Employment little changed in October
Employment was little changed in October (-4,700; 0.0%) and the employment rate fell 0.1 percentage points to 60.5%. The unemployment rate rose 0.2 percentage points to 6.7%. The number of private sector employees fell by 53,000 (-0.4%) in October, the first decline since February. At the same time, the number of employees in the public sector rose by 50,000 (+1.1%) in October, following four consecutive monthly declines totalling 148,000 (-3.2%).
Merchandise exports to the United States increase for the second consecutive month
In September, Canada's merchandise exports edged up 0.2%, while imports decreased 0.3%. As a result, Canada's merchandise trade surplus with the world widened from $5.0 billion in August to $5.4 billion in September. Exports to the United States increased 0.7% in September, mainly because of higher exports of crude oil and unwrought gold. Meanwhile, exports to countries other than the United States fell 1.1% in September, decreasing for a second consecutive month.
Source: Canadian international merchandise trade, September 2026
A record high field crop harvest in 2025
Agricultural ecosystems supplied 146.6 million tonnes (Mt) of biomass in 2025, including field crops, hay, vegetables, fruit and honey. In 2025, favourable growing conditions led to increased yields and record production of field crops. Field crop production reached 109.3 Mt (11% more than the previous year). Saskatchewan (42.7 Mt), Alberta (28.4 Mt) and Manitoba (15.7 Mt) each posted record high production levels.
Source: Census of Environment: Harvesting benefits from nature
Fitness and recreational sports centres achieve new personal best
Businesses operating in the amusement and recreation subsector earned $18.0 billion in 2025, up 8.1% from the previous year. Fitness and recreational sports centres generated $6.1 billion in operating revenue in 2025, up 9.4% from 2024. This growth was driven in part by increasing demand for fitness services, which supported a rising number of businesses operating within the industry. The number of centres operating in Canada (with employees) was 6.0% higher in December 2025 compared with the same month one year earlier.
Quality of life for transgender, non-binary and 2SLGBTQ+ Canadians
From 2021 to 2025, fewer than one-third (32%) of 2SLGBTQ+ people in Canada reported high levels of life satisfaction, compared with half (50%) of non-2SLGBTQ+ people. Further, nearly twice as many 2SLGBTQ+ people in Canada (61%) reported experiencing discrimination or unfair treatment over a five-year period compared with non-2SLGBTQ+ people (31%). The majority of 2SLGBTQ+ people also reported high levels of satisfaction with their family relationships (59%) and friendships (56%), although these proportions were lower than those for the non-2SLGBTQ+ population (79% and 68%).
Daylight saving time came to an end, although not for all Canadians
As this November began, daylight saving time came to an end, though not necessarily for all Canadians. Among the provinces and territories, Saskatchewan and Yukon were among the first to do away with seasonal time changes. This year, British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories have also decided to keep their clocks the same year-round. However, for Canadians who still turn their clocks back, the end of DST comes with a small bonus: an extra hour.
Source: Time in Canada: Not so standard
Contact information
For more information, contact the Statistical Information Service (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).