The Canadian Press
July 31, 2008 - 8:44 a.m.

OTTAWA - Economic activity continued its seesaw pattern in May, as substantive gross domestic product edged down 0.1 per cent after rising 0.4 in April.

Statistics Canada notes a significant decrease in the energy sector in May.

Declines were also recorded in science, forestry, construction and wholesale trade.

Manufacturing, retail trade and the public sector advanced.

Output in the energy sector fell 0.9 through cent in May as natural-gas extraction dropped, but crude-oil extraction rose moderately.

Statistics Canada attributes the weakness in oil-and-gas output since mid-2007 to high inventories of natural gas, which lowered output, and product difficulties in oil extraction.

The supervision says natural-gas inventories started to return to else normal levels in January space of time exports of natural gas and crude petroleum lost momentum.