The following is excerpted from the 31 January 2012 edition of Reuters Canada.

Canada's economy unexpectedly shrank in November for the first time since May, setting the stage for lackluster fourth-quarter growth and a sluggish start to 2012.

Oil and gas production slid in the month, outweighing gains in manufacturing and most services industries to trigger a 0.1 percent contraction of gross domestic product, Statistics Canada said on Tuesday. The economy grew 2 percent compared with a year earlier.

This article is available in its entirety at:

http://ca.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idCATRE80U12520120131

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