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Canada’s economy shrank by nine per cent in March, according to a flash estimate published by Statistics Canada on Wednesday.

The decline, StatsCan said, is the most severe since the series first began in 1961. March, as a result would drag down growth for the entire first quarter to -2.6 per cent.

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The government agency normally only releases GDP figures two months after the last reference date. Data for January, for example, was only released in March. Given the rapid economic downturn, however, StatsCan felt it was necessary to release an estimate that it warns isn’t of the “same quality” and will change when the full numbers are released in May.

The sectors that have struggled most in the economic shutdown are travel and tourism along with any related industries that fall within that wider umbrella such as restaurants, accommodation and personal transportation. Other notable declines were seen in retail, entertainment and sporting events. StatsCan did not publish numbers detailing the damage.