A surprise jump in inflation and a flood of "noise" in the economy may push the Bank of Canada to pause its interest rate cuts next month, some economists argue.

Canada's annual inflation rate showed a surprise jump to 2.6% in February, surpassing expectations as a sales tax break that ended in the middle of last month pushed prices higher amid an already broad-based increase,

Canada’s inflation rate reached an eight-month high of 2.6 per cent in February, in part because of the end of the government’s break on GST and broader price increases.