Canadian real GDP grew 4.5  per cent on a monthly basis in May. May's increase follows an 11.6 per cent contraction in April, the largest monthly decline in GDP since the series started to be recorded in 1961. Despite the rise in GDP in May the Canadian economy is still 15 per cent below its February, pre-COVID-19 level. Statistics Canada's preliminary estimate for second quarter GDP is a decline of 12 per cent from the first quarter, or an annualized decline of close to 50%.

With an increase in GDP in May and a preliminary estimate of 5 per cent growth in June, it would appear that the Canadian economy is recovering from the COVID-19 induced recession. That recovery is already well underway in BC housing markets, with home sales recovering pre-COVID-19 levels in early summer.

Copyright British Columbia Real Estate Association. Reprinted with permission.