Canadian manufacturing sales decreased 2.7% to $41.4 billion in March, reversing February’s gain, according to Statistics Canada. With this decrease, manufacturing sales have fallen almost 25% from their peak reached in July 2008, with most of the drop occurring between November 2008 and January 2009. Durable goods industries such as aerospace parts and products, motor vehicle parts, and primary metal products were behind most of the losses in March.
 
Much of the decline in manufacturing sales was in Quebec, which accounted for slightly over half of the national decrease.
 
Constant dollar manufacturing sales decreased 2.4% in March to $38.2 billion, indicating that most of the decline was due to a drop in the …