<div id="readability-page-1"><div>By Adriano Marchese Toronto stocks were firmly lower Friday mid-trading, with tech stocks leading the decline. Most sectors were in the red at midday, with materials and tech-services stocks also lower. Only process industries logged notable gains in the session. Canadian industries in the country operated at 78.5% of their production capacity in the July-to-September period, Statistics Canada said. That's a 0.9-percentage-point increase from the previous quarter, helped by recovery in oil and gas extraction and the first rise in capacity utilization in the construction industry in a little over two years, said the agency. Canadian wholesale trade increased 0.1% in October, building on recent strength for the sector thanks to a rise in sales of vehicles and parts, Statistics Canada also reported. On the building front, the agency said, the total value of building permits increased 14.9% from the month before to a seasonally adjusted 13.82 billion Canadian dollars, the equivalent of US$10.03 billion. Canada's S&amp;P/TSX Composite Index fell 1% to 31350.47 and the blue-chip S&amp;P/TSX 60 declined by 0.8% to 1839.40. Canadian cannabis stocks surged on a Washington Post report that President Trump plans to call for the reclassification of cannabis to a schedule III drug. Tilray, Aurora, Canopy and Cronos Group were the main leaders, rising 28%, 15%, 33% and 8.4% respectively. Other market movers: CAE said it has won a contract valued at C$270 million to deliver a new air-mission training system for the Royal Australian Air Force. Shares rose 2.8% to C$40.06. Write to Adriano Marchese at adriano.marchese@wsj.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires12-12-25 1216ET</div></div>

Toronto stocks fell, led by tech stocks, while Canadian cannabis stocks surged on news of potential U.S. reclassification. Canadian industries operated at 78.5% capacity in Q3, with a rise in oil and gas extraction. Wholesale trade increased 0.1% in October. Building permits rose 14.9% to C$13.82 billion. CAE won a C$270 million contract for the Royal Australian Air Force.

Toronto Stocks Slide; Canadian Cannabis Stocks Up on Potential Reclassifcation in U.S.