According to Statistics Canada, Canadian industries operated at 82.5 percent of their production capacity in the first quarter, up slightly from 82.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2013. The mining and oil and gas extraction industries were the main sources of this increase, which represented the highest rate since the second quarter of 2007.
In the mining and quarrying industry, the rate increased 2.3 percentage points to 65.5 percent in the first quarter. As in the fourth quarter, the higher rate was due to an increase in metallic and non-metallic mineral extraction.
The manufacturing sector operated at 81.2 percent of its capacity in the first quarter, down 0.1 percentage points from the fourth quarter of 2013. Of the 21 major groups in the manufacturing sector, nine posted a decline in their capacity utilization rate and 12 recorded an increase.
In the transportation equipment manufacturing industry, the rate fell 0.8 percentage points to 90.5 percent in the first quarter. This decrease was mostly attributable to a decline in the production of motor vehicles.