TORONTO — Canada’s economy lost a net 83,900 jobs in February, while the unemployment rate increased to 6.7%, according to data released Friday by Statistics Canada.Job losses occurred across both goods-producing and service sectors. Statistics Canada said the scale of the monthly decline has not been seen in nearly 17 years, excluding the months of pandemic lockdowns.The results fell short of economists’ expectations, which had projected a gain of about 10,000 jobs and an unemployment rate of 6.6%. In January, the economy lost 24,800 jobs while the unemployment rate declined to a 16-month low of 6.5%.Over the past two months, Canada has shed a total of 109,000 jobs. That loss nearly offsets the gains of 189,000 jobs recorded between September and December.Recent weakness in the labour market has coincided with slower economic growth and the impact of tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump on sectors including steel, autos, lumber and copper.Economists and the Bank of Canada have warned that additional job losses could occur as businesses delay investment and implement layoffs in response to economic uncertainty.Youth unemployment rose to 14.1% in February, close to the highest level recorded in September 2025, Statistics Canada reported. Employment among core-aged workers between 25 and 54 also declined, falling by 37,000 — the largest drop since January 2022..The overall employment decline was driven by a loss of 108,400 full-time positions. Private sector employment fell by 72,600 jobs, while government employment declined by 17,100.Average hourly wages for permanent employees — a measure closely watched by the Bank of Canada for signs of inflation — increased to 4.2% year over year in February, the highest level since October 2024.By sector, the goods-producing industries lost 27,900 jobs. The services sector, which typically shows greater stability, recorded a larger decline of 56,200 positions, according to Statistics Canada.During a press conference Friday, Tory leader Pierre Poilievre criticized the federal government’s economic record following the report.“Today we got the terrible news that 84,000 Canadians lost their jobs last month — a devastating jobs report,” Poilievre said, adding that Canada now has “the second highest unemployment in the G7.”Poilievre said Canada’s economic challenges cannot be attributed solely to global factors such as tariffs imposed by Trump.“All the countries are facing those tariffs. None of them have a shrinking economy like we do under Mark Carney here in Canada,” he said.Poilievre also criticized federal policies affecting housing, energy and spending. He said the government has not approved new pipeline projects and argued that regulations have made it difficult to build major energy infrastructure..“We want to make this country affordable at home, safe at home and strong at home so that we have unbreakable leverage abroad,” he said.In a separate statement, Garnett Genuis said February’s labour force survey showed “a drop in over 100,000 full-time jobs in one month alone, the largest single-month decline since the Great Recession outside the pandemic.”Genuis also highlighted rising unemployment among younger workers, noting that nearly 50,000 youth jobs were lost in February and that youth unemployment has climbed above 14%.“1.5 million Canadians are now without a job,” Genuis said, adding that 22.8% of unemployed Canadians have been searching for work for at least 27 weeks — a level he said is above the pre-pandemic average.“Canadians aren’t working because Carney’s policies aren’t working,” Genuis said, arguing that the government has failed to present a plan to address employment challenges.Genuis said Conservatives previously released a jobs plan focused on economic growth, job training and housing construction near employment centres, and called on the government to present policies aimed at strengthening employment.
