroleum and coal products increased 4.5 percent to $7.5 billion, the highest level since July 2008," the report said. "The increase was largely the result of higher sales volumes at many oil refineries."
Similarly, the chemical industry reported a higher volume of sales, which were up 3.2 percent to $3.9 billion on a monthly basis in March, StatsCan said.
The largest gain by percentage was the aerospace product and parts industry, which increased 9.9 percent to $1.4 billion.
Overall, sales increased in 13 of 21 industry sectors that represented 75 percent of all manufacturing sales. Of the other eight sectors, "most declines were relatively small," the agency said.
