Canada's merchandise trade deficit widened in June to C$5.9 billion ($4.24 billion) as imports grew faster than exports due to a one-time high-value oil equipment import, data showed on Tuesday.

The deterioration in goods trade is likely to have weighed heavily on Canada’s economy in the April to June period, as shipments of items from cars to metals targeted by protectionist U.S. policies slumped. And while exports to the U.S., by far Canada’s largest market, advanced in June, that was due mainly to higher oil prices.

Canada posted its second-largest monthly trade deficit on record in June, hitting $5.9bn, as rising US tariffs pushed exporters to seek markets beyond the United States and one-time import costs skewed the monthly balance, according to Statistics Canada.