Statistics Canada says wholesale sales, excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain, fell 0.8 per cent to $82.2-billion in May.
The overall decrease came as sales fell in five of the seven subsectors, with the largest decline coming from motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and accessories, which decreased by 3.8 per cent to $13.9-billion.
In volume terms, wholesale sales decreased by 0.8 per cent in May.
Meanwhile, Statistics Canada says manufacturing sales rose 0.4 per cent to $71.4-billion in May, driven by 11.2 per cent higher production in the aerospace product and parts industry group.
That followed an increase of 1.1 per cent in April.
In constant dollars, Statistics Canada says manufacturing sales rose 0.4 per cent in May, indicating a higher volume of goods was sold.