OTTAWA, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Canada's merchandise trade deficit widened significantly to 6.3 billion Canadian dollars (about 4.5 billion U.S. dollars) in August, up from 3.8 billion Canadian dollars in July, Statistics Canada said Tuesday.
The change was driven by a 3 percent fall in exports, while imports edged up 0.9 percent in August, with both figures heavily influenced by trade in unwrought gold, said the national statistical agency.
According to the agency, the widespread exports decline, the first since April, was led by major decreases in metal and non-metallic mineral products. Exports of industrial machinery and forestry products also fell sharply, with lumber shipments hitting the lowest level since May 2020 following new U.S. tariffs.
The slight rise in imports was almost entirely due to a surge in imports of unwrought gold, which offset decreases in other sectors like energy products, said the agency. ■
