Statistics Canada reported on Friday that real gross domestic product edged up by 0.1% in April over the previous month.
Economists had expected no change, according to Thomson Reuters Eikon.
The increase came as output of goods-producing industries rose by 0.2%.
Gains in the manufacturing and utilities sectors more than offset declines in construction and in mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction.
Activity in the manufacturing sector rose by 0.8% in April as the output of both durable and non-durable manufacturing grew.
Services-producing industries were essentially unchanged, overall, for the month.