Canada's annual inflation rate in January accelerated at a slower pace than the previous month as a big drop in gasoline prices helped cushion the impact of higher food and clothing prices, Statistics Canada said on Tuesday. The consumer price index rose 2.3% in January compared with 2.4% in December, beating an analysts' poll which pegged January's expected rise in consumer prices at 2.4%. On a monthly basis, the CPI was unchanged from the prior month, data showed.