Charting progress...

Today, Statistics Canada enters the world of blogging. The goal of the StatCan Blog is to pull back the curtain to explain some of the agency’s inner workings, and to show the links between quality statistics and the lives of Canadians.

Chief Statistician Wayne Smith expects that the blog will demystify some of the agency’s decisions, priorities and methodologies, and serve as a trusted source of information on pending initiatives. “We need, in a very systematic way, to tell Canadians what we’re working on and why it is coming, so that people can interact with us throughout the statistical process.”

The StatCan Blog also offers Canadians a chance to comment and provide feedback on the agency’s direction. By broadening its dialogue with users to online channels, Statistics Canada will better understand their interests and expectations, which, in turn, will help the agency make decisions on where to set priorities.

Statistical agencies play a fundamental role in the democratic process, and in nurturing public debate, by providing objective, accurate data and analysis. Businesses use data to decide site locations. Governments use data to discuss where to build schools or to assess whether a program is meeting its objectives. Health officials use data to track links between lifestyle and health. And everyone uses data to make informed decisions.

For Statistics Canada, maintaining trust with users is paramount. “As long as people trust and believe our data, the debate then becomes about the substantive issues and not the data itself,” Mr. Smith noted. “Without that trust, we are just a big number-generating machine.” 

Like most endeavours at the agency, the blog’s topics will have a certain statistical gravitas: the Framework for Environment Statistics, the System of National Accounts, the Consumer Price Index Enhancement Initiative, the Survey of Financial Security, as well as some broader topics, such as the use of microdata or the new model for publishing data online.

The Chief Statistician believes in the importance of linking these sometimes arcane-sounding initiatives to people’s own backyards. He cites environment statistics as a prime example. Statistics Canada is an OECD leader in finding ways to profile the environment by approaching the ecosystem as a dynamic resource affected by economic activity. Measurements could address crucial questions like “whether air is breathable, whether water is drinkable, or whether people’s health is affected.” 

Similarly, the Survey of Financial Security is a way to measure wealth beyond the weekly paycheque. “You do not fully understand the economic situation of Canadians until you have a measure of both income and wealth. It makes a fundamental difference whether you own your home or rent it, whether you have a mortgage or don’t have a mortgage, whether you have $200,000 or $10 in the bank.”  

The blog is the latest step in engaging Canadians by using social media, supplementing the agency’s presence on Twitter and YouTube. These social media initiatives reflect the increasingly digital milieu in which Statistics Canada operates. This reality also alters the way that Statistics Canada collects, shakes and stirs data. Door knocks, phone calls and traditional data processing are being replaced with e‑questionnaires, data mining and apps.

In the ever-expanding digital environment, Statistics Canada is using emerging technologies to better communicate statistics and to personalize user interaction. For example, CANSIM, the agency’s main database, became free in 2012. In ‘self-serve’ mode, users can now obtain, customize and manipulate data.

This StatCan blog offers a glimpse of the agency’s future, and provides a setting where Canadians can have a say about where Statistics Canada is heading.

Next month: The Consumer Price Index Enhancement Initiative