The Canadian economy grew for the 17th consecutive month in February, but the gain was less than half that of January’s, Statistics Canada said Wednesday.

Gross domestic product advanced 0.2% during February thanks to continued advances in the nation’s housing and retail sectors. January’s increase was a 0.5%. On a year-over-year basis, GDP increased by 3.1%.

According to reports, economists had expected a fairly modest output gain in the second month of the year, with the latest figure coming in squarely on target with an early consensus forecast compiled by Toronto’s MMS International.

StatsCan linked February’s continued expansion to solid activity in the retail and residential construction sectors. “An upswing in residential construction and continued strength in retail trade have played a major role in the prolonged upward trend in the economy,” StatsCan said.

“GDP growth in February was somewhat constrained by a decrease in the production of motor vehicles and weaker mutual fund investment, which lowered the output of financial services.”

Residential construction activity grew 3% in February after declining the month before. February’s gain was largely the result of a booming condominium market in Toronto.

Retail sales were up 0.8% in February, with the auto sector accounting for a significant chunk of that activity. Excluding the auto sector, February retail sales were down 0.4%.