Appendix 2 :
Glossary

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A | B | C | D | E| F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A

Aboriginal ancestry/origin

Refers to those persons who reported at least one Aboriginal origin (North American Indian, Métis or Inuit) in response to the Census of Population question on ethnic origin. The question asks about the ethnic or cultural group(s) to which the respondent's ancestors belong.

Aboriginal identity

Refers to those persons who, on the Census of Population, reported identifying with at least one Aboriginal group (North American Indian, Métis or Inuit). Also included are individuals who did not report an Aboriginal identity, but did report being a Registered or Treaty Indian, and/or Band or First Nation membership ("not included elsewhere" category). Registered Indian status refers to those who reported they were registered under the Indian Act of Canada. Treaty Indians are persons who are registered under the Indian Act of Canada and can prove descent from a Band that signed a treaty. The term "treaty Indian" is more widely used in the Prairie provinces.

Aboriginal population

The Aboriginal population in Canada is not a homogeneous group and there is no single or "correct" definition; the choice of a definition depends on the purpose for which it is to be used. The Census of Population collects information on four concepts: ethnic origin (or ancestry), Aboriginal identity, Registered Indian status, and Band membership.

Academic rank

This refers to a classification of university teaching staff according to level of academic appointment. The following academic ranks are used:

• Full professors: referring to the most senior rank
• Associate professors: the mid-level rank (requirements vary considerably between institutions and departments)
• Assistant professors: the entry-level rank
• Other: generally refers to lecturers, instructors, and other teaching staff such as coaches, etc.

B

Birth rate

Number of births per 1,000 population.

C

CEGEP

A French acronym for "Collège d'enseignement général et professionnel." These institutions are at the postsecondary level (students enter CEGEP after completing six years of elementary school and five years of secondary school) and offer two-year pre-university programs and three-year technical programs leading to a Diploma of College Studies (DCS) as well as shorter technical programs leading to an Attestation of College Studies (ACS). A DCS is required for admission to university. Pre-university programs lead to university, whereas technical programs generally lead to the labour market, but can, under certain conditions, also lead to university.

Census metropolitan area

A census geographical unit consisting of one or more adjacent municipalities centered on a large urban area (known as the urban core). A census metropolitan area (CMA) must have a total population of at least 100,000 of which 50,000 or more must live in the urban core. To be included in the CMA, other adjacent municipalities must have a high degree of integration with the central urban area, as measured by commuting flows derived from census place of work data. Once an area becomes a CMA, it is retained as a CMA even if its total population declines below 100,000 or the population of its urban core falls below 50,000.

Coefficient of variation

Coefficients of variation (CV) provide a measure of the reliability of the estimate, taking into account sampling variability. With respect to its surveys, Statistics Canada considers estimates where the CV is above 33.3% of the estimate to be too unreliable to be published and are thus suppressed (shown by F). Where the CV is from 16.6% to 33.3%, data reliability is noted with an "E" indicating that the estimate should be used with caution.

In order to estimate whether the difference between two values is statistically significant, the following formula can be applied to approximate a 95% confidence interval:

Y ± 2 (CV x Y)/100, where Y is the estimate

This approximate confidence interval gives a range within which the true value in the population is likely to fall (see entry for "Confidence interval").

Colleges

Colleges are created under the authority of either a province's Colleges Act or equivalent, or under a Society/Societies Act or equivalent, with education as a primary purpose. These institutions are created primarily to offer certificate, diploma, and transfer or continuing education and professional development programs requiring less than three years of full-time study. They are often circumscribed by government and often need to seek government approval to introduce new programs, especially degree programs. High school completion is generally required for admission.

The term "colleges" refers to community colleges, CEGEPs (college d'enseignement général et professionnel or college of general and vocational education in Quebec), technical institutes, hospital and regional schools of nursing, radiography, medical technology and health records, as well as establishments providing technological training in specialized fields.

Common-law

Refers to two people of the opposite sex or of the same sex who live together as a couple, but who are not legally married to each other.

Confidence interval

The estimates from a sample survey are subject to sampling error (the difference between the estimates obtained from the sample and the results from a complete count taken under similar conditions). When comparing sample estimates among countries, provinces or population subgroups, the degree of error in each estimate should be considered in order to determine if the estimates are different from each other. Confidence intervals may be used as one basis for performing these comparative statistical tests. A 95% confidence interval represents a range of plus or minus about two standard errors around the sample average. If two confidence intervals do not overlap, then the difference between the two estimates is statistically significant.

Constant dollars

Constant dollars are derived by applying a price deflator to convert expenditures displayed in a time series to a price level that existed at a certain point in time (the base year). Constant dollars eliminate the changes in the purchasing power of the dollar over time. The result is a series as it would exist if the dollar had a purchasing power equal to the purchasing power in the base year.

E

Earnings or employment income

This definition, from the Census of Population, refers to total income received as wages and salaries, net income from a non-farm unincorporated business and/or professional practice, and/or net farm self-employment income.

Education status

Refers to the overall education status (as of the survey reference date) of a group of young adults who were followed by the Youth in Transition Survey (YITS):

• High-school graduates: Respondents who have completed the minimum requirements for a high school graduation certificate, diploma, or equivalent and had never attempted postsecondary education.
• High-school-continuers: Respondents who were continuing their studies at the high school level and who had not yet graduated, and had no additional postsecondary education.
• High-school non-completers:  Respondents who had not completed the high school graduation requirements, were not attending high school, and had no additional postsecondary education.
• Postsecondary graduate continuers: Individuals who had already graduated from a postsecondary institution and were pursuing an additional postsecondary program.
• Postsecondary graduate non-continuers: Individuals who had graduated from a postsecondary institution and were not pursuing additional education in a postsecondary institution.
• Postsecondary continuers: Individuals who were attending a postsecondary institution but had not yet graduated.
• Postsecondary non-continuers: Individuals who had undertaken postsecondary education but were no longer pursuing it and had never graduated from a postsecondary institution.

Educational attainment

The highest level of schooling a person has completed at the elementary, secondary, or postsecondary level.

Elementary schools

Schools are classified as elementary if they provide Grade 6 and under or a majority of elementary grades.

Elementary-secondary educators

Includes all employees in the public elementary-secondary school systems (either school-based or school district-based) who are required to have teaching certification as a condition of their employment. Generally includes teaching staff, principals, vice-principals, and professional non-teaching staff that provide services to students to support their instruction program (e.g., pedagogical consultants, guidance counselors, and special education teachers). It includes all educators in regular public schools, provincial reformatory or custodial schools, and of other students recognized and funded by a province or territory (correspondence or distance programs, private schools or independent schools financed by federal departments such as the Department of National Defence and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada are excluded). Substitute/Supply teachers, temporary replacement teachers, teachers on leave, student assistants and teaching assistants are excluded. All teachers in regular programs for youth, adult upgrading programs and vocational programs for youth and adults are also included in this definition.

Full-time equivalent ( FTE ) elementary-secondary educator: The number of full-time elementary-secondary educators on September 30^th (or as close as possible thereafter) of the school year, plus the sum of part-time educators according to their percentage of a full-time employment allocation (determined by the province or territory).

Elementary-secondary enrolment

Number of students (headcount) enrolled in public elementary-secondary schools operated by school boards or the province in September (or as close as possible thereafter) of the school year. It includes all students in publicly funded schools (graded and ungraded), provincial reformatory or custodial schools, and other students recognized and funded by a province or territory. It also includes other non-standard enrolment including students receiving educational services (if recognized by the province) and for schools and/or school districts that receive funding in a unique manner. They may be non-graduates who are taking only a few courses required to complete graduation. For example, a student who is enrolled in only 25% of a "regular" course load and for whom the school or school district receives only 25% of the usual funding. This category may not apply to some provinces or territories. It excludes correspondence or distance education enrolments, private school students, independent school students or students in schools financed by federal departments (e.g., the Department of National Defence and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada).

Full-time equivalent ( FTE ) enrolment: The number of full-time elementary-secondary students enrolled in September (or as close as possible thereafter) of the school year, plus the sum of part-time students according to the time fraction spent in the classroom (determined by the province or territory) and for which the students are funded.

Elementary-secondary schools

Schools are classified as elementary if they provide Grade 6 and under or a majority of elementary grades, and secondary if they offer Grade 7 and over or a majority of secondary grades.

Employment rate

The number of employed persons as a percentage of the population 15 years of age and older. Employed persons are those who, during the Labour Force Survey reference week, did any work for pay or profit, or had a job and were absent from work.

Ever left high school

Refers to those who had interrupted their high school education at some point. This concept is presented in relation to a group of young adults who were followed by Youth in Transition Survey (YITS).

Expenditures on education

Capital expenditures:  captures the purchase of assets intended to last longer than one year. It also provides a measure of the value of capital acquired during the year in question, including debt servicing. Spending for the construction, renovation or major repair of buildings, and to replace or purchase new equipment is included.

Operating expenditures:  items that an institution purchases and consumes within a year, and those the institution purchases on an ongoing basis. Included are costs directly attributable to instruction such as salaries, instructional aids, administrative support, teacher development, and costs for other educators such as counselors. Operating expenditures are categorized further into:

• Compensation of staff (educators and other staff): gross salaries (before deduction of taxes, contributions for retirement or health care plans, and other contributions or premiums for social insurance or other purposes), plus expenditure on retirement (actual or imputed expenditure by employers or third parties to finance retirement benefits for current educational personnel) and other non-salary compensation (fringe benefits).

  Statistics on compensation of university staff are categorized as follows:

  • academic salaries paid to full- and part-time staff members engaged in instruction and research activities (includes: deans, professors, associate professors, assistant professors and lecturers; also include payments to staff members in the academic ranks for various types of leave such as administrative, academic or sabbatical.)
  • other salaries and wages include payments to other full- and part-time non-instructional (support) staff including, among others, technicians, teaching and research laboratory technicians, clerical and secretarial, professional and managerial, janitorial, trades and maintenance.
  • benefits such as pensions, group life insurance, salary continuance insurance, medical and dental plans, and other costs of employee benefit programs. Also, includes the cost of benefits paid during early retirement periods as well as the cost of post retirement benefits.

• Other operating expenditures: covers all non-salary related items such as spending on tuition fees and books, spending attributable to research and development, membership fees include fees paid by the institution to organizations such as the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) and the Canadian Association of University Business Officers (CAUBO), utilities, school services under contract, building operations and maintenance staff and so on. Other non-salary costs include those related to the maintenance of buildings as well as supplementary costs such as lunch programs and transportation and other expenses not covered elsewhere.

Per capita expenditure: This measure divides the spending on education in Canada, or in a province or territory, by the total population, to show how much is spent on education per person.

Private expenditures: Total operating current and capital expenditures on education financed by households or other private entities (commercial and not-for-profit) consisting of:

• Fees paid to educational institutions (e.g., for tuition, registration, laboratory, lodging, meals and for other services provided to students by the institution). Statistics Canada finance surveys are administrative surveys only and therefore do not include data on private educational expenditures paid to entities outside the institution for student lodging.
• Financial aid to students or households coming from private sources (e.g., scholarships from business firms and religious and other non-profit organizations).
• Direct payments by private entities to educational institutions (e.g., contributions or subsidies to vocational-technical schools, contracts let to universities for research or other services, grants to educational institutions from non-profit organizations, charitable donations [other than from households], expenditures by private employers for apprenticeship training and other school and work-based educational programs).

Public expenditures: Total operating current and capital expenditures on education financed by all levels of government, including:

• Direct purchases by governments of educational resources (e.g., direct payments of teachers' salaries by a central or regional education ministry, direct payments by a municipality to building contractors for construction of school buildings, procurement of textbooks by a jurisdiction or regional authority for subsequent distribution to local authorities or schools).
• Direct payments by government agencies to educational institutions that have the responsibility of purchasing educational resources themselves (e.g., government block grants to universities which they use to compensate personnel, a government subsidy to a private school, and government payments under contract to a private firm undertaking educational research).
• Direct expenditures designated for capital projects (e.g., building expansions or construction, laboratory equipment in support of research and development).
• Public to private transfers (e.g., financial aid in the form of government scholarships and grants, special public subsidies [such as for transport, medical expenses, studies abroad], family allowances or child allowances that are contingent on student status, student loans).

Total expenditures: Combined public and private expenditures on education.

F

Federal schools

Include schools administered directly by the federal government, overseas schools operated by the Department of National Defence for dependants of Canadian Forces personnel, and schools operated by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada or by band councils.

Fertility rate

Refers to the number of children that a hypothetical female would have over the course of her reproductive life if she experienced the age-specific fertility rates observed in a given calendar year.

Field of study

Defined as a discipline or area of learning or training. Field of study is the organizing principle behind the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP). CIP is a hierarchical classification, originally created by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in the United States. CIP Canada 2000 is the Statistics Canada standard for field of study classification. For more information on CIP, consult "Definitions, data sources and methods", Statistics Canada Web site, CIP Canada 2000, http://stds.statcan.gc.ca/cip-cpe/main-principal-eng.asp.

G

G-7/G-8

A group of the leading seven industrialized countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, and the United States. The group remained at seven until the Russian Federation, which had attended G-7 meetings as an observer throughout the 1990s, was invited to formalize this relationship in 1997 (hence the group became the G-8).

Gender gap (salary)

The average salary of females as a percentage of the average salary of males.

Government student loan programs

Programs under which provincial and federal governments provide loans to Canadians enrolled in full- or part-time postsecondary education, based on eligibility and need.

Gross domestic product ( GDP )

Represents the total market value of a country's (or province/territory's) goods and services produced over the year.

H

Home language

Refers to the language spoken most often, or on a regular basis, at home by the individual at the time of the census. PCEIP presents data for persons of school age for whom the home language is neither English nor French.

Household

Refers to a person or a group of persons (other than foreign residents) who occupy a private dwelling and do not have a usual place of residence elsewhere in Canada.

Human capital

The knowledge, skills, competencies and attributes embodied in individuals that facilitate the creation of personal, social and economic well-being (a definition developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development).

I

Immigrants

Refers to people who are, or have been, landed immigrants in Canada. A landed immigrant is a person who has been granted the right to live in Canada permanently by immigration authorities. Some immigrants have resided in Canada for a number of years, while others have arrived recently. Does not include non-permanent residents who are defined as people from another country who had an employment authorization, a study authorization, or a Minister's permit, or who were refugee claimants at the time of the census and family members living here with them.

Index

Annual cumulative percentage changes in a variable from a given base year, expressed as an index with the base year equal to 100. An index value of 140, for example, 10 years after the base year, would indicate a 40% increase in the variable over that time period.

Inuit

Broadly refers to people who are descendants of Aboriginal people who historically inhabited the Arctic regions of Canada, Alaska, Greenland, and Russia, and who self-identify as such.

L

Labour force

The portion of the civilian, non-institutional population 15 years of age and over who form the pool of available workers in Canada. To be considered a member of the labour force, an individual must be working (either full-time or part-time) or unemployed but actively looking for work.

Labour force participation rate

The participation rate represents the labour force expressed as a percentage of the population 15 years of age and over.

Literacy, International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey 

The 2003 International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey (IALSS) assessed adult literacy across four domains:

• Prose literacy is the knowledge and skills needed to understand and use information from texts including editorials, news stories, brochures and instruction manuals.
• Document literacy refers to the knowledge and skills required to locate and use information contained in various formats, including job applications, payroll forms, transportation schedules, maps, tables and charts.
• Numeracy is the knowledge and skills needed to effectively manage the mathematical demands of diverse situations.
• Problem-solving is the goal-directed thinking and action in situations for which no routine solutions exist. The problem solver has a more or less well defined goal, but it is not immediately obvious how to reach it. The understanding of the problem situation and its step-by-step transformation, based on planning and reasoning, constitute the process of problem solving.

Literacy, Programme for International Student Assessment

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) initiated the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) to provide policy-oriented international indicators of the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students. PISA assesses youth in three domains: reading literacy, mathematical literacy, and scientific literacy. These domains are defined in PISA as:

• Reading literacy is the ability to understand, use, and reflect on written texts, in order to achieve one's goals, to develop one's knowledge and potential, and to participate in society.
• Mathematical literacy is the capacity to identify, understand and engage in mathematics, and to make well-founded judgments about the role that mathematics plays in an individual's current and future private life, occupational life, social life with peers and relatives, and as a constructive, concerned and reflective citizen.
• Scientific literacy is defined as the capacity to use scientific knowledge, to identify questions and to draw evidence-based conclusions in order to understand and help make decisions about the natural world and the changes made to it through human activity.

Literacy, Pan-Canadian Assessment Program

A cyclical program of pan-Canadian assessments of the achievement of 13-year-olds in reading, mathematics, and science, coordinated by the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada. Assessment results, along with the review mechanisms of individual jurisdictions, provide ministers of education with a basis for examining their curricula as well as their policies and practices for the learning environment of their students. The Pan-Canadian Assessment Program (PCAP) is structured with a major domain (subject area) and two minor domains in order to harmonize with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD's) PISA assessment:

• Reading: According to jurisdictional criteria, reading is a dynamic, interactive process whereby the reader constructs meaning from texts. The act of reading effectively involves the interaction of reader, text, purpose, and context before, during, and after reading. The PCAP reading domain considers the reader's engagement with text and response to it. Three sub-domains of the integrated process of reading are assessed: comprehension, interpretation, and response to text.
• Mathematics: This component is aligned with the jurisdictions own curricula as well as the standards of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. The domain of mathematics is divided into four sub-domains and three processes. The sub-domains are: numbers and operations; geometry and measurement; patterns and relationships; and data management and probability. The three processes used in all sub-domains are: problem solving, communication/representation, and reasoning/connections.
• Science: The concept of scientific literacy is generally accepted as the overarching goal of science curricula across Canada. The PCAP Science Assessment comprises items associated with the competencies and sub-domains that provide opportunities for students to demonstrate their use of science-related attitudes, skills and knowledge. The assessed competencies are: science inquiry, problem-solving, and decision-making. The sub-domains are: nature of science; nature of technology; knowledge of science; skills; and attitudes.

Living arrangements

Cohabitation status or household composition of the school-age population. For instance: living with parent(s), with the sub-categories of married parents, common-law parents and lone parent; as well as not living with parent(s), including the sub-categories of living as a spouse, living as a lone parent, and other living arrangements.

Lone parent

Guardians and adults, regardless of marital status, without a partner but with children in their care.

Low income

The income level, conveyed by Statistics Canada's low-income cutoffs (LICOs), at which a family may be in "straitened circumstances" because it has to spend significantly more of its income on the basics (food, shelter and clothing) than the average family. LICOs depend on family and community size.

Low-income cutoffs

Represent an income threshold where a family is likely to spend 20% more of its income on food, shelter and clothing than the average family, leaving less income available for other expenses such as health, education, transportation and recreation. Low-income cutoffs (LICOs) are calculated for families and communities of different sizes.

M

Medium-growth scenario, Aboriginal population

Assumes that fertility and mortality will be declining, that migration trends will continue their course as observed during the second half of the 1990s, and that fertility will undergo a slow decline over the projected period.

Medium-growth scenario, total Canadian population

The medium-growth scenario assumes a continuation in the recent trends in fertility, mortality and immigration. It is bracketed by high- and low-growth scenarios, in which fertility, mortality and immigration levels are higher or lower as the case may be.

Métis

Broadly refers to people who are of mixed Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal ancestry and who self-identify as Métis.

Migration rate

The rate of out- (in-) migration before enrolling is defined as the number of graduates who left (entered) a jurisdiction to pursue their studies, as a percentage of the number of graduates that had resided in that jurisdiction one year prior to enrolment. Used as a measure of "student mobility". The rate of out- (in-) migration after graduation is defined as the number of graduates who left (entered) a jurisdiction two years after graduation, as a percentage of the number of graduates of the jurisdiction. Used as a measure of "graduate mobility".

N

North American Indian

This term is used for those persons who self-identify as North American Indian, and broadly refers to people who consider themselves part of the First Nations in Canada, whether or not they have legal Indian status according to the Indian Act of Canada.

Not in the labour force

Persons not in the labour force are those who, during the Labour Force Survey reference week, were unwilling or unable to offer or supply labour services under conditions existing in their labour markets; that is, they were neither employed nor unemployed.

O

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

A multidisciplinary international body made up of 31 member countries that offers a structure/forum for governments to consult and co-operate with each other in order to develop and refine economic and social policy. While the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) does not set rules and regulations to settle disputes like other international bodies, it encourages the negotiation of agreements and the promotion of legal codes in certain sectors. Its work can lead to binding and non-binding agreements between the member countries to act in a formal way. The OECD is best known for its publications and statistics. Its member countries are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

P

Participation rate in education

Calculated by taking the total enrolment of a particular level of education as a percentage of a specified population group.

Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised

The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R) is administered to 4- and 5-year-olds. This test measures children's receptive language skills or the verbal component of intelligence. It is a "normed" test; that is, participants' performances are reported and scored relative to that of an overall population. A wide range of scores represents an average level of ability, taking the age of the child into consideration. Scores below the lower threshold of this range reflect a delayed receptive vocabulary, and scores above the higher threshold demonstrate an advanced receptive vocabulary.

Postsecondary enrolment

• College enrolment counts: The number of students who were enrolled in an educational activity on October 31^st. Includes enrolments at the following program levels: college certificate or diploma and other programs at the college level; undergraduate; graduate; and other program levels (taking non-credit courses or taking courses without seeking a credential). Excludes students enrolled in programs related to pre-employment, apprenticeship, basic training or skills upgrading, second language training, job readiness or orientation programs.
• University enrolment counts: The number of students who were enrolled in an educational activity on December 1^st (November 1^st in Ontario). Includes enrolments at the following program levels: undergraduate; graduate; and other program levels (taking non-credit courses or taking courses without seeking a credential).

Postsecondary completions

• Colleges:  the number of certificates, diplomas and degrees granted by colleges. All counts reflect the academic year as defined by the college, which generally begins on the first day after the end of the winter semester. Includes completions for the following program types offered at colleges: college certificate or diploma and other credential at the college level; undergraduate; and graduate. Excludes completions from programs related to pre-employment, apprenticeship, basic training or skills upgrading, second language training, job readiness or orientation.
• Universities:  the number of degrees, diplomas and certificates granted by universities. All counts reflect the number of graduates in the calendar year. Includes completions for the following program types offered at universities: undergraduate; graduate; college (college certificate or diploma, college post-diploma, and collaborative degree programs); and trade/vocational (trade/vocational and preparatory training certificate or diploma).

Postsecondary programs

College program types:

• College certificate or diploma and other programs at the college level: college postsecondary programs; college post-diploma programs; collaborative degree programs; university transfer programs from a college or CEGEP (includes associate degrees); and college preliminary year courses.
• Undergraduate: programs leading to a bachelor's degree, an applied degree, a university preliminary year or pre-bachelor, or to an undergraduate-level certificate or diploma.
• Graduate: programs leading to a master's degree or other university graduate-level certificates or diplomas.
• Other program levels: non-credit courses or courses that do not lead to a credential.

University program types:

• Undergraduate: programs leading to a bachelor's degree, a first professional degree, an applied degree, university preliminary year or pre-bachelor, undergraduate level certificate or diploma, license undergraduate and licentiate or testamur.
• Graduate:  programs leading to a master's degree, an earned doctorate, post-doctoral program, master's qualifying year, university graduate level certificate or diploma, PhD qualifying year or probationary, internship (postgraduate medical education known as post-MD) and residency (medical, dental, veterinary).
• Other program levels:  non-credit courses or courses that do not lead to a credential.

Pre-elementary programs

Pre-Grade 1 education offered by public, private and federal schools, as well as schools for the visually and hearing impaired, available to young children, typically 4 or 5 years of age. Junior and senior kindergarten programs in the formal education system are included, but private day care programs or early childhood education programs outside the formal education system are not included.

Private business colleges

Private schools, licensed or not by a jurisdiction, providing professional and vocational training for profit.

Private schools

Operated and administered by individuals or groups. They may be either denominational or non-denominational.

Public schools

Established and operated by local school authorities pursuant to the public schools legislation of the province or territory. Also included in this category are Protestant and Roman Catholic separate schools and schools operated in Canada by the Department of National Defence within the framework of the public schools system.

R

Receptive vocabulary

Receptive vocabulary refers to the understood vocabulary of the child; that is, the number of words a child understands when he or she hears them spoken. A child's (or adult's) understood vocabulary level is measured relative to other individuals of the same age. In the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY), receptive or understood vocabulary level is measured using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test–Revised.

Registered apprentices

Based on data provided by provincial/territorial apprenticeship branches. Includes all individuals registered in an apprenticeship program, regardless of whether or not they had been enrolled in any formal classroom training during the year. The apprenticeship program can be either Red Seal endorsement or non-Red Seal endorsement and can be either compulsory or voluntary.

Registered apprenticeship completions

Refers to those who received a Red Seal endorsement or provincial certificate for completing both the in-class and on-the-job training required by apprenticeship programs. The Red Seal endorsement or Interprovincial Standards Program was introduced in the late 1950s to make it easier for skilled workers to move across Canada without having to re-qualify in a trade when entering employment in a new province. By comparison, a provincial certificate is valid only for the province in which it is issued. The Red Seal endorsement is available in 50 trades at this time, in trades such as cabinet maker, machinist, motor vehicle body repair, roofer, bricklayer and welder.

Registered apprenticeship programs

A program based on a contract registered with the province/territory, between the apprentice and the employer, in which the employer agrees to provide an opportunity to obtain the experience and skill required for a trade. Programs vary in length from two to five years, depending on the trade. Registered apprenticeship combines on-the-job experience with four- to eight-week periods of in-class training each year of the program. In most jurisdictions, the in-class portion is usually taken at a postsecondary institution during the apprenticeship training. In Quebec, however, the in-class training is taken prior to beginning the apprenticeship program.

Registration status, postsecondary

Since there is no commonly accepted definition for the registration status of full- and part-time students, it is defined by the reporting postsecondary institutions (universities and colleges).

Research and development

Creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of scientific and technical knowledge and to use this knowledge in new applications. The central characteristic of research and development (R&D) is an appreciable element of novelty and of uncertainty. New knowledge, products or processes are sought. The work is normally performed by, or under the supervision of, persons with postgraduate degrees. The work is normally performed by, or under the supervision of, persons with postgraduate degrees.

R&D, sources of funds in the higher education sector

• Federal government: Through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Canada Research Chairs, and federal departments and agencies.
• Provincial governments: Including municipal governments.
• Business enterprises: Including donations, bequests and contracts from individuals and business enterprises.
• Private non-profit organizations: Including donations, bequests, and contracts from foundations and not-for-profit organizations.
• Foreign sources: Funding entities located abroad.
• Higher education: Higher education institutions fund their own R&D using two revenue streams:
  • General funds: These represent government transfers (or block grants) to higher education institutions that are used to support R&D activity. Although in essence these funds represent indirect government spending on R&D, for the purposes of pan-Canadian statistics they are allocated to the funding by higher education institutions due to the difficulty of categorizing these funds as provincial or federal. However in international comparisons, these funds are included as indirect government funding at the overall government level.
  • Own revenue sources: This refers to self-generated revenue of higher education institutions from sources such as tuition fees, investment income, revenue from sales of services and products by the institution and license and patent incomes.

R&D, sponsorship: Refers to university research that is supported either in the form of a grant or by means of a contract from a source external to the institution. Funding sources include government, business enterprises, and donors.

R&D, total domestic expenditures: Total expenditures on research and development (R&D) performed within a country during a given year. Total research and development expenditures include R&D performed within a country and funded from all sources, including those abroad but exclude payments sent abroad for R&D performed in other countries. Total expenditures on R&D are arrived at by adding together the expenditures of the performing sectors (government, business enterprise, higher education, and private non-profit organizations). The definition of total expenditures on research and development in a provincial context is similar; expenditures are assigned to the province in which the performing establishment is located.

S

School-age population

Comprises all individuals between the ages of 5 and 24, whether or not they are in school. This is the age range at which most people undertake their formal education.

Schools for the visually or hearing impaired

Provide special facilities and training for visually or hearing impaired students. Most of these institutions are under direct provincial or territorial government administration.

Secondary schools

Include public, private and federal schools, and schools for the visually and hearing impaired. Schools are classified as secondary if they offer either Grade 7 and over, or a majority of years at the secondary level.

Student–computer ratio

Total number of students enrolled in a school divided by the total number of computers in the school. Data on this measure are from PISA, which, in turn, reports this ratio for schools in which 15-year-olds are enrolled.

Student–educator ratio

A measure of the human resources available to students in public elementary and secondary schools. It is calculated by dividing the number of full-time equivalent enrolments by the number of full-time equivalent educators.

T

Trade-vocational programs

Trade-vocational programs such as apprenticeship or other programs geared toward preparation for employment in an occupation or trade.

Trades

There are over 200 registered trades in Canada, each with specific standards and training requirements as set down by each province and territory. In some of these trades, apprenticeship training and certification is compulsory to enter into and to practice the trade. In others, apprenticeship certification is not necessary, although an individual may voluntarily obtain it to indicate a certain level of competence in the trade. Compulsory and voluntary trades vary by jurisdiction; however, there are similarities across jurisdictions in that compulsory trades commonly include those with advanced technology or that involve public safety.

Tuition fees, university

Average university tuition fees (undergraduate and graduate) represent the tuition fees charged to full-time Canadian students over the academic year; that is, September to April. Foreign students are not included. Additional compulsory fees such as those for athletics, health services and student associations are not included.

U

Unemployment rate

Shows the unemployed as a proportion of the labour force. Unemployed individuals are those who, during the Labour Force Survey (LFS) reference week, were available for work and were either on temporary layoff, had looked for work in the past four weeks or had a job to start within the next four weeks. The LFS divides the population aged 15 and over into three mutually exclusive groups: those who are employed, those who are unemployed, and those who are not in the labour force.

Universities

Universities are created under the authority of a province's University Act or equivalent, or under a Society/Societies Act or equivalent, with education as a primary purpose. These institutions are created primarily for the purposes of offering degree programs and to conduct research. They generally have complete authority to set their own academic standards and priorities. Within the institution, the supreme authority on all academic policy is generally a body on which faculty predominate.

University educators

Full-time teaching staff in degree-granting institutions who are tenured or have a contract for 12 months or more as of October 1^st of the reporting year. This includes all teaching staff within faculties, academic staff in teaching hospitals, and visiting academic staff in faculties. Research staff that have an academic rank and a salary scale similar to teaching staff are included. Administrative and support staff are excluded, as are teaching and research assistants. Administrators solely responsible for university administration (i.e., present, vice-president, registrar, comptroller, etc.) are also excluded.

University revenues

Government revenues at universities: grants and contracts from government departments and agencies at federal, provincial, municipal and foreign level.

• The federal portion of income is mainly from six major federal government agencies: the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), Health Canada, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), and Canadian Research Chairs. Also included are grants and contracts from all other federal government departments and agencies.
• Grants and contracts at the provincial level include: (1) income from provincial government departments and agencies, including provincial CFI matching grants; and (2) provincial CFI matching income from the ministry responsible for the institution.
• Income from other provinces includes grants from, and contracts with, provinces other than the province with jurisdiction.
• Grants from urban transit, communication and parking authorities are examples of income from municipal governments.
• Income from foreign nations includes grants from the National Endowment for Humanities, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation.

Private revenues at universities: revenue obtained from any source other than government, categorized as:

• Student fees: Payments obtained from students directly in the form of tuition and other fees.
• Non-government grants and contracts, donations and bequests: Financial support received by colleges and universities from donors, wills from grants and contracts from sources other than government, the latter provided with specific stipulations.
• Sales: Revenue from sales of services and products by the institution.
• Investment: Revenue from dividends, bonds, mortgages, short-term notes and bank interest.
• Miscellaneous revenues: Commissions, royalties and fees from the use of institution-owned rights or properties, fees for services rendered, library and other similar fines, rentals, net gain or loss on the sale of fixed assets and any type of revenue not identified under other forms of revenue.

University transfer programs

Programs of postsecondary non-university institutions that require secondary school completion to enter, and which provide a student with standing equivalent to the first or second year of a university degree program with which a student can apply for admission to subsequent senior years at a degree-granting institution. The "général" programs of the Quebec CEGEPs, completion of which is a prerequisite for entry into Quebec universities, are included in this classification.

V

Visible minority

Refers to the visible minority group to which the respondent belongs. The Employment Equity Act defines visible minorities as "persons, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour".