The Daily Friday, May 22, 2026
Press Release
May 22, 2026
Retail trade, March 2026
Retail sales increased 0.9% to $72.7 billion in March. Sales increased in four of nine subsectors, led by gasoline stations and fuel vendors.
Employment Insurance, March 2026
The number of Canadians receiving regular Employment Insurance (EI) benefits edged up (+2,300; +0.4%) to reach 548,000 in March, following a decline of 8,700 (-1.6%) in February.
Industrial product and raw materials price indexes, April 2026
The Industrial Product Price Index rose 2.0% month over month in April and increased 11.4% year over year. Meanwhile, the Raw Materials Price Index gained 2.6% month over month and rose 31.6% year over year.
Trends in perceptions of gender-based violence and gender equality, identity and expression in Canada
In 2025, most people in Canada agreed that violence between intimate partners is unacceptable, that everyone should be free to express their gender however they choose, and that women face obstacles making it harder for them to get ahead compared with men. While agreement with these perceptions was high in both 2018 and 2025, some changes were seen during this period. For example, support for people being able to express their gender however they choose declined in 2025 from 2018, among both women (from 85% to 77%) and men (from 78% to 70%).
Oilseed crushing statistics, April 2026
Oilseed processors crushed 1.1 million tonnes of canola in April, down 4.1% from March 2026 and up 14.5% from April 2025. Oil production reached 450.6 thousand tonnes in April 2026, while meal production was 606.0 thousand tonnes.
Natural gas supply and disposition, March 2026
March data on natural gas transmission, storage and distribution are now available.
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