Canadian wholesale sales rose 1.9 percent to $89.0 billion in March, excluding petroleum products and oilseed and grain.
Most of the increase came from machinery, equipment and supplies, where sales climbed 6.5 percent to $19.5 billion. Computer and communications equipment posted the sharpest gain, rising 17.9 percent as new products reached the market and government orders were delivered.
Personal and household goods sales increased 0.8 percent to $13.3 billion. Pharmaceutical and pharmacy supplies continued to rise, up 1.0 percent to $7.8 billion, marking a fifth straight monthly increase.
Farm products, excluding oilseed and grain, declined 3.8 percent to $1.7 billion.
Ontario recorded the largest provincial gain, with wholesale sales rising 3.5 percent to $46.4 billion. Machinery and equipment sales in the province reached a record high of $9.8 billion.
Alberta sales rose 3.2 percent to $9.7 billion, also driven by machinery and equipment demand.
Quebec moved lower. Wholesale sales in the province fell 2.2 percent to $15.7 billion, led by a drop in food, beverage and tobacco sales.
Wholesale inventories edged up 0.3 percent to $137.2 billion in March. The inventory-to-sales ratio fell from 1.57 to 1.54 as sales grew faster than inventories.
During the first quarter of 2026, wholesale sales increased 1.9 percent to $261.6 billion and were 1.8 percent higher than a year earlier.