Our commitment to serve Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic

Released: 2020-03-30

The current COVID-19 situation has forced organizations such as Statistics Canada to review operations, with the primary objective being the health and safety of employees and Canadians.

Over the last 10 days, your national statistical agency has responded to this challenge by setting up the infrastructure necessary for its dedicated employees to collect information vital to the economy and society—remotely and safely. Statistics Canada employees are working hard to support critical government operations with data, analytics and methodological expertise.

Statistics Canada employees are driven to provide Canadians with the most up-to-date information on key trends and challenges in the current context. Our recently launched economic dashboard will provide indicators and analytical information on how Canadian businesses are faring and how the economy is functioning. On April 9, we will release data on the labour market situation in Canada as of the third week of March 2020. We are also launching a web panel survey asking Canadians how they are coping. Key indicators from this panel survey will provide the latest data on a number of issues important to Canadians, ranging from child care and elder care to stress and mental health.

We are working with colleagues across governments to responsibly use administrative data to provide up-to-date trends and analysis on a range of topics. Our mission-critical surveys will continue to provide the best data possible on the impact of the current crisis on the labour force, the Consumer Price Index, the retail and wholesale sectors, trade, and the gross domestic product.

We thank our dedicated employees who are working remotely under difficult conditions to provide highest-quality, factual information. We also thank Canadians who keep answering the phone and providing us with information on how they are doing, and we thank businesses who continue to inform us about their situation.

Canadians understand the value of facts and evidence, and we value the trust they place in us to keep their information safe and to give leaders the best information for making the important decisions that affect us all.

Contact information

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; STATCAN.infostats-infostats.STATCAN@canada.ca) or Media Relations (613-951-4636; STATCAN.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.STATCAN@canada.ca).