The recession hit home where Canadians live last month as a massive 129,000 workers joined the ranks of the unemployed and the country's jobless rate surged to 7.2 per cent.
It was the worst monthly employment drop in at least three decades, topping figures seen in either of the two previous recessions in the 1980s and 1990s.
Almost all the jobs were full-time and were mostly in a battered manufacturing sector that has been most affected by the severe downturn in the United States.
The carnage was everywhere
Ontario shed 71,000 jobs, half in the manufacturing sector. British Columbia and Quebec workers were also hit hard with losses of 35,000 and 26,000 respectively.
Since October, when most economists say the global recession hit Canada's shores, the country has lost a whopping 213,000 jobs, wiping out a year's gains.
Here are the jobless rates for the city and province with the previous month in brackets.
- City of Montreal 7.8 (7.5)
- Province of Quebec 7.7 (7.3)
