(Updates prices, adds sector details) March 12 (Reuters) - Canada’s main stock index fell on Friday as mining stocks tracked weaker bullion prices, while data showed the nation added far more jobs than expected in February. * The materials sector, which includes precious and base metals miners and fertilizer companies, lost 1.5% as gold futures fell 1.1% to $1,703.1 an ounce. * At 9:40 a.m. ET (14:40 GMT), the Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX composite index was down 83.83 points, or 0.44%, at 18,760.74. * Canada added more jobs than expected in February, while the unemployment rate dropped to its lowest point since March 2020, Statistics Canada data showed. * Badger Daylighting Ltd fell 10.4%, the most on the TSX, after the construction firm’s fourth-quarer results missed estimates. * The second biggest decliner was Ballard Power Systems Inc , down 8%, after multiple brokerages cut the price target of the fuel-cell product maker’s stock. * The energy sector climbed 0.6% even as U.S. crude prices fell 0.5% a barrel, while Brent crude lost 0.5%. * The financials sector gained 0.5% and the industrials sector fell 0.8%. * On the TSX, 66 issues advanced, while 144 issues declined in a 2.18-to-1 ratio to the downside, with 21.32 million shares traded. * The largest percentage gainers on the TSX were Intertape Polymer Group Inc, which jumped 5.4%, after the packaging products maker reported its fourth-quarter results and Ivanhoe Mines Ltd, which rose 2.7%. * The most heavily traded shares by volume were ClearStream Energy Services Inc, Canadian Natural Resources Limited , and BCE Inc. * The TSX posted 10 new 52-week highs and no new low. * Across Canadian issues, there were 47 new 52-week highs and five new lows, with total volume of 54.19 million shares. (Reporting by Amal S in Bengaluru; Editing by Vinay Dwivedi)