The S&P/TSX Composite Index moved in both direction Friday morning, ahead of the long Labor Day weekend, turning slightly higher amid strength in the industrial and utility sectors.
Industrial shares rose 0.8% while utilities gained 0.7%. Energy and miners were the worst performers, down 0.6% and 0.3%, respectively, tracking lower commodities prices.
In economic news, Canada's employment fell by 42,000, or 0.2%, in August and the employment rate fell 0.1 percentage points to 60.8%, Statistics Canada reported on Friday.
However, the Ivey Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) for August, which measures economic activity, came in at a seasonally-adjusted 64.3, compared with July's 55.1.