| Province of residence | Unweighted | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage | ||
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 15.0 | 12.2 |
| Prince Edward Island | 9.0 | 8.6 |
| Nova Scotia | 23.4 | 21.0 |
| New Brunswick | 21.8 | 19.6 |
| Quebec | 29.2 | 25.3 |
| Ontario | 28.5 | 25.2 |
| Manitoba | 21.8 | 18.3 |
| Saskatchewan | 17.7 | 14.9 |
| Alberta | 25.1 | 22.4 |
| British Columbia | 28.6 | 26.5 |
| Canada | 23.2 | 24.0 |
| Release date | 2020 | 2021 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Q1 | |
| Quarterly (percentage) | |||||
| May 25, 2021 | 87.3 | 79.6 | 76.6 | 74.2 | 54.8 |
| February 24, 2021 | 87.0 | 78.0 | 75.7 | 54.9 | .. |
| November 20, 2020 | 84.4 | 76.3 | 55.4 | .. | .. |
| August 25, 2020 | 82.3 | 59.1 | .. | .. | .. |
| June 9, 2020 | 67.8 | .. | .. | .. | .. |
| .. not available for a specific reference period Source: Quarterly Survey of Financial Statements (2501) |
|||||
Release date: June 3, 2021
Catalogue number: 45-20-0003
ISSN: 2816-2250
We sit down (virtually!) with Tony Labillois, StatCan’s Champion for Persons With Disabilities, to talk about the new challenges and opportunities experienced by persons with disabilities during the pandemic.
Tegan Bridge
Tony Labillois, StatCan's Champion for Persons With Disabilities
Download: National AccessAbility Week 2021 (MP3, 19.38 MB)
Tegan: In September, we're launching StatCan's first podcast. It will be available in both English and French under the names Eh Sayers and Hé-coutez bien. To celebrate National AccessAbility Week, we're sharing a preview of our first episode. We've all been working hard on it, and I hope you enjoy.
[Theme music]
Welcome to the very first episode of Eh Sayers, it's a podcast from Statistics Canada, where we meet the people behind the data and explore the stories behind the numbers. I'm your host, Tegan.
Today, we're talking about disability. According to the 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability, more than 6 million Canadians aged 15 and over report having a disability. That's about 1 in 5 Canadians. So what do we mean when we say persons with disabilities?
Tony: Well, it can mean many things for many people, and some people will will have activity limitations and probably will not even think of themselves as being a person with a disability. We mean people with visible and invisible conditions that may affect them in their daily life or in their daily work.
Tegan: That's Tony Labillois.
Tony: My name is Tony Labillois. I'm the Director for public sector Statistics Division at Statistics Canada, and I'm also the champion for persons with disabilities in our organization since 2002. And I'm visually impaired since I was born. I have low vision. And for me it's normal vision.
Tegan: 1.5 million Canadians aged 15 years and over have a seeing disability, like Tony.
What do you mean by invisible conditions?
Tony: You see, immediately, when you meet someone, like you will see that I have dancing eyes, if you see me, you'll notice that my eyes are different. So you'll know that I'm visually impaired or there's something different. But there's a lot of invisible disabilities, there's a lot of people where you will meet the person and you could not know that they have an activity limitation. And think about things like learning disability, mental health challenge, or even pain, chronic pain or hypersensitivity to the environment. All those things are affecting us as human beings, either for an episode of our life or permanently. And that's what can be included in persons with disabilities. But it doesn't mean that the person would recognize himself or herself as having a disability or being part of that group. It's a question of acceptance or a question of perception depending on our experiences... yeah our experiences.
Tegan: Could you talk a bit more about that? Why a person might not identify themselves as having a disability?
Tony: Yes, absolutely. I remember the time that when I was not even sure if I should self identify, or I wasn't sure I was even accepting myself as I was, as a teenager. And as we evolve as human beings, or as our condition evolves, as human beings that perception might change. Unfortunately, disability or an activity limitation is something that can be acquired. So it may change our perception of ourselves. And it may change the way we answer a question if there's a question. Are you a person with disability? Yes or no. But there's also even despite the condition itself, there's a level of trust in ourselves and trust in others, acceptance of ourselves and the way we feel that we will be accepted or not by others, that will have an influence on us self declaring, especially if it's invisible. Someone wouldn't have to necessarily self declare.
Tony: So I may choose especially if it's an invisible disability not to disclose. We're all facing that as we're getting older. Unfortunately, we can acquire a disability, something very simple in many people's lives when they get in their 40s. And suddenly, they don't see as well as they used to, and suddenly they need glasses. But before they accept for themselves that they need to go see optometrist and get the right prescription,they will often try to look at a piece of paper that they receive in the mail or at something else a bit further or closer to try to get the right focus and so on. It's a very simple example where there's--they need to accept that they will need that accommodation in their life. It's usually something that will not generate any discrimination in society because many people already have glasses and it's accepted socially and professionally, that people can be efficient even when they have glasses. Other persons with disabilities need other accommodations sometimes or not. But they often are not certain that these accommodations or their different ways of doing something will be as accepted as glasses would be or using glasses would be.
Tegan: Invisible disabilities may be more common than you might expect. For example, in 2017, just over 4 million Canadians aged 15 and older had a pain-related disability and over 2 million had a mental health-related disability.
Tony told us a little more about the reality of living with an invisible disability.
Tony: It means that you can choose, it means that you can choose not to ever divulge it, and to live with that choice. And it means that you can choose to tell others and live with that choice as well. Think of someone with a diagnostic of anxiety. That person is evolving in the workplace and is having issues at certain point in time. And if he or she chooses not to say anything, that means that it may affect the person very much and even affect the colleagues very much without nobody knowing that there is a specific condition that could be considered and could be accommodated. So, it's true for any invisible disability. But think also if suddenly that person decides to divulge the fact that he or she has an anxiety problem. Well, suddenly, if it's accepted, again, it's a question of trust and acceptance, if it's accepted by the person, and the person doesn't feel she will be stigmatized or limited by that with the perception of others, if she feels that the workplace is conducive enough to discuss mental health issues, or any invisible disabilities, suddenly, accommodations can be put in place, even the person can get coaching or the person can get some help in stressful moments, the person can even just be able to say that she's stressed and that will relieve some stress, maybe the only accommodation that that person will need to know that she can ask frequently to the boss if everything is going well. Instead of ruminating and having ideas in your mind so there's a choice there to say or not say something which is not the case with something visible. I mean, people will probably ask questions even about something visible if we pretend it's not there.
Tegan: Then, it's much more complicated than a yes/no question. "Are you a person with a disability, yes or no?" It's not always that simple, is it?
Tony: Yeah, we have a social model to measure disability like in our Canadian survey on disability done in 2017 and the one we will do in 2022, after the census, we will make use of a social model where we don't look at the medical conditions of the people, we mostly look at the potential activity limitations and potential barriers that they face in the environment that they're in for their life or for work. And with scales also for light, moderate, and high impact of these things.
Tegan: Why is it especially important to acknowledge that hidden disability exists especially during the pandemic, both to acknowledge that it exists in other people we might interact with, but also, you know, within yourself, within ourselves.
Tony: This pandemic brought a lot of new opportunities, and a lot of challenges too. There are some invisible things that now are activity limitations for people that may never perceive themselves as persons with disabilities, they will likely never tick that box on a questionnaire if you ask them Are you a person with disability or not? You think of someone with a weak immune system, with someone, someone with pulmonary disease, someone with a newly developed phobia of the public space, these people don't perceive themselves and may never perceive themselves as a person with disability and that's okay. But that they will likely need accommodations. In fact, all of us we need accommodations to work from home for example, the way many of us will do now, even if we are not with disabilities. An analyst would need two screens to work efficiently and it's not a disability it's a question of productivity like it is for anybody with activity limitations. analysis is more easily done with lots of space to actually conduct it.
Tony: Another important aspect is that the pandemic has taught us that it could be any one of us that would suddenly face an activity limitation. If you think of the people with weak immune system or with pulmonary disease or other conditions, suddenly, from one day to the next, because of the context, they faced a situation that they had never envisioned. And that impacts on their ability to participate in a physical workplace or in society in general. It could be any of us that suddenly faced this, we could have a context that evolved or our own personal health could evolve. And it will have an impact on our ability to contribute, work or to participate in, in society and in the economy of Canada. And it becomes very important that we all build an inclusive world, an inclusive workplace, an inclusive economy and society so that we're not going to face an inability to contribute or to participate, even if the context would change, or even if our own health would change as we get older.
Tegan: So how does using the term barrier rather than disability help people to better understand that accessibility benefits everyone?
Tony: That's a really good question. The barrier is often something that is not attached to the person itself. It's attached to the environment. And it's something we can change, we can reflect on how to make sure that it's removed. And once it's removed, the person can do and you see more the ability than the disability. The Disability is often caused by the barrier. Let's take my own example. I see in a way that makes me appreciate scenery or art or I take pictures and I see colors I enjoy what I see, but I see much less than most human beings. And if all human beings would see like me, the environment would be different. Signs would be bigger, labels would be bigger, or we would have found accommodations for everyone so that we can all see equally and contribute equally. But sometimes I have a hard time seeing something something I receive a document that is in PDF and it's not accessible. Well, if everybody would use the same color scheme that I do or the same elements of my, my workstation, we would all be working in the same way. And there are ways to make sure that this--these barriers don't exist, they're often simple. They're just not known because they're not needed by the majority. So, when you talk about the barrier, instead of disability, we can all work on it, we can all make sure it disappears and that someone like me can do my job as a director, I can fulfill my role as a father or I can even repair some things around the house because I found my own ways to do these things and we can all find our own ways with the help of others sometimes or with our own perseverance other times and to contribute and lead a full life.
Tegan: how can broadening the definition of disability help more people accept that disability is everywhere and shouldn't be a taboo subject?
Tony: The more we open this definition but also the discussion, the more we are inclusive. I think the more that the level of knowledge will increase in society and hopefully the level of trust in the abilities. Because it's not about the disabilities it's about abilities that we need to look for.
[Theme music]
Tegan: That's it for now, but I hope that you'll be back to hear the full episode when we launch in September. A big thank you to our guest, Tony Labillois, and thanks to you for listening. See you next time!
Date: March 19, 2021
Location: Virtual meeting
Dr. Howard Ramos, Anil Arora, Annette Hester, Dr. Celine Le Bourdais, Jan Kestle, David Chaundy, Dr. Michael Wolfson
Gurmeet Ahluwalia, Gail Mc Donald
Monia Lahaie, Jacques Fauteux, Greg Peterson, Andre Loranger, Stephane Dufour, Lynn Barr-Telford, Martin St-Yves, Pierre Desrochers, Melanie Forsberg
Pierre Therrien
| Time | Agenda Item | Lead Participant(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 13:00 – 13:10 | Chairperson Introductory Remarks | Howard Ramos CSAC Chairperson |
| 13:10 – 13:30 | Update from the Chief Statistician | Anil Arora Chief Statistician of Canada |
| 13:30 – 13:50 | Roundtable Discussion and Q&A | CSAC members and all Assistant Chief Statisticians |
| 13:50 – 14:50 | Update on Working Group 1 | CSAC members and all Assistant Chief Statisticians |
| Debrief of working group 1 20 minutes |
Jan Kestle CSAC member and Working Group 1 lead |
|
| Discussion and Q&A 40 minutes |
CSAC members and Andre Loranger, Tom Dufour, Michelle Marquis, Pierre Desrochers | |
| 14:50 – 15:05 | Health Break | |
| 15:05 – 15:35 | Update on Working group 2 and working group 3 | CSAC members and all Assistant Chief Statisticians Celine Le Bourdais |
| Update from Working group 2 15 minutes |
CSAC member and Working Group 2 lead | |
| Update on working group 3 15 minutes |
Annette Hester CSAC member and Working Group 3 lead |
|
| 15:35 – 16:30 | Next Steps for CSAC In Camera |
CSAC members |
Dr. Howard Ramos opened the meeting by welcoming members to the second CSAC meeting of 2021. Dr. Ramos took the time to thank Statistics Canada for the work the agency has done over the past year, and highlighted in the agency's most recent release, COVID-19 in Canada: A One-year Update on Social and Economic Impacts. Dr. Ramos also commended the agency for sharing currently available data of interest in anticipation of International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on March 21, 2021. Dr. Ramos requested that this information be shared with all Council members following the meeting. Dr. Ramos turned to the Chief Statistician, Mr. Anil Arora, for his opening remarks.
The Chief Statistician began by thanking Council members for their continued engagement and contributions, noting that their work is having profound impacts on the agency. The Chief Statistician noted how crucial and relevant the council's three areas of focus are, particularly in the current context. The Chief Statistician briefly spoke about the agency's recent publication, COVID-19 in Canada: A One-year Update on Social and Economic Impacts, noting the important contributions of Statistics Canada's analytics team in preparing the materials over the course of the last year. While the agency reflects on the impacts of the pandemic on all aspects of Canadian life this past year, it too is anticipating emerging data needs and innovative solutions to ensure it can remain relevant and continue to meet the evolving needs of Canadians.
CSAC members engaged in a discussion with the Chief Statistician and Assistant Chief Statisticians regarding challenges and opportunities the agency is facing. Access to data, reinforcement of the agency's stewardship role, increasing demands and limited resources were among some of the important challenges the agency faces.
As decided upon at the January council meeting, three working groups were struck to address key issues and offer advice. The work of the groups would also support the production of the council's next annual report. Jan Kestle was identified as the lead for Working Group 1(WG1), tasked with exploring how to enable Statistics Canada through legislation and engagement. Working group 1, which includes CSAC members David Chaundy, Gail Mc Donald and Howard Ramos, met on February 23rd 2021. Statistics Canada representatives, Andre Loranger, Tom Dufour, Pierre Desrochers and Michelle Marquis, shared an update on the status of discussions underway on potential amendments to the Statistics Act. Ms. Kestle provided council members an overview of the discussion, emphasizing the importance of Statistics Canada's stewardship role, and the role of CSAC in terms of helping to articulate the policy questions and issues. Ms. Kestle expressed the importance of ensuring that the Statistics Act was reviewed now, particularly in light of amendments to privacy legislation underway (Privacy Act, Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act [PIPEDA]). Ms. Kestle also noted the importance of addressing First Nations' issues in any revisions, and the need for a stronger federal government point of view and national data strategy.
Council members shared their views, echoing the need for Statistics Act revisions to be taken into account as privacy legislation is being revised. Members noted that there may be opportunities to reinforce Statistics Canada's role through policy directions in addition to legislative amendments. Leveraging this opportunity to address issues around data access (incoming and outgoing) would be important. Members noted the complementary nature of the various working groups and the opportunity to work collaboratively across groups to address these issues – with the goal of ensuring any legislation remains relevant in a changing society and an increasingly data-driven and digital world. Members also discussed the need to raise awareness with various constituencies. Council members discussed the timing of adjustments to the Act, noting that the public environment and social acceptability will need to be considered carefully as we move forward with this work. Support of the Minister will also be key.
Jan thanked members for their feedback and noted that she will make some adjustments to the presentation shared to reflect the discussion today, with the help of colleagues in working group 1. Statistics Canada was also asked to prepare a short summary on the status of amendments to the Privacy Act and PIPEDA to further inform the work of the council.
Dr. Celine Le Bourdais provided an update on the scoping for Working Group 2 (WG2), Data Spine. Working Group 2 includes Gurmeet Ahluwalia, Dr. Michael Wolfson and Dr. Howard Ramos. WG2 will focus on data stewardship and what advice the Council can offer on how Canada's Chief Data Officer should be defined. All three working groups are examining this issue from different perspectives. WG2 may examine Statistics Canada's role as supporter and leader in improving data access by government, private, academic and non-governmental organization (NGO) researchers and users. The second issue relates to data spine/data core, where modern methods and technology allow for better integration and linking of data and increasing the availability of disaggregated data. A broad topic, WG2 will focus on high level elements of a data spine/data and core concept that would best support decision making on health, social, economic and environmental issues. Considerations could include what data need to be linked, infrastructure needed to support it, training required, who should have access to the integrated data and how these data would be made available.
Annette Hester shared her views on the initial scoping of Working Group 3 (WG3)), Data Gaps, which includes Dr. Michael Wolfson, Dr. Celine Le Bourdais, Gail Mc Donald and Dr. Howard Ramos. WG3 will focus on building on the CSAC Annual Report in examining what are critical data and digital technology gaps at Statistics Canada and what should be done to address them.WG3 will explore the historical governance structure between Statistics Canada and the various federal departments, provinces, and indigenous organizations and how this may constrain the organization's ability to deliver what Canada needs to create wealth and prosperity in a world marked by a digital future. To realize its potential, a new governance model where Statistics Canada has the funding and authority to define and in partnerships, develop, the key datasets that follow the evolution of the country/world is needed. WG3 could focus on a few areas (i.e., economic recovery, impact on Indigenous and racialized Canadians) to exemplify the impact of funding and governance/mandate to identify key data gaps and opportunities for collecting, integrating and sharing data. Considerations could include examining the federal government's planning process, the leadership role Statistics Canada could play in determining program data requirements and options for financing data acquisition and data development.
Dr. Ramos thanked council members for their contributions and for today's rich discussion. Follow up items were noted and the CSAC secretariat will work with the Council members to coordinate next steps for the working groups.
Date: January 29, 2021
Location: Virtual meeting
Dr. Howard Ramos, Anil Arora, Annette Hester, Dr. Celine Le Bourdais, Gail Mc Donald, Gurmeet Ahluwalia, Jan Kestle, David Chaundy, Dr. Michael Wolfson
Monia Lahaie, Jacques Fauteux, Greg Peterson, Andre Loranger, Stephane Dufour, Lynn Barr-Telford, Martin St-Yves, Melanie Forsberg
Pierre Therrien
| Time | Agenda item | Lead participant(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 13:30 – 13:40 | Chairperson Introductory Remarks | Howard Ramos |
| 13:40 – 13:55 | Updates from Chief Statistician of Canada | Anil Arora Chief Statistician of Canada |
| 13:55 – 15:10 | Roundtable Discussion and Q&A | CSAC members and all Assistant Chief Statisticians |
| 15:10 – 15:20 | Health Break | |
| 15:20 – 16:20 | Discussion on Working groups and Next Steps for CSAC In Camera |
CSAC members |
| 16:20 – 16:30 | Closing remarks from Chairperson | Howard Ramos |
Dr. Howard Ramos provided brief opening remarks and welcomed council members to the first CSAC meeting of 2021.
The Chief Statistician (CS) wished council members a happy new year, and discussed recent events including a cabinet shuffle which saw Minister Champagne take on the role of Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, the release of new supplemental mandate letters which highlight, among other things, the need for better disaggregated data, and Statistics Canada's participation in a recent Prime Minister stock take on economic inclusion. The Chief Statistician provided an update on the agency's work in the area of contact tracing, PPE and vaccine data modelling and management, the Canadian COVID-19 antibody and health survey, work within the public service to measure the impact of the pandemic on public servants, partnerships with key stakeholders, and preparation for census 2021. The Chief Statistician noted that despite great progress, challenges remain particularly in the area of data integration, data flows and reducing silos to create greater quality and insights for Canadians. The CS noted the important role of the Council in advising the agency and in supporting improvements to the national statistical system. The CS also introduced the Assistant Chief Statisticians, who through a round table, would go on to share additional details in terms of the context and challenges facing the agency.
Each Assistant Chief Statistician (ACS) provided a short summary of their priorities, challenges and areas of alignment with the CSAC's draft work plan. Members' interventions centred around the agency's ability to modernize in the face of significant and systemic change: societal shifts towards greater diversity and inclusion and an increased emphasis on disaggregated data collection, a shifting framework on privacy and public acceptability, changes to the legal landscape, data access and sharing with an ever increasing number of data providers, challenges with social perspectives on data collection, changes in business processes, information management and enabling infrastructure (cloud), all while preparing for census 2021 in the midst of a national health crisis.
Council members commended Statistics Canada for their work, and asked the CS and ACSs how the council can be most helpful in its provision of advice. Topics were raised including: building data requirements into planning, perspectives on amendments to the Statistics Act, investments in data access infrastructure, acceleration of data science work through recruitment of top talent, social acceptability and privacy, the importance of partnerships, and raising awareness about the critical importance of having a national statistical office. The Chief Statistician noted that Council members' advice would be particularly helpful in terms of identifying gaps in perspectives that the agency should consider, the identification of new partnerships, strategic framing, the agency's data stewardship role, and overall communications and engagement to enable the agency.
Dr. Ramos shared with council members the proposed outline for the working groups. Working group 1 is to focus on the enabling role of Statistics Canada, led by Jan Kestle, with Gail Mc Donald, David Chaundy and Howard Ramos as members. Working group 2 is to focus on the data spine/data core, led by Dr. Celine Le Bourdais, with Gurmeet Ahluwalia, Dr. Michael Wolfson and Howard Ramos as members. The last working group will be focusing on Data Gaps, this is led by Annette Hester with Dr. Michael Wolfson, Dr. Celine Le Bourdais, Gail McDonald and Howard Ramos as members.
Dr. Ramos noted that the topics of the working groups intended to help address the needs of Statistics Canada, and are geared towards deeper conversations with the intent of bringing back findings to the broader Council for discussion and strategic positioning. Members discussed the need to be focused on a small number of key issues, and to be purposeful and strategic given the timelines. Council members discussed the potential of identifying partnerships and seeking perspectives from other institutions or government departments to inform discussions.
Dr. Ramos thanked council members for the discussion. Council members agreed to proceed with the working groups as discussed. Working group 1 will meet first and report back to the group on its findings. This work will inform the next steps and discussions for working groups 2 and 3. The CSAC secretariat will work with council members to schedule the working groups and arrange next steps.
PDF Version (PDF, 889.67 KB)
Statistics Canada evaluates programs like the Virtual Data Lab (VDL) project to ensure that they align with user needs and related internal processes are effective and efficient. The evaluation was conducted in accordance with the Treasury Board's Policy on Results (2016) and Statistics Canada's Risk-Based Audit and Evaluation Plan (2019–20 to 2023–24).
The formative evaluation examined whether existing VDL assessments were adequately comprehensive in their coverage, and whether findings and recommendations from these assessments were integrated into the design, delivery, strategic planning and implementation of the VDL project. In addition, the evaluation assessed the extent to which performance measurement and risk assessment frameworks have been implemented. Formative evaluations, the approach taken here, are conducted during program implementation in order to gather insights on how to improve or strengthen program implementation.
The conducting phase of the evaluation was completed before the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the findings and recommendations do not consider the activities or decisions that took place after March 2020.
Building on the foundation of the research data centres (RDC) and the Canadian Centre for Data Development and Economic Research (CDER), Statistics Canada created the VDL pilot that—in its end state—will provide remote access to detailed, anonymized social and business microdata for research and analysis through a secure cloud-based interface.
The continuum of access begins with less sensitive, self-service access and ends with most sensitive, restricted access:
Research data centres, the Canadian Centre for Data Development and Economic Research, Virtual Data Labs - Secure Statistics Canada physical environments are made available to accredited researchers and federal government employees to access anonymized microdata for research purposes, ensuring that all personal information is removed from outputs.
The Five Safes framework is a holistic approach toward data and risk management. It is used to mitigate security risks, protect respondents and maintain data confidentiality. Used internationally, it originates from the United Kingdom's Office for National Statistics. The framework ensures security measures are in place and followed.
The figure depicts the five safes along with 4 elements that tie the safes together. Overarching the safes is the governance. The five safes are considered in combination and on a sliding scale, depending on the type of researcher, access and data.
The five safes are:
The 4 elements are:
The user process from start to finish:
Since the end of the reference period for the evaluation (March 2020), the VDL Project team has launched and completed a variety of initiatives to meet urgent emerging needs and at the same time accelerate project development. These initiatives included: launching an interim access solution to facilitate COVID-19 research; piloting a cloud environment for a project on opioids with federal partners; working closely with governing bodies to approve frameworks and approaches; and creating and revising key documents such as contracts and agreements to ensure they reflected the VDL framework and governance. The team also updated the project plan to account for progress in several areas.
May 20, 2021 – Ottawa, ON – Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada thanks all Canadians who have completed their 2021 Census to date. Millions of households have responded to the questionnaires safely online, on paper or over the phone. Where needed, some visits were carried out to drop off invitation letters, and enumerators adhered to strict health and safety protocols.
In late May, Statistics Canada enumerators will begin follow-ups with dwellings from which completed questionnaires have not yet been received. Every attempt will be made by Statistics Canada employees to reach households by phone before enumerators conduct in-person visits to remind residents to complete the census and offer assistance.
Enumerators visiting dwellings will follow a new no-contact protocol. Under this protocol, no interviews will be conducted inside the respondent's dwelling and no census employee from Statistics Canada is permitted to visit or enter institutional collective dwellings, especially the dwellings housing residents who are most vulnerable to COVID-19, such as seniors' residences. In accordance with guidelines from public health authorities, interviews will be outdoors and physically distanced and census employees will be required to wear masks, and hand sanitizer will also be provided to employees so they may frequently disinfect their hands.
It’s not too late for households to make their census contact-free by completing it online, on paper or over the phone. Households can still contact the Census Help Line at 1-855-340-2021 to request a secure access code or at 1-877-885-2021 to receive a paper questionnaire. Answers to many questions are also available on the census website.
Information from the census ensures that communities have the information they need to plan services that support employment, schools, public transit and hospitals. Millions of Canadians have counted themselves in already—have you?
Contacts
For more information, contact Media Relations at 613-951-4636, or at statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca.
PDF version (PDF, 682.96 KB)
Statistics Canada evaluates programs like the Consumer Price Index to ensure that products align with user needs and related internal processes are effective and efficient.
The objective of the evaluation was to provide a neutral, evidence-based analysis of the relevance of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and its complementary indexes to municipal governments (MGs); the effectiveness of communication strategies related to the CPI; and the extent to which the planning, design and implementation of innovative activities were effective and aligned with Statistics Canada's modernization initiative. The conducting phase of the evaluation was completed before the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the findings and recommendations do not consider the activities or decisions that took place after March 2020.
The CPI measures price changes over a period of time for a "fixed basket"—or a fixed set—of goods and services consumed by Canadian households. The goods and services in the CPI basket are divided into 8 major components:
Statistics Canada's agency wide modernization initiative strives for greater and faster access to needed statistical products for Canadians.
For the innovation projects and activities evaluated, it was found that they were aligned with the modernization agenda, with three of the five pillars particularly emphasized.
Since the end of the reference period for the evaluation (March 2020), the CPD continued to calculate the official CPI based on the fixed basket approach; however, the division recognized that a new series analyzing shifts in consumer purchasing patterns would provide valuable insight on the impact of COVID-19. Using various sources of expenditure data, the CPD estimated adjusted consumer expenditure basket weights and an adjusted price index. This was made possible through the division's innovative work using scanner data, aggregate expenditure data, household final consumption expenditure data and other sources of information. Other data and analysis releases include Canadian Consumers Prepare for COVID-19, Canadian Consumers Adapt to COVID-19: A Look at Canadian Grocery Sales up to April 11, and Monthly average retail prices for select products, by province.
On August 21, 2019, the agency released the Consumer Price Index Portal as a part of its suite of portals. The CPI Portal showcases the CPI Data Visualization Tool, the most recently released key indicators, a variety of featured products, buttons to easily access CPI products, and serves as a bulletin board for information about the CPI.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures price changes over a period of time for a "fixed basket"—or a fixed set—of goods and services consumed by Canadian households. Statistics Canada publishes CPI-related indexes on a monthly and annual basis. Other CPI data products, such as updates to the CPI reference manual, analytical and technical papers, and data visualizations, are disseminated at various frequencies throughout the year. The CPI is used by a number of public, private, and not-for-profit organizations, as well as by the media, researchers and individual Canadians, to monitor inflation, guide fiscal and monetary policies, index payments, and adjust contracts, among other things.
This evaluation was conducted by Statistics Canada in accordance with the Treasury Board's Policy on Results (2016) and Statistics Canada's Risk-Based Audit and Evaluation Plan (2019/2020 to 2023/2024). The primary objective of the evaluation was to provide a neutral, evidence-based analysis of the relevance of the CPI and its complementary indexes to municipal governments (MGs) and organizations supporting MGs; the effectiveness of communication strategies related to the CPI; and the extent to which the planning, design and implementation of innovation activities were effective and aligned with Statistics Canada's modernization initiative. It should be noted that the conducting phase of the evaluation, during which all data for the report were collected, was completed before the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the findings and recommendations do not consider the activities or decisions that took place after March 2020.
The evaluation found that Statistics Canada was the main source of CPI information for MGs and organizations supporting MGs. The CPI's related indexes, including the city indexes, were used at the municipal level for indexation, policy support, budgeting, reporting, and in some cases the creation of a municipal price index. There was limited use of the inter-city indexes by some users and interpretability was identified as an area for improvement—more details on concepts and the use of plain language would be beneficial. In terms of gaps, the evaluation found that more detailed geographic data and index categories were desired by interviewees. Program representatives indicated that they were aware of the gaps and that they continue to pursue alternative sources of reliable information to address them.
In terms of communication activities, the CPD is transitioning away from a dissemination culture focused primarily on traditional vehicles such as The Daily and the Integrated Metadatabase, towards a more strategic communication culture aimed at leveraging a variety of communication tools and channels – such as using social media to broaden its communications. Another example is the launch of the CPI portal in August 2019 which includes: the CPI Data Visualization Tool, recently released key indicators, a variety of featured products, direct access to CPI products, and information on new products and activities. To evaluate the effectiveness of new communication activities, the division will need to develop metrics and performance measures.
All projects and activities reviewed were aligned with the modernization initiative and expected results. They focussed on increasing the use of data from alternative sources, integrating data, and on building capacity. The CPD is sharing information internationally and across the agency, as well as leveraging best practices and lessons learned. Governance and risk management are in place to monitor projects and the implementation of an agile approach (e.g., "network of teams") was effective, however, governance and risk management practices for activities could be improved. Finally, performance measurement could be strengthened.
The evaluation proposed three recommendations:
Since the end of the reference period for the evaluation (March 2020), the CPD has taken a number of significant steps to address challenges emerging from COVID-19. Beginning in April 2020, the collection and compilation of the CPI were impacted by measures designed to limit the spread of COVID-19, as in-person field collection was conducted remotely, and imputation strategies were required to address an increased number of temporary business closures and out-of-stock products. The strategies were implemented according to international guidelines, and following consultations with other national statistical organizations.
The CPD continued to calculate the official CPI based on the fixed basket approach; however, the division recognized that a new analytical series examining shifts in consumer purchasing patterns would provide valuable insight on the impact of COVID-19. Using various sources of expenditure data, Statistics Canada, in partnership with the Bank of Canada, estimated adjusted consumer expenditure basket weights and an adjusted price index, reflecting shifts in consumption patterns during the pandemic. The ability to respond to this data need was made possible through the CPD's innovative work on scanner data, aggregate expenditure data, household final consumption expenditure data and other sources of information. Scanner data allowed for timely and insightful analysis on how Canadian Consumers Prepare for COVID-19 and how Canadian Consumers Adapt to COVID-19: A Look at Canadian Grocery Sales up to April 11 as well as the dissemination of more detailed data tables on Monthly average retail prices for select products, by province.
