Canada's main stock index advanced on Monday, helped by strength in gold-mining shares amid heightened demand for safe-haven assets like precious metals.

On global markets, U.S. President Donald Trump's failure to win enough congressional support for health-care legislation reform was bearish for stocks but bullish for government bonds, whose yields fell.

The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index closed up 63.55 points, or 0.41 per cent, at 15,506.22. Eight of the index's 10 main groups were higher.

The TSX had ended last week with two straight days of gains after Canada's government held off from raising taxes on investors in its budget, and the United States approved TransCanada Corp's (TRP.TO) Keystone XL pipeline.

The materials group, which includes precious and base metals miners and fertilizer companies, rose 1.4 per cent, with Barrick Gold Corp (ABX.TO) climbing 1.9 per cent to $26.20.

Spot gold was up 0.9 per cent at US$1,254.76 an ounce, having touched a one-month high earlier in the session.

The financials group added 0.1 per cent. Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS.TO) gained 0.8 per cent to $78.36, but Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD.TO) declined 0.1 per cent to $65.13.

The energy group fell 0.1 per cent as oil prices declined on uncertainty over whether an OPEC-led production cut will be extended beyond June in an effort to counter a glut of crude.

U.S. crude prices were down 0.4 per cent at US$47.79 a barrel, while Suncor Energy Inc (SU.TO) fell 0.9 per cent to $40.47.