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The Canadian economy lost more jobs in February than it has in a single month in the last four years — but Prime Minister Mark Carney says when compared to the United States, we’re doing pretty good.

“If you look at the performance of the labour market over the last six months we’ve created over 80,000 jobs,” he said in Norway on Friday.

“The United States has created 6,000 jobs. The United States — 11 times the size of our economy. Wages [in Canada] are growing at 4.2 per cent, fastest wage growth in years. Unemployment — 6.7 per cent — is lower than the level when I came into office a year ago.”

According to Statistics Canada, Canada lost 84,000 jobs in February. That is the most jobs Canada lost in a single month since it lost more than 203,000 in January 2022. 

WATCH | Carney on new jobs numbers:

Carney says U.S. trade uncertainty ‘causing big adjustments’ as Canada reports February job losses

At a news conference in Norway on Friday, Prime Minister Mark Carney was asked about Statistics Canada’s most recent report indicating that the economy lost 84,000 jobs in February while the unemployment rate edged up to 6.7 per cent.

The U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics, however, paints a slightly worse picture for the American job market than Carney did.

According to its monthly published numbers, the U.S. has actually lost, not gained, 6,000 jobs over the last six months. The bureau says the last six months saw the U.S. economy gain about 243,000 jobs and lose about 249,000.

Speaking in Windsor, Ont., Friday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre used the latest jobs report to criticize Carney.

“Today we got the terrible news that 84,000 Canadians lost their jobs last month, a devastating jobs report,” he said. “The result, in part, of Mark Carney’s Liberal failures and continued job-killing Liberal policies.”

Carney said his government is making investments across the economy to help shore it up against the external factors frustrating economic growth. 

“Given the scale of the trade actions, the uncertainty that is associated as well with the trade actions by the United States, that that is causing big adjustments in the Canadian economy,” he said.