Statistics Canada says manufacturing sales rose 1.1 per cent to $70.8 billion in April, helped by gains in sales of transportation equipment, primary metals and chemical products.

The increase followed a decline of 1.8 per cent in March.

Statistics Canada says sales of transportation equipment rose 4.1 per cent in April as sales of motor vehicles increased 5.6 per cent and motor vehicle parts gained 7.7 per cent.

Meanwhile, sales in the primary metal subsector rose 4.7 per cent, helped by higher sales in the non-ferrous metal (except aluminum) production and processing industry group, which gained 15.7 per cent.

Chemical product sales gained 4.0 per cent, while the aerospace product and parts industry group fell 6.8 per cent.

In constant dollars, Statistics Canada says manufacturing sales rose 0.4 per cent in April, indicating a higher volume of goods was sold.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 14, 2024.