The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday edition that economic growth cooled off ahead of the latest U.S. tariff volley this summer, Statistics Canada said Tuesday. A Canadian Press dispatch to The Globe says real gross domestic product was essentially unchanged in July. Strength in construction and utilities that month was offset by declines elsewhere in the economy. Offsetting the weakness in July was a 1.3-per-cent-gain for the construction sector, which marked its fourth consecutive month of growth after declines in late 2025 and early 2026. Non-residential building construction saw its best month since the start of 2022, Statscan said, owing primarily to activity around a new hospital building in Toronto. August's GDP figures may get a boost from the latest trade swings. Some U.S. importers were likely rushing to get ahead of new tariffs on Canadian goods early in the month, but that lift will reverse come September. Benjamin Reitzes, BMO's managing director of Canadian rates and macro strategist, said Tuesday that the August advance has him tracking GDP growth of 1.5 to 2 per cent in the third quarter of the year. "The Canadian economy continues to hang in there despite the ongoing trade headwinds," he said.