森林火災或爲加拿大經濟下滑的罪魁禍首

The Canadian government said gross domestic product (GDP) in the second quarter shrank by 1.6%, its largest loss since 2009.

據加拿大政府表示，第二季度加拿大國內生產總值縮水了1.6%，是自從2009年以來下滑最大的一次。

The Canadian economy was hit hard by wildfires in its oil sands region, reducing its production.

加拿大油砂區森林火災給該國經濟帶來了沉重的打擊，並導致加拿大的石油產量有所下跌。

In the first quarter of the year, Canada's economy grew by 2.5%. The recent drop in GDP was larger than analysts had projected, but not far off the predicted 1.5% loss.

今年第一季度，加拿大經濟還增長了2.5%。第二季度GDP縮水幅度要比分析師預測的大，但是卻也比1.5%的預估值多不了多少。

"The figure could have been worse, given the hit from the wildfire, and clearly confirms the disappointing downward trend in exports over the last few months," said Sal Guatieri, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets.

BMO資本市場高級經濟學家賽爾·蓋特瑞表示：“於森林火災的打擊，情況本來可能會更糟，而第二季度的GDP數據顯然證實了，在過去的幾個月裏出口下降的趨勢令人失望。”

In May, wildfires devastated the parts of northern Alberta where much of Canada's oil and natural gas is produced.

今年5月，森林大火摧毀了阿爾伯塔省北部的部分地區，其爲加拿大的石油和天然氣生產基地。

The fire burned 2,300 sq miles (5,957 sq km) of land and caused nearly $6bn ($4.5bn) in damages.

大火燒燬了2300平方英里（約合5957平方公里）的土地，造成經濟損失近60億加元（約合45億美元）。

Economic growth is expected to pick up in the later half of the year as oil production gets back on track. But the decline in global oil prices will continue to weigh on the country's growth.

加拿大的經濟增長，預計將在今年下半年發佈的石油產量中回到正軌。但全球石油價格的下跌將繼續拖累加拿大經濟增長。

Canada's economy slipped into a recession at the end of 2015 as crude prices fell, but has since mostly recovered.

隨着原油價格下跌，2015年底，加拿大的經濟陷入衰退，但此後加拿大的經濟大部分已恢復。

It was not only energy export that dropped in the spring, though. Declines in manufacturing exports also hit the economy. That sector is expected to pick up in the second half of 2016.

不僅是能源出口在春季下降，製造業出口也打擊經濟。不過，加拿大製造業預計將在2016年下半年有所恢復。

Economic figures for June, however, appear to signal that the downward trend may be over.

然而，6月份經濟數據似乎表明下降的趨勢可能提前結束。

"I think the Bank of Canada is still confident that exports will turn up and lead the economic expansion in the second half of the year," said Mr Guatieri.

蓋特瑞先生表示：“我認爲加拿大央行仍然相信出口將上升，並且會領漲今年下半年的經濟。”

The government is also hoping that negotiations with the European Union over a free trade deal will help increase exports.

加拿大政府也希望與歐盟就自由貿易協定進行談判，這將有助於加拿大增加出口。

A slowdown in the US economy also factored into Canada's second-quarter stumble.

美國經濟放緩也在一定程度上受到加拿大第二季度經濟數據表現不佳的拖累。

The US is Canada's largest trading partner and an uptick in US consumer spending should help lift exports.

美國是加拿大最大的貿易伙伴，美國消費者支出理應助力出口增加。