About the access - DLI

The products and services provided by the Data Liberation Initiative (DLI) enable faculty and students to use Canadian data in their studies and research. DLI contacts from member institutions are part of a professional network that enables them to support research and teaching at their institution.

The DLI offers access to:

  • All current and historical public-use microdata files (PUMF) from Statistics Canada;
  • An enhanced line of Census products;
  • Aggregated data on subjects such as justice and education;
  • All standard geographic files and databases;
  • Postal CodeOM data products;
  • Discharge Abstract Database (DAD) Research Analytic Files from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI).

The DLI Training Repository contains workshop presentations from the DLI training as well as from conferences. It is available to existing partners.

As Statistics Canada's dissemination model becomes more open, the DLI program will continue to play an important role in its promotion of data and statistical literacy, to provide feedback to Statistics Canada on the relevancy of its data to Canadian society and in its educational outreach to the DLI and wider communities.

Benefits of membership

Members of the DLI program benefit from research assistance and expert training on the use of the Statistics Canada data. Regional training sessions sponsored by the DLI program are held annually in each of 4 regions across Canada. One participant from each member organization is provided with transportation expenses. Regional training coordinators identify the needs within their region and arrange for the local training events. Every 4 years, a National Training Session and Bootcamp are held.

Members' contacts are part of a listserv which is used to share information and ask questions, both to Statistics Canada DLI staff and to colleagues about the data and other research questions. Finally, the DLI program keeps the community updated about new surveys and data coming from Statistics Canada.