OTTAWA — Canada’s economy posted surprisingly strong growth in the third quarter, but economists looking underneath the hood offered a series of caveats that suggest weaker results than the headline figures imply.

Statistics Canada said Friday that real gross domestic product rose 2.6 per cent on an annualized basis in the third quarter of 2025, marking a rebound from a contraction of 1.8 per cent in the second quarter.

The Q3 results show Canada staved off a technical recession — two consecutive quarters of GDP declines. The magnitude of the gain was also well above expectations from both the Bank of Canada and a poll of economists heading into the release calling for just 0.5 per cent annualized growth.

“At first glance, this would appear to be a strong print, but there are some under

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