OTTAWA: The Canadian government has announced that the country fell into recession in the first six months of the current calendar year.
According to the government data, the country’s economy showing its weakest results since the 2008 global financial crisis. The economy contracted 0.5 percent in the second quarter after retreating 0.8 percent in the previous three months, according to Statistics Canada.
On the political campaign trail, where economic management has become a defining issue, the grim figures are expected to put Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper on the defensive, while bolstering opposition calls for a change of administration.
By comparison, the US economy grew 3.7 percent in the first quarter, amid renewed worry about another global downturn.
