Some 207,100 jobs were lost in April, more than the average analyst prediction of a loss of 175,000. The unemployment rate climbed to 8.1%, missing analyst expectations of 7.8%. Employment remains 2.6% below pre-pandemic levels.
Full-time employment was down by 129,400 while part-time employment fell by 77,800 positions.
Canada will present a budget on Monday, at about 4 p.m. (2000 GMT), with billions of dollars for pandemic recovery measures, C$2 billion toward national childcare, and new taxes on luxury goods.
This is going to be a serious budget that either sets the stage for post-pandemic policy in Canada, or has all the makings of an election platform, possibly to be used as soon as later this year.
On a more cautious note for the economy, Ontario, Canada's most populous province, initiated a four-week stay-at-home order as it battles a third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Yields on the front end to the so-called belly of the curve were down, while those on the very long end were firmer. U.S. 10-year yields, however, dropped to a two-week low.
"There are a lot of moving parts here but overall I would say this is generally better than expected," said Doug Porter, chief economist at BMO Capital Markets.
The Canadian dollar was trading 0.1% lower after the data at 1.2661 to the greenback, or 78.98 US cents, easing back from a rally the previous day.