Canada first-quarter economic pick-up disappoints, weakness seen ahead

By Leah Schnurr OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's economic growth accelerated at a weaker pace than expected in the first three months of the year and lost momentum at the end of the quarter, boding poorly for a second quarter that is expected to be further impacted by Alberta's wildfires. Gross domestic product grew at a 2.4 percent annualized rate in the first quarter, Statistics Canada said on Tuesday.