Canadian consumer prices increased 0.8 percent in the 12 months to December, matching the previous month’s hike, the government statistics agency said Friday.
Prices of meat, restaurant meals, gasoline, financial services, rent and homes went up while Canadians paid less for fresh vegetables, natural gas, cars and trucks, and mortgage interest, said Statistics Canada.
The annual average increase in consumer prices was 1.5 percent last year, following a 2.9 percent rise in 2011 and a 1.8 percent rise in 2010.
The slower increase in inflation in 2012 compared to the previous year was largely due to smaller hikes in gasoline and food prices.
Canada inflation flat in December
