Canada's inflation rate rose to 3.3% in July, StatCan reports

Canada's annual inflation rate rose to 3.3% in July as worries grow that progress on getting prices under control will stall.

Statistics Canada released its July consumer price index report Tuesday (August 15), which shows price growth gained pace last month.

This comes after inflation tumbled to 2.8% in June, falling within the Bank of Canada's target range of between one and three per cent for the first time since March 2021.

Lower gasoline prices have largely driven the decline in inflation over the last year. Now, economists say underlying price pressures need to ease for inflation to fall further.

The federal agency says the rise in inflation is due to the fact that gasoline prices fell less dramatically on a year-over-year basis than they did in June.

READ: Global food prices rise after Russia ends grain deal and India restricts rice exports

The report says July gasoline prices were being compared to when prices had declined significantly in July 2022, as fears of an economic slowdown grew.

Excluding energy prices, the consumer price index decelerated to 4.2%, down from 4.4% in June.

Meanwhile, grocery prices rose 8.5% on an annual basis. The federal agency says prices rose more slowly than June's 9.1%, largely due to smaller price increases for fruit and bakery goods.

Prices for travel-related services also slowed or declined compared to a year ago. Airfare, for example, was down 12.7% since July 2022.

The Bank of Canada expects inflation to hover around 3% over the next year, before steadily declining to two per cent by mid-2025.

This longer trajectory back to the inflation target prompted the central bank to raise interest rates again in July, bringing its key rate to 5%.

READ: BoC raises key interest rate to 5%, expects slower return to inflation target

The rapid rise in interest rates has fed into higher mortgage interest costs, which Statistics Canada says continue to be the largest contributor to inflation.

Mortgage interest costs posted another record year-over-year increase in July, rising by 30.6%.

The central bank is hoping households facing higher shelter costs due to rising interest rates to pull back on spending elsewhere and thereby slowing inflation.

The Bank of Canada is set to make its next interest rate decision on Sept. 6.