Canada's Economy During Recent Canada-U.S. Trade Developments

This virtual webinar provides an integrated summary of recent changes in output, employment, international trade, consumer prices and household balance sheets. It focuses on how economic conditions have changed as trade tensions between Canada and the United States continue to unfold, highlighting developments in sectors that are heavily dependent on U.S. demand.

The webinar also explores the potential implications of Canada-U.S. trade developments for longer-term trends related to competitiveness, affordability and trade diversification. The event will be hosted by Guy Gellatly, Chief Economic Advisor at Statistics Canada.

Webinar date for the English session: January 22, 2026, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Presenter – English session: Guy Gellatly, Chief Economic Advisor, Strategic Analysis, Publication and Training Division

Register for the webinar: Registration form - Canada's Economy During Recent Canada-U.S. Trade Developments

Registered Apprenticeship Information System (RAIS) Guide, 2024

Concepts used by the Registered Apprenticeship Information System (RAIS)

Designated trades

Apprenticeship training and trade qualifications in Canada are governed by the provincial and territorial jurisdictions. These jurisdictions determine the trades, for which, apprenticeship training is made available as well as the trades, for which, certificates are granted. These are referred to as designated trades. The jurisdictions also determine which of the designated trades require certification in order to work unsupervised in the trade. The list of designated trades varies considerably between the jurisdictions. Data from the Registered Apprenticeship Information System (RAIS) include those trades that are designated in at least one province or territory.

Registered apprentices are people who are in a supervised work training program in a designated trade within their provincial or territorial jurisdiction. The apprentice must be registered with the appropriate governing body (usually a Ministry of Education or Labour or a trade specific industry's governing body) in order to complete the training.

Trade Qualifiers or Trade Challengers are people who have worked in a specific trade for an extended period of time, without necessarily having ever been an apprentice, and who have received certification from a jurisdiction, usually done via a skills assessment examination in the trade.

Registrations

The total registrations in apprenticeship programs is the count of any registrations that occurred during the reporting period (from January to December of the calendar year) within one of the 13 jurisdictions (province or territories).

Total registrations = Already registered + New registrations + Reinstatements

  • Already registered - the number of registrations carried forward from the previous calendar year
  • New registrations - new entrants to any apprenticeship program that occurred during the 12 months reporting period
  • Reinstatements - registrations by people who had left an apprenticeship program in a specific trade in a previous year and had returned to the same apprenticeship program during the reporting period
Red Seal and non-Red Seal Programs

The Red Seal Program sets common standards assessing the skills of tradespersons across Canada in specific trades, referred to as the "Red Seal" trades. Tradespersons who meet the Red Seal standards, through examination, receive a Red Seal endorsement on their provincial/territorial trade certificates. The Red Seal endorsement provides recognition that your certificate meets an interprovincial standard that is recognized in each province and territory.

Non-Red Seal trades do not have interprovincial standards. Many of these trades do not have an examination requirement in order to work in the trade.

Certification

The requirements for granting a certificate varies by jurisdiction in Canada. In most instances, an apprentice is issued a certificate if he or she completes requirements such as supervised on-the-job training, technical training, as well as passing one or more examinations. Most trade qualifiers (Challengers), meanwhile, become certified once they pass an examination.

Certification terminology

There are jurisdictional differences in the names of certificates awarded.

They may include:

  • Certificate of Apprenticeship
  • Diploma of Qualification
  • Certificate of Qualification
  • Journeyperson's Certificate
  • Certificat d'aptitude
  • Certificat de compagnon
  • Certificat de compétence
  • Diplôme d'apprentissage

Federal, provincial and territorial changes pertinent to the interpretation of RAIS data

1. Revisions have been made to the Quebec 1991 to 2005 data, which also changed the previous Canada totals.

2. Prior to 1999, Nunavut was part of the Northwest Territories.

3. Starting in 2003, a change occurred in the reporting of Newfoundland and Labrador's information concerning newly registered apprentices and cancellations/suspensions.

4. The British Columbia data have been revised in 2005. This changed the previous Canada totals for 2005.

5. Starting with the 2005 reporting year, Prince Edward Island changed their information system and this may have affected historical comparisons. At the end of 2006, Prince Edward Island made some adjustments and revisions to their database which accounted for the change in the carry-over of registered apprentices for the beginning of 2007. In 2007, an increase in new registrations is, to some extent, related to a demand for skilled workers outside of the province. In 2008, due to technical difficulties during the redesign of their Registered Apprenticeship Information System, Prince Edward Island was not able to report a number of apprentices.

6. In 2006, minor trade code revisions were made to Manitoba.

7. In 2006 and 2007, differences may occur in Ontario related to the carry-over totals of active apprentices between both years. This is a result of the conversion of client data into Ontario's new database system. As a result, a clean-up of inactive clients occurred and this adjusted the active total of registered apprentices and their carry-over into 2007.

8. As of 2008, the portion of total Quebec trade information coming from Emploi-Quebec (EQ) is no longer being provided in aggregated form. The data from the province includes all trades with the exception of the automotive sector.

9. In 2008, Alberta incorrectly included the Industrial warehousing trade with the Partsperson and Partsperson (material) trades and also excluded the Construction Craft Worker trade.

10. In 2008, a distinct feature of the Rig Technician trade is that although individuals may be registered as apprentices in the trade in Ontario, their certificates are granted as trade qualifiers (challengers).

11. In 2008, Alberta reported a large number of discontinued apprentices, which was a result of them implementing a series of cancellations and suspensions of inactive apprentices.

12. In 2008 and 2009, new Quebec legislation affecting the Emploi-Quebec (EQ) sector trade was introduced. This resulted in some changes in the reporting of registered apprenticeship registrations.

13. An adjustment has been made to the Joiner trade in British Columbia, to include the trade in the Interior finishing major trade group, rather than in the previous Carpenter's major trade group.

14. In 2010, the Emploi-Quebec (EQ) data included revised trade programs where some of the trades have been segmented into several levels. This segmentation created possible multiple registrations and completions by a single individual apprentice, where previously only one registration and completion existed for this individual.

15. In 2011, the Electronics technician (Consumer Products) trade was no longer designated as a Red Seal trade.

16. In 2012, the Gasfitter - Class A and Gasfitter - Class B trades were designated as Red Seal trades.

17. In 2013, changes in provincial regulations governing drinking water related trades reported by Emploi-Quebec (EQ), have resulted in program changes, as well as the transferring of responsibility of some of these trades to the Conseil de la Construction du Québec (CCQ).

18. Begining in 2013, Ontario's data is received from two organizations. The registration data continues to be reported by the Ministry of Advanced Education Skills Development (MASED). They are also responsible for issuing Certificates of Apprenticeships upon the completion of technical training and on-the-job hours. The Ontario College of Trades (OCOT) is responsible for reporting data on Certificates of Qualifications, which are issued to apprentices upon the completion of a certification exam. This administrative practice has affected the RAIS data in a number of different ways.

  1. On April 8, 2013, MASED awarded a Certificate of Apprenticeship to approximately 6,000 apprentices who had completed their technical training and on-the-job hours, and had not yet received a Certificate of Qualification.
  2. There are discrepancies in the number of apprentices in Ontario due to differences in how MASED and OCOT define an apprentice. OCOT considers apprentices to be their members, for whom they have received membership applications with payment of annual membership fees. MASED considers apprentices to be individuals for whom they have received signed training agreements. In the MASED registration data, apprentices can have active and inactive statuses, which can also contribute to discrepancies. Inactive apprentices are apprentices with whom MASED have not received information about their progression in their apprenticeship program for more than a certain period of time. Active and inactive apprentices are included in the RAIS data. As such, the RAIS data may include previously registered apprentices, who have since discontinued their apprenticeship program, but have not yet informed MASED that they have discontinued their program.
  3. Beginning in 2013, apprentices who discontinued from apprenticeship programs in the past, but who remained on the database as already registered apprentices began to be removed from MASED records. These removals appear in the RAIS data files in the following years. The clean-up occurred during odd years (2013, 2015, and 2017). After discussion with the Ontario data partners in 2019, it was indicated that the last of these batch discontinuations were completed in 2017. As a result, there will be less of a spike in discontinuations, and more of a normalized trend from here starting in 2018 and onwards. Normal discontinuation figures for the province will be about 5,000 to 7,000 per year.
  4. In 2014 and 2015, apprentices who did not receive their Certificate of Qualification or Certificate of Apprenticeship in the same year were classified as trade qualifiers (Challengers) rather than apprentices. To align the RAIS data with the standard definition of trade qualifier (Challengers), these records were reclassified as apprentices with the release of the 2016 RAIS data. This revision led to a decrease of about 2,600 trade qualifiers (Challengers) in Ontario in both 2014 and 2015 compared to the previously released data.

19. In 2013, a regulatory change came into effect which affects both Ornamental ironworkers and Structural steel erectors under the jurisdiction of the Conseil de la Construction du Québec (CCQ). Workers in these two trades are now considered Ironworkers. Both the 2014 and 2015 reference years were also impacted by these regulatory changes.

20. In 2013, changes were made to the Automotive Service Technician trades in British Columbia. Apprentices no longer have to complete mandatory work-based training hours at each program level before progressing to the next level of technical training. The 2014 reference year was also impacted by these changes.

21. Certificates in the Steamfitter/Pipefitter trade under the Conseil de la Construction du Québec (CCQ), also include Plumbers.

22. Since 2013, Building/Construction Metalworker are coded to Metal Workers (other) instead of being included in the 'Other' category.

23. In 2014, the Heavy Equipment Operator (Dozer), Heavy Equipment Operator (Excavator) and Heavy Equipment Operator (Tractor-Loader-Backhoe) trades were designated as Red Seal trades.

24. Trade qualifiers (Challengers) in trades governed by Emploi-Quebec (EQ) represents certificates granted to individuals who received recognition for previously completed training. Emploi-Quebec (EQ) may, for example, recognize training in the case where an individual has a certificate in other provinces, territories, countries, or if the individual received a Diploma of Vocational Studies (DVS) in Quebec. These trade qualifiers (Challengers) also represent certificates granted as part of the regular re-certification process required in certain trades.

25. In March of 2014, there were changes made to the eligibility for the Apprenticeship Training Tax Credit (ATTC) in Ontario. This may have affected registration counts in some trades including those for information technology.

26. Prior to 2014, three welder programs (level A, level B, and level C) were offered in British Columbia. Starting in 2014, these three programs began to be phased out and replaced by a single apprenticeship program for welders. This change will impact registrations and certifications in this trade for the years following 2014.

27. Starting in 2017, changes were made to the Automotive Service Technician program in British Columbia. The program was restructured to align with other Canadian jurisdictions Automotive Service Technician Red Seal programs. These changes impacted reinstatement totals for 2017 and registrations counts for the years following 2017.

28. In July 2018, Manitoba announced that it will perform a data clean-up every two years, starting with the 2019 reporting year. This clean-up resulted in lower numbers for both registrations and certifications for the 2019 reporting year.

29. In 2013, the structural steel erector trade and locksmith trade merged to become the ironworker trade. Transitional measures were put in place for journeypersons in these trades, which ended in July 2018.

30. British Columbia has some broad categories of trades where it is possible to receive a certificate after each level is completed, while other jurisdictions only certify apprentices after completing the final level.

  1. In 2019, the Industry Training Authority (ITA) made a decision to group some of their trades under one general trade. For example, Automotive Service Technician 1, Automotive Service Technician 2, and Automotive Service Technician 3 were combined into Automotive Service Technician.
  2. All the trades under Welder were not consolidated, but a general version of the Welder trade was created in 2019.
  3. Also, some apprenticeships were deactivated for certain trades and replaced by Challenge Pathway only, which is for trade qualifiers. Rig Technician, Petroleum Equipment Service Technician, and Water Well Driller are examples of these trades.

31. In June 2021, the Rig Technician trade was de-designated as a Red Seal trade due to low industry demand. Red Seal endorsements will no longer be issued.

32. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led several provinces to cancel or postpone in-class training sessions, examinations, and apprenticeships. As a result, key performance indicators for that year, such as registrations, certifications, and discontinuations, reflect historically low figures. These disruptions contributed to significant deviations in the RAIS 2020 data compared to previous years.

33. In 2024, Ontario’s apprenticeship data was updated to better reflect how certifications are issued in certain trades. Previously, all Certificates of Apprenticeship were counted as non–Red Seal certifications. However, in trades where the main credential is a Certificate of Qualification (with or without a Red Seal), apprentices automatically receive a Certificate of Apprenticeship when they finish their training.To align with Skilled Trades Ontario (STO), these Certificates of Apprenticeship will no longer be counted as certifications on their own. Apprentices who receive only this certificate will now be reported as still progressing toward full certification.

Statistics Canada 2SLGBTQI+ data, analysis and access

Statistics Canada is pleased to host a virtual webinar on data analysis and access related to 2SLGBTQI+ data, in support of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research's (CIHR) "Advancing 2SLGBTQI+ Health Through Research" funding opportunity.

Participants will hear directly from Statistics Canada's subject matter, access, and methodology experts, who will discuss approaches to measuring and reporting on the 2SLGBTQI+ population. Topics will include key variables, data sources, terminology, and existing data gaps. The session will also provide guidance on options for accessing both aggregate data and microdata.

Webinar date for the English session: January 14, 2026, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

To register for the webinar, fill out the following form: Registration Form - Statistics Canada 2SLGBTQI+ data, analysis and access

Wholesale Trade Survey (monthly): CVs for total sales by geography - October 2025

Wholesale Trade Survey (monthly): CVs for total sales by geography - October 2025
Geography Month
202410 202411 202412 202501 202502 202503 202504 202505 202506 202507 202508 202509 202510
percentage
Canada 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.5 0.9 1.2 0.9 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.5
Newfoundland and Labrador 1.3 1.5 1.1 1.4 0.8 0.7 1.8 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.7
Prince Edward Island 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Nova Scotia 6.2 9.5 12.0 7.0 3.8 3.8 7.1 10.7 2.8 2.8 1.6 1.2 1.4
New Brunswick 3.4 2.7 2.3 3.3 1.8 1.4 4.3 1.5 1.0 0.8 1.0 0.7 0.7
Quebec 4.3 4.8 4.4 4.5 5.5 3.7 4.3 3.1 1.3 1.8 1.3 2.0 1.6
Ontario 2.2 2.2 2.4 2.7 3.2 1.7 2.3 1.6 0.7 0.8 0.8 0.9 1.0
Manitoba 2.9 1.9 2.3 0.9 1.1 1.3 1.3 1.2 0.8 0.8 1.1 0.4 0.3
Saskatchewan 1.5 1.0 1.4 1.6 0.7 0.8 1.6  0.5 0.4 0.9 0.6 1.0 0.3
Alberta 1.3 1.9 1.2 1.4 1.2 0.8 0.6 0.7 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5
British Columbia 3.1 2.7 2.2 2.6 2.9 1.9 1.8 2.2 0.8 1.1 1.6 1.8 2.7
Yukon Territory 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Northwest Territories 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Nunavut 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

User guide for data processing, quality and limitations - 2023

Introduction

The Canadian Housing Statistics Program (CHSP) aims to provide detailed insights on residential properties in Canada and their owners. However, certain estimates are subject to limitations or may not be available for some jurisdictions or variable types because of differences in data sources, regional coverage and processing steps.

The purpose of this document is to help the reader interpret and use data from the CHSP. It outlines key data quality considerations and specific limitations affecting the availability and comparability of estimates across some domains.

To consult changes that are specific to a given reference year, please refer to the Summary of changes - Surveys and statistical programs - Canadian Housing Statistics Program (CHSP).

Data processing

  • Random rounding is applied to all raw counts to protect the confidentiality of owners in the totals. Totals and subtotals may not equal the sum of components.
  • Percentages are calculated from rounded counts.
  • Averages and medians are calculated using only non-missing, non-null, and values greater than zero for the variables of interest (for example, assessment value, total living area and total income).
  • Assessment value per square foot refers to the assessment value of a property divided by its total living area.
  • Some property or owner characteristics are in the "unspecified" category either because the corresponding information was not received from the data provider or because there is no identifiable link connecting the property to the owner information. Therefore, users must take this limitation into account when interpreting the data.
  • Previous reference period estimates are subject to revision.
  • Each year, geocoding is updated based on the best available location information, which may result in slight variations in the counts of census subdivisions from one year to the next.

Universe of property tables

The tables 46-10-0093, 46-10-0094 and 46-10-0095 are restricted to residential properties in Canada. The geographic location of a property is determined by its physical address. Mixed-use properties (e.g., residential and commercial) are included, but the property characteristics reported in the tables reflect only the residential portion of mixed-use properties. The universe covers residential properties across Canada. However, it does not cover residential properties located on reserves or collective dwellings. It also excludes commercial, industrial, and institutional properties.

Universe of owner tables

The tables 46-10-0030 and 46-10-0069 include all residential property owners at the provincial level. However, table 46-10-0030 also provides data on buyers, who are property owners who acquired a property, either on or off the market, between January 1 and December 31 of the previous reference year.

The tables 46-10-009646-10-0097 and 46-10-0098 are restricted to resident owners who are persons occupying their residential property. An owner's geographic location is determined by the location of the occupied property.

In the case of Nunavut, where information on owner-occupied properties is unavailable, the universe includes all resident owners who are persons without restrictions on owner-occupancy. For owners with multiple properties, the geographic location and property characteristics are based on the residential property with the highest assessment value.

Universe of buyer table

The table 46-10-0099 is restricted to resident buyers who are persons who filed their T1 tax return form in the previous year and purchased a property in a market sale.

Data availability and limitations

Newfoundland and Labrador

  • Estimates are not available at the provincial level and for the category "outside of census metropolitan areas (CMAs) and census agglomerations (CAs)."
  • Estimates by property type are available only for the census subdivision of St. John's.

Prince Edward Island

  • Estimates of total living area and assessment value per square foot are not available.

New Brunswick

  • Estimates of total living area and assessment value per square foot for condominium apartments are not available.
  • The "total, all property types" category excludes condominium apartments; therefore, users should consider this limitation when interpreting estimates of total living area and assessment value per square foot for this group.

Manitoba

  • Estimates by property use of residential property are suppressed in many areas due to lower linkage quality.
  • The estimate of the number of owner-occupied residential property is underestimated due to the quality of the linkage.

Saskatchewan

  • Provincial estimates exclude the census subdivision of Prince Albert.
  • Owner-related variables are not available because of missing owners' information.

Alberta

  • Estimates by property use and residency status of residential property are suppressed due to low data quality.
  • The number of resident owners who are persons occupying a residential property, which represent the universe of the owner tables, is underestimated due to the low linkage quality. Therefore, the number of owners should be interpreted with caution.

Yukon

  • Estimates by property use and residency status of residential property are available only for the census subdivision (CSD) of Whitehorse.
  • The number of resident owners who are persons occupying a residential property, which represent the universe of the owner tables, is underestimated due to the low linkage quality outside the CSD of Whitehorse. Therefore, the number of owners outside this CSD should be interpreted with caution.

Northwest Territories

  • Data are available only for the CA of Yellowknife.
  • Estimates by property type and period of construction are not available.
  • Estimates of total living area and assessment value per square foot are not available.

Nunavut

  • Estimates by property type, period of construction and property use are not available.
  • Estimates of total living area and assessment value per square foot are not available.

Variable-specific limitations

Property use of residential property

  • The property use indicator is suppressed outside CMAs and CAs due to low linkage quality. It may also be removed in certain regions where its reliability has been deemed insufficient.
  • For the most recent period of construction, the property use indicator is less precise. Consequently, these estimates should be used with caution.

Owner-occupancy

  • The quality of the linkage is unreliable outside CMAs and CAs, leading to an underestimation of the number of resident owners who are persons occupying a residential property, which represents the universe of the owner tables (except for Nunavut). Therefore, Census Subdivisions (CSDs) located outside CMAs and CAs are not included in the owner tables. Although aggregate estimates for the category "outside of census metropolitan areas (CMAs) and census agglomerations (CAs)" are still provided, the number of owners in this category should be interpreted with caution.

Assessment value

  • Because provinces and territories have varying assessment periods and assessment roll durations from one region to another, it is not possible to make precise comparisons between the assessment values of properties located in different provinces or territories. To obtain the reference years for property assessment values, please refer to the document linked on the CHSP web page: Reference years of the property stock and assessment values, by province and territory.

Number of residential properties owned

  • The number of properties owned by the property owner is limited to residential properties that are within a given province.

Sale Price

  • Estimates of property sale prices are limited to transactions conducted on the market and are available only for residents.

Number of Buyers

  • Estimates of the number of buyers are restricted to residents only.

Composite quality indicator

The composite quality indicators (CQI) combine multiple individual quality indicators (QIs) representing the quality of various CHSP data processing steps (for example, coding, geocoding, linkage, imputation). The CQIs are available for certain tables, such as the following:

Table 46-10-0093-01 Residential properties by characteristics, property use and ownership type

Table 46-10-0094-01 Residential properties by characteristics and residency status.

The CQI letter grades are defined as follows:

A – Excellent: All domain variables and the variable of interest are of excellent quality.

B – Very good: All domain variables and the variable of interest are of very good to excellent quality.

C – Good: The quality of some of the domain variables or the variable of interest is considered good, while all the other variables are of very good to excellent quality.

D – Acceptable: The quality of some of the domain variables or the variable of interest is considered acceptable, while all the other variables are of good to excellent quality.

E – Use with caution: The quality of several domain variables or the variable of interest is considered poor.

F – Too unreliable to be published

Retail Commodity Survey: CVs for Total Sales (September 2025)

Retail Commodity Survey: CVs for Total Sales (September 2025)
Table summary
This table displays the results of Retail Commodity Survey: CVs for Total Sales (September 2025). The information is grouped by NAPCS-CANADA (appearing as row headers), and Month (appearing as column headers).
NAPCS-CANADA Month
202506 202507 202508 202509
Total commodities, retail trade commissions and miscellaneous services 0.54 0.59 0.59 0.51
Retail Services (except commissions) [561] 0.53 0.59 0.59 0.51
Food and beverages at retail [56111] 0.33 0.35 0.34 0.30
Cannabis products, at retail [56113] 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Clothing at retail [56121] 0.55 0.65 0.74 1.17
Jewellery and watches, luggage and briefcases, at retail [56123] 2.12 1.98 2.35 2.42
Footwear at retail [56124] 1.13 1.09 1.21 1.11
Home furniture, furnishings, housewares, appliances and electronics, at retail [56131] 0.79 0.74 0.72 0.76
Sporting and leisure products (except publications, audio and video recordings, and game software), at retail [56141] 2.16 3.03 2.97 3.36
Publications at retail [56142] 8.65 8.46 8.67 9.62
Audio and video recordings, and game software, at retail [56143] 3.05 4.04 5.66 5.71
Motor vehicles at retail [56151] 1.84 1.97 2.23 1.80
Recreational vehicles at retail [56152] 3.15 3.61 2.90 3.25
Motor vehicle parts, accessories and supplies, at retail [56153] 1.35 1.27 1.68 1.46
Automotive and household fuels, at retail [56161] 1.37 1.36 1.46 1.36
Home health products at retail [56171] 2.68 3.22 2.62 2.39
Infant care, personal and beauty products, at retail [56172] 2.57 2.61 2.58 2.40
Hardware, tools, renovation and lawn and garden products, at retail [56181] 2.04 1.94 1.37 1.34
Miscellaneous products at retail [56191] 3.14 2.67 2.27 2.49
Retail trade commissions [562] 1.63 1.57 1.67 1.52

Federal Patents, Licences and Royalties Survey 2024-2025

Information for respondents

This information is collected under the authority of the Statistics Act, Revised Statutes of Canada, 1985, Chapter S-19. Completion of this questionnaire is a legal requirement under this act.

Survey Objective

This survey collects information that is necessary for monitoring federal patent, royalty and licensing related activities in Canada, and to support the development of science and technology policy. The survey is conducted by Statistics Canada, on behalf of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED). The data collected will be used by federal science policy analysts. Your information may also be used by Statistics Canada for other statistical and research purposes.

Confidentiality

Your answers are confidential. Statistics Canada is prohibited by law from releasing any information it collects which could identify any person, business, or organization, unless consent has been given by the respondent or as permitted by the Statistics Act. Statistics Canada will use the information from this survey for statistical purposes.

Security of emails and faxes

Statistics Canada advises you that there could be a risk of disclosure during the transmission of information by facsimile or e-mail. However, upon receipt, Statistics Canada will provide the guaranteed level of protection afforded all information collected under the authority of the Statistics Act.

Data sharing agreement

To reduce response burden and to ensure more uniform statistics, Statistics Canada has entered into an agreement under Section 12 of the Statistics Act with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) for sharing information from this survey. ISED has agreed to keep the information confidential and use it only for statistical purposes. Under Section 12, you may refuse to share your information with ISED by writing a letter of objection to the Chief Statistician and returning it with the completed questionnaire. You may also contact us by email at infostats@statcan.gc.ca or by fax at 1-514-496-4879.

Record linkages

To enhance the data from this survey and to minimize the reporting burden, Statistics Canada may combine it with information from other surveys or from administrative sources.

Authorization

I hereby authorize Statistics Canada to disclose any or all portions of the data supplied on this questionnaire that could identify this department.

  • Yes
  • No

Department or agency:

Name of person authorized to sign:

Signature:

Program Official position:

E-mail address:

Telephone number:

Extension:

Section 1 - Identifying intellectual property (IP)

1.1 – Reports and disclosures

Please indicate the number of new instances of Intellectual Property reported or disclosed during the reference year, April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025. The types of Intellectual Property are defined in the Respondent Guide, Section 4.1.

Intellectual Property: Number of new IP reports and disclosures

  • Inventions
  • Copyrightable IP
  • Trademarks
  • New plant varieties
  • Know-how
  • Other (please specify):

1.2 - Reports and disclosures resulting in protection activity

Please indicate how many instances of Intellectual Property (not necessarily new) resulted in protection activity by this organization during the reference year, April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025. The types of Intellectual Property are defined in the Respondent Guide, Section 4.1.

Intellectual Property: Number of IP reports and disclosures resulting in protection activity

  • Inventions
  • Copyrightable IP
  • Trademarks
  • New plant varieties
  • Other (please specify):

Section 2 - Patents

2.1 – Patent applications filed and issued

Please report the number of patent applications filed and issued during the reference year, April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025.

Patent activity: Count

  • Total patent applications filed
  • Total patents issued

2.2 – Patent applications held or pending

Please report the number of patent applications held and pending at the end of the reference year, as of March 31, 2025.

Patent activity: Count

  • Total patents held (including patents issued)
  • Total patents pending

Section 3 - Licences

3.1 – New and active licences

Please report the number of new licences executed during the reference year, April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025.

Please report the number of active licences at the end of the reference year, as of March 31, 2025.

Include Canadian and foreign licences. Please see the Respondent Guide, Section 4.3.1, for detailed definitions.

New licences executed: Count:

  • Royalty-bearing
  • Royalty-free
  • Total

Active licences: Count

  • Royalty-bearing
  • Royalty-free
  • Total

3.2 – Income received from licensed IP

Please specify the total income received from licensed IP during the reference year, April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025.

Report amounts in thousands of Canadian dollars and in whole numbers only (no decimals).

Income received from  licensed IP: Total CAD$ (in thousands of Canadian dollars)

  • Income received from  licensed IP

Section 4 - Respondent guide

This questionnaire, in general, covers the intellectual property generated from R&D activities. We acknowledge that commercializable IP arises from other activities as well and that it may be difficult to differentiate. Whenever possible, please report figures for IP generated from R&D activities. If this is not possible, please note that the figures include IP generated from non-R&D activities.

If exact numbers are not readily available, please provide estimates with a note indicating this.

Please do not leave any question blank. Enter «0» if the value is known to be zero. If the data are not available, enter «..». In cases where the question is not applicable, enter "N/A".

This guide may provide specific examples to further clarify broadly defined categories or terms. Sometimes example lists are misinterpreted as inclusion lists. If you are unsure of any definitions, please reach out to your StatCan contact during the collection period. Please do not report for joint IP to avoid multi-counting issues.

Report all dollar amounts in thousands of Canadian dollars.

Notes on survey questions

4.1. Notes for Section 1 - Identifying Intellectual Property (IP)

  • Invention: Includes any new and useful art, process, machine, manufacture or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement in any art, process, machine, manufacture or composition of matter (Public Servants Inventions Act. R.S., c. P-31, s. 1.). Some inventions are patentable in some jurisdictions but not in others: these include novel genetically-engineered life forms, new microbial life forms, methods of medical treatment and computer software.
  • Copyrightable IP: Copyright protection applies to all original literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works provided the conditions set out in section 5 of the Copyright Act have been met. Each of these general categories covers a wide range of creations. Examples are provided below:
    • literary works such as books, pamphlets, computer programs, software and other works consisting of text
    • dramatic works such as motion picture films, plays, screenplays and scripts
    • musical works such as musical compositions with or without words
    • artistic works such as paintings, drawings, maps, photographs, sculptures and plans

We understand that it is hard to count all copyrightable IP. For Section 1.1, please provide the number of copyrightable IP reported or disclosed to your departmental IP office by employees of your department during the reference period. For Section 1.2, please report any copyrights registered with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) during the reference period. 

For survey purposes, please exclude journal articles from your reporting.

  • Trademarks: These are words, symbols, designs, or combinations thereof used to distinguish your wares or services from someone else's. Trademarks are registered with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office.
  • New plant varieties: Certain plant varieties that are new, different, uniform and stable may be protected by registration with the Plant Breeders' Rights Office, Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
  • Know-how: This is practical knowledge, technique or expertise. For example, certain information is codified in the patent application, but a researcher’s know-how could be valuable for commercial optimization of the product. Know-how can be licensed independently of the terms of a related patent.

Notes for Section 1.2: Please report the number of IP resulting in protection activity, not the number of times protection activity occurred. For example, if one invention has multiple patents, this should be counted once since there is only one IP involved. Know-how is not applicable for this section because Know-how is not formally protected.

4.2. Notes for Section 2 - Patents

Total patent applications filed: Please include in your total:

  • Initiating patent applications: includes provisional or first filings. Please report for any initiating patent applications during the reference period, even if they were revoked at a later date.
  • Follow-on patent applications: includes any that claim priority from an initiating patent application.

Total patents issued includes patents that have been approved for protection during the reference period.

Total patents held is the total number of patents owned or controlled at the end of the reference period. It includes patents issued, such that they were still held at the end of the reference period.

Total patents pending includes any patents filed during or before the reference period that have not been issued yet. Please report the total number of patents pending at the end of the reference period.

Note: International (for example, Patent Cooperation Treaty applications, PCT) and regional applications (e.g., European Patent Office applications) should be counted as single applications. This means a patent family only needs to be counted once. Filed patents not yet issued may be pending. If filed during the reference period, these pending patents would be captured by Total patent applications filed.

4.3.1. Notes for Section 3.1 - New and active licences

New licences executed refers to the number of new licence agreements completed during the reference period. Please include both Canadian and foreign licences in your count.

Active licences refers to the number of existing licence agreements in place at the end of the reference period. This includes any ongoing, new, amended or renegotiated licence agreements in place at the end of the reference period. Please include both Canadian and foreign licences in your count.

Royalty bearing licences refers to licence agreements where licensees compensate IP owners for use of their IP. Compensation to the IP owner can take different forms (% of sales, lump sum payments, equity, etc.). Compared to total licences, this portion of licences aligns better with the dollar amounts in Section 3.2.

Royalty-free licences refers to licence agreements without set compensation for IP owners. The licensee is generally required to respect established conditions but does not provide payment to benefit from the IP rights. While these licences do not generate income for federal departments, they allow licensees to use federal department IP to benefit Canadians.

Note: Please exclude click/wordwrap end user licence agreements (EULAs) including open government licences, and EULAs associated with free downloadable software.

4.3.2. Notes for Section 3.2 - Income received from licensed IP

Income received from licensed IP refers to all income received through IP commercialization during the reference period. This includes income from any royalty structure, for example, sales-based, milestone payments, minimum annual royalties, etc. It also includes income from one-time sales of IP, contributions or fees from licensees, and any other income generated through commercializing IP.

Note: If expired licences generated revenue during the reference period, please still report these amounts. Please exclude click/wordwrap end user licence agreements (EULAs) including open government licences, and EULAs associated with free downloadable software.

Trust Centre glossary

Terms starting with the letter A

Administrative data
Information collected by other organizations and government departments for their own purposes. Examples include birth and death records, tax data, border activity data, and satellite data. Statistics Canada gets these data to support its work under the Statistics Act and is legally required to keep them private, secure and confidential. This does not include information that is publicly available or provided under a licence.
Aggregate data
A total or average created by combining numbers from multiple sources. Statistics Canada commonly uses this method to present statistical information. It summarizes individual data points into a single set of statistics, such as averages or totals, to give a high-level overview.
Anonymized information
Information that has been de-identified to the point that there is no serious possibility of it being re-identified by a person or body having access to the information, whether they use it alone or in combination with any other information available to them at that point in time.

No terms start with the letter B

Terms starting with the letter C

Confidentiality
The protection of information about a person, a business or an organization. It involves a relationship of trust between the provider of the information and the organization collecting it, based on the assurance that the information will not be shared without proper legal authority. Statistics Canada takes strict measures to protect information collected for statistical purposes. These include ensuring that published results cannot reveal private details or be linked back to identifiable individuals or businesses.
Crowdsourcing
The collection of information from a large group of people, based on the idea that individuals are experts in their own communities. Examples include cannabis price tracking and the OpenStreetMap pilot project.

Terms starting with the letter D

Data ecosystem
The network of people, tools, processes, policies and infrastructure used to collect and analyze data.
Data governance
The structure for making decisions and assigning authority in managing data. It includes policies, roles and responsibilities to ensure data quality, privacy and security.
Data standards
Consistent names and definitions for populations, concepts, variables and classifications. Standards support data sharing, integration and analysis across sources.
Data stewardship
The management of data to ensure they are of high quality, accessible and used appropriately.
De-identified information
Information resulting from a de-identification process. This involves modifying personal information to remove or alter identifiers to reduce the risk of identifying individuals, and implementing controls to a degree that is reasonable in the context.
Direct identifiers
Pieces of information that can identify a specific person, business or organization on their own. For individuals, this includes personal details such as name, full address, phone number and government-issued numbers like a Social Insurance Number or provincial health number, as defined by the Privacy Act. For businesses, direct identifiers include the business name, Business Number and classification codes. Because this information can directly reveal someone’s identity, it is carefully protected to ensure privacy.
Disaggregated data
Aggregated data that have been broken down into smaller, more detailed categories or subgroups, such as by region, gender or ethnicity, allowing for a more nuanced understanding of different population groups.
Dissemination
The release of information collected through statistical activities.

No terms start with the letter E

No terms start with the letter F

No terms start with the letter G

No terms start with the letter H

Terms starting with the letter I

Imputation
A method used to fill in missing survey data by assigning estimated values, based on international best practices, to improve the quality of statistical estimates.

No terms start with the letter J

No terms start with the letter K

No terms start with the letter L

Terms starting with the letter M

Microdata
Detailed information collected from individuals, households or businesses. Researchers and governments can better understand trends and make decisions by turning these data into summary statistics. To protect privacy, access to microdata is carefully controlled. Each record represents one person or organization, such as a family, home, farm or company.
Microdata linkage
The process of combining two or more datasets containing micro-level records—such as those about individuals, households or businesses—to create a composite record about the same entity. This method makes it possible to generate new insights, enhances research and program design, and improves data quality, all while maintaining privacy protections. The resulting linked dataset must include information from more than one of the original data files.

No terms start with the letter N

Terms starting with the letter O

Official statistics
Statistics produced by national statistical systems. These systems include organizations and units that collect, process and share official statistics on behalf of the federal government. They operate under legal frameworks and follow professional standards such as independence and objectivity.
Open data
Structured data that are machine-readable and freely shared, used and built on without restrictions. Open data are generally licensed under an open licence.

Terms starting with the letter P

Principles of necessity and proportionality
Statistics Canada collects data only when they are clearly needed and serve the public good. These principles mean that only essential data are collected, the sensitivity of the data is considered and the least intrusive methods are used.
Privacy impact assessment
A process required by policy to identify, assess and reduce privacy risks. Government institutions must develop and maintain privacy impact assessments for all new or modified programs and activities that use personal information for an administrative purpose.
Privacy protocol
A description of a program or activity that uses personal information for a non-administrative purpose. Privacy protocols must be completed and updated to ensure personal information is handled in a way that aligns with the principles of the Privacy Act.

No terms start with the letter Q

No terms start with the letter R

Terms starting with the letter S

Security
Measures used to prevent protected information from being accessed or disclosed inappropriately, based on assessed threats and risks. Data security supports the protection of privacy, confidentiality and integrity.
Statistics
Numerical data or the science of working with such data. Statistics help turn data into useful information through mathematical analysis.
Synthetic data
Artificially generated data that mimic real data. They are used in place of actual data to protect confidentiality.

No terms start with the letter T

No terms start with the letter U

No terms start with the letter V

Terms starting with the letter W

Web scraping
The automated collection of publicly available data from websites using scripts or robots.

No terms start with the letter X

No terms start with the letter Y

No terms start with the letter Z

The science behind our surveys

The science behind our surveys: How we ensure quality and reduce burden

Every survey matters, and every response helps paint a more complete picture of Canada.

When you or your business is selected to take part in a Statistics Canada survey, it’s because you represent others with similar experiences. Your input helps ensure that everyone’s voice is counted, not just the loudest or most visible ones.

Statistics Canada uses scientific methods to choose participants in a fair and unbiased way. Each person or business selected plays an important role in making sure the results accurately reflect the population as a whole. We don’t add, swap, or remove people or businesses once a sample is chosen; this keeps results unbiased and representative.

How we make sure your time counts

We know your time is valuable. That’s why we use sampling—a scientific way to learn about the whole by asking a smaller, representative group. We also use existing information whenever possible from government programs or other reliable public sources, so fewer people need to respond. This approach

  • keeps surveys shorter and less frequent
  • reduces the time and effort needed from participants
  • produces accurate, balanced results that reflect all of Canada.

In some rare cases, such as the Census of Population, we need to reach everyone. But for most surveys, we ask only as many people or businesses as needed to ensure quality results.

The science behind the numbers

Behind every survey is a team of experts using methods built on decades of statistical theory and research. These methods make sure that

  • data are collected efficiently and fairly
  • results are accurate and unbiased
  • everyone in Canada has a fair chance to be represented.

As new technology and analytical tools evolve, we continue to refine our processes to reduce effort for participants while maintaining the highest standards of quality. All our work is guided by a quality framework that focuses on relevance, accuracy, timeliness, coherence, accessibility and interpretability.

Your privacy is always protected

Every survey follows strict rules to protect your personal information. Your responses are confidential and used only for statistical purposes. Before any survey is launched, we carefully review what data are needed to make sure the benefit to Canadians justifies the time and privacy involved.

We use strong privacy safeguards and disclosure controls, alongside secure systems and proven methods, so no individual or business can be identified in the statistics we publish.

Why your participation matters

The information you provide shapes the statistics that support programs, policies and services across Canada, from schools and hospitals to jobs and housing. It isn’t always obvious, but many important decisions that impact the day-to-day lives and long-term well-being of Canadians are made based on information produced by Statistics Canada.

By taking part, you’re helping ensure that decisions made by governments, businesses and communities are based on accurate, complete and representative information. We collect data to help better understand our country—its population, resources, economy, environment, society and culture.

If you or your business is selected to participate in a Statistics Canada survey, please take part. Your contribution helps create trustworthy data that reflect the experiences of all Canadians.

Disaggregated Data Action Plan Accomplishments Report 2024–2025: From Commitment to Continuity

Since its launch in 2021, the goal of the Disaggregated Data Action Plan (DDAP) has been to deliver the right data, at the right time, to the right people so policies, programs and services reflect the lived realities of all Canadians. By improving how data are collected, analyzed and shared, the DDAP empowers governments, businesses and communities to build a more inclusive and equitable society.

At its core, the DDAP was designed to enhance the quality and availability of statistics on four employment equity (EE) population groups: women, Indigenous people (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit), racialized populations (various subgroups) and persons with disabilities (various subgroups).

Recognizing that identity is multifaceted and that context matters, data are further broken down, where possible, by gender, ethnocultural background, age, sexual orientation and geography. Statistics Canada also endeavours to disaggregate data beyond identity indicators, such as by participation rate or size of business.

The 2024-25 DDAP Accomplishments Report highlights key insights from the analyses of disaggregated data and discusses how these insights are shaping policy and program decisions. While this report focuses on the 2024-25 fiscal year, the progress it highlights is built on foundational work from 2021 onward.

The report is organized into thematic categories: Economic inclusion through data; Social conditions; Health equity in focus; and Building capacity for equity. An additional section, titled "Whole-of-government impacts" details how other government departments and agencies have leveraged disaggregated data to inform policy and program design as well as decision-making.

Economic inclusion through data

Insights from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and the Canadian Survey on Business Conditions (CSBC) have the potential to inform decision-making in the labour, employment and business areas, among others. Some selected insights can be found below.

According to data from the LFS supplement, in 2023, Filipino and Black workers were more likely to hold multiple jobs.

Specifically, 8.4% of Filipino workers held multiple jobs, compared with 5.3% of workers who were not racialized or Indigenous. Similarly, a larger percentage of Black workers (7.4%) than non-racialized, non-Indigenous workers held multiple jobs in 2023. Black workers were overrepresented in the healthcare and social assistance industry (20.7%) and Black employees were more likely to have earnings in the lowest weekly wage quartile (33.0%)than their non-racialized counterparts (23.3%).

Since 2022, data from the LFS supplements program have allowed Statistics Canada to report labour market indicators for persons with and without disabilities on an annual basis. These data complement the in-depth portrait provided by the Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD), which is conducted every five years and is the official source for the disability rate among the Canadian population.

According to these surveys, in 2024, half (50.4%) of persons with disabilities participated in the labour force, compared with 7 in 10 (70.2%) of those without disabilities. While men tend to have a higher labour force participation rate than women overall, the gap in the participation rate of men and women is much smaller or non-existent among persons with disabilities, notably because having a disability has a larger impact on the participation rate of men.

In June 2024, small businesses in Canada played a significant role in employing Canadians. However, CSBC data collected from April to May 2024 reveal that smaller businesses were less likely to hire in the short term. In fact, 5.0% of businesses with 1 to 19 employees expected the number of vacant positions to increase over the next three months, compared with 11.6% of businesses with 20 to 99 employees and 9.8% of businesses with 100 or more employees.

According to data collected by the CSBC on the representation of women and men in various workplace roles, from January to March 2025, 36.6% of senior management positions were held by women and 63.4% by men. In all other management roles, women represented 46.4% , while men represented 53.6%. For non-management positions, women made up 43.8% of the workforce, while men accounted for 56.2%. These figures reflect the gender distribution across distinct levels of employment, highlighting ongoing disparities in senior leadership roles.

Most employed people with disabilities face barriers at work.

The 2024 Survey Series on Accessibility, which focused on experiences with accessibility and employment, found that 69% of the employed population with disabilities or long-term conditions aged 15 to 64 experienced a barrier to accessibility in the workplace. The most prevalent barrier reported by these individuals was linked to difficulty with disclosing their disability (50%), followed closely by barriers in the physical environment, with 49% of this population group reporting encountering such barriers in the workplace.

Additional accomplishments in the labour and employment area include the development of questions and data collection to provide insights on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the Canadian economy. This revealed that certain groups of workers, such as those living in urban areas, women, higher earners and highly educated individuals, are more likely to be employed in jobs that could be highly exposed to AI-related job transformation than other groups (see Exposure to artificial intelligence in Canadian jobs: Experimental estimates for more information).

Social conditions

Statistics Canada collects data on social indicators through a variety of surveys and tools. Some selected insights can be found below.

According to police-reported data, the rate of homicide victims is higher among Indigenous people than non-Indigenous people, and nearly one-third of homicide victims are identified by police as racialized.

Despite the overall decline in homicides, police reported 225 Indigenous homicide victims in 2024, 29 more than in 2023. In 2024, the homicide rate for Indigenous people (10.84 homicides per 100,000 Indigenous population) was approximately eight times higher than the rate among the non-Indigenous population (1.35 homicides per 100,000 non-Indigenous population).

Since 2014—the first year with complete Indigenous identity data for victims of homicide—Indigenous people have been overrepresented as homicide victims. For example, most of the increase in women victims of homicide was among Indigenous people, with 21 more Indigenous women victims reported in 2024 than in the previous year.

There were 226 victims of homicide identified by police as racialized (those identified as belonging to a visible minority group, as defined by the Employment Equity Act), accounting for 29% of homicide victims in 2024. This was similar to 2023.

Data from the Survey Series on People and their Communities reveal that having social connections mitigates harms associated with discrimination. Indeed, in 2023-24, 45% of all racialized Canadians reported experiencing discrimination over the previous five years. While discrimination has been related to negative mental and physical health, lower levels of life satisfaction and reduced hopefulness about the future, these outcomes become less pronounced when victims of discriminatory acts have strong personal support networks. Among racialized Canadians who reported experiencing discrimination in the previous five years, one-third (33%) reported having a high level of life satisfaction (scoring 8 or higher on a 10-point scale). This proportion increased to 47% among victims with strong family connections and to 49% for those with strong friend connections.

Charitable giving reflects community support for different causes and plays an essential role in supporting social initiatives led by the non-profit sector. According to the 2023 Survey on Giving, Volunteering and Participating, the overall volunteering rate and the number of hours dedicated to volunteering decreased from 2018 to 2023. The overall volunteer rate—which includes formal and informal volunteering—decreased by 8% from 2018 to 2023. Close to three in four people (73%) volunteered in 2023, compared with just under four in five people (79%) in 2018.

Meanwhile, the total number of hours of formal and informal volunteering by Canadians fell from 5.0 billion hours in 2018 to 4.1 billion hours in 2023, a drop of 18%. On average, people who volunteered dedicated 173 hours to volunteering in 2023, or 33 fewer hours than in 2018. Women, young adults aged 25 to 34, and people with an education level below high school diploma had the largest declines in the rate of formal volunteering.

The 2022 Time Use Survey revealed that parents who teleworked spent more time per day caring for, supervising or being with their children. Specifically, these data indicate that, in 2022, teleworking parents spent an average of 71 more minutes per day on these activities than non-teleworking parents. The gap between teleworkers and non-teleworkers was more noticeable among fathers, who spent 272 minutes and 201 minutes with their children per day, respectively. Overall, however, mothers still spent an average of 52 minutes more per day than fathers caring for children, regardless of telework status.

These findings suggest that telework is associated with increased parental involvement in childcare and time with children, especially for fathers. Mothers continued to spend more time on childcare, demonstrating that previously identified gender gaps persisted.

In Canada, more than 70 distinct Indigenous languages are spoken by First Nations people, Métis and Inuit.

Indigenous Peoples have consistently emphasized the importance of language as the primary tool to share their culture, world views and values as well as pass them on to future generations. In 2021, approximately one in eight Indigenous people (237,420 people) in Canada reported that Indigenous language acquisition plays a key role in cultural continuity. In 2022, two-thirds (67%) of parents of Indigenous children aged 1 to 5 years reported that it was very or somewhat important for their young children to know an Indigenous language.

Data collected by the Canadian Community Health Survey from 2019 to 2021 indicate that about 800,000 Canadians aged 25 to 64 reported being 2SLGBTQ+. Among this population, just over 1 in 10 were parents living with at least one child under 12, with more women than men being parents.

These insights, which may inform childcare and related programs, are made possible by Statistics Canada's ongoing efforts to improve data on 2SLGBTQ+ populations. Canada has led globally in this area, becoming the first country in 2021 to collect census data on transgender and non-binary people. In 2026, sexual orientation data will also be collected in the census, providing further data to support evidence-based decision-making.

In 2022, among Canadians aged 15 years and over, a greater proportion of women (30%) had a disability than men (24%).

Data from the Canadian Survey on Disability reveal that women were more likely than men to have a disability related to pain and mental health in 2022, with young women (15 to 24 years) being twice as likely as young men to have a mental health-related disability. The median income of women with disabilities was 11% lower than that of men with disabilities ($37,010 and $41,580, respectively.) These insights may be useful to inform the design of employment programs and advance strategies for inclusivity in the workplace.

Health equity in focus

The Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) is Canada's primary source of self-reported data on population health. It collects information on social indicators such as perceived general and mental health, daily stress levels, and life satisfaction. These indicators help assess health and well-being and provide insights into how people's perceptions of their health may reflect their socioeconomic conditions, quality of life and level of social inclusion.

The indicators are examined through a health lens because social determinants of health—such as income, education and experiences of discrimination—can reveal valuable information about populations that are more likely to face racism, social exclusion or economic hardship. The CCHS is especially useful for understanding the experiences of specific population groups, including racialized communities.

Data collected by the CCHS can provide additional health-related insights on Canada's diverse population. Some selected insights can be found below.

In 2023, just over half of the adult population who identified as belonging to a racialized community rated their health as generally very good or excellent (55.2%). That year, the Latin American (61.2%) and Filipino (58.7%) populations had the highest proportion of individuals who reported their health as being generally very good or excellent. The CCHS data also revealed greater differences in perceived health by age among racialized groups than among the non-Indigenous, non-racialized Canadian population in 2023.

For example, 67.3% of South Asians aged 18 to 34 described their health as being generally very good or excellent. This proportion drops to 49.8% among those aged 50 to 64 and to 21.2% among those aged 65 and over. By comparison, the proportion of the total adult population in Canada who reported very good or excellent health was 62.1% in the 18-to-34 group, 49.3% among those aged 50 to 64, and 40.5% among those aged 65 and over.

Data collected by Statistics Canada reveal a high impact of COVID-19 among Indigenous people. Specifically, the age-standardized COVID-19 mortality rate among First Nations females (74.3 deaths per 100,000 population) was over five times higher than the rate among non-Indigenous females (14.0 deaths per 100,000 population), while the COVID-19 death rate among Métis females (29.4 deaths per 100,000 population) was more than double the rate among non-Indigenous females.

To help fill identified data gaps and update breast cancer screening guidelines, Statistics Canada provided health authorities with key data on breast cancer incidence, stage, subtype and mortality by race and ethnicity. The results highlighted that compared with White women, higher age-specific incidence rates were observed among Filipina and women of multiple ethnicities aged 40 to 49, as well as among Arab women aged 50 to 59. Age-specific mortality rates were also higher among Black women aged 40 to 49 and First Nations and Métis women aged 60 to 69 than among White women. Breast cancer was diagnosed less frequently at stage 1 among Filipina, Black, South Asian and First Nations women than among White and Chinese women.

Data from the Survey Series on First Nations People, Métis and Inuit, released in November 2024, shed light on health care access and experiences among Indigenous people aged 15 and older. Specifically, these data reveal that, among First Nations people living off reserve and Inuit who had experienced unfair treatment, racism or discrimination from a health care professional, the most common setting was the hospital emergency room (50% for First Nations people living off reserve and 34% for Inuit), with 36% of Métis also reporting similar experiences in this setting. Among Métis, the most common setting was the doctor's office (46%).

Statistics Canada collaborated with the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council (NIFSC) to produce an article on fire risks among Indigenous people using the Canadian Coroner and Medical Examiner Database linked to the 2006 and 2016 censuses of population and the 2011 National Household Survey. This work was done to better understand the factors that contribute to higher fire-related mortality among Indigenous people.

This report highlighted risk factors that placed Indigenous people at higher risk of experiencing a fire-related death, with the aim of preventing these types of deaths in the future. In recognition of this collaborative work, the National Indigenous Fire Prevention Leadership Award was presented to Statistics Canada by the NIFSC, along with an eagle feather. The eagle feather holds profound meaning in Indigenous culture, signifying an acknowledgement of the recipient's journey or accomplishments.

Building capacity for equity

Statistics Canada played a leadership role in developing standards for gender of person and sex assigned at birth, which were endorsed by the Government of Canada in 2023-24. The agency has also developed supporting products, such as reference guides, to enable the implementation of these standards by all federal departments.

Statistics Canada developed three courses on disaggregated data analysis to be hosted on the Canada School of Public Service platform. These courses will help policymakers develop more targeted and effective public policies by identifying the unique needs and challenges faced by different demographic groups. The first one, "Working with Disaggregated Data for Better Policy Outcomes," was launched in November 2024. The second course, "Working with Disaggregated Data for Better Policy Outcomes: Black Entrepreneurship Case Study," was launched in fall 2025, while the third one, "Health Inequalities Case Study," is scheduled to launch in winter 2026.

Statistics Canada continued to deliver its internal workshop on disaggregated data analysis and developed a new course, the Analytical Sprint, to train analysts to write impactful disaggregated data stories. It also continued to integrate a disaggregated data lens into all its analytical courses, with the goal of reinforcing responsible disaggregation of data as a key principle to generate meaningful insights. Statistics Canada also delivered additional courses for external public servants, including a bootcamp for policy executives open to federal, provincial, territorial and municipal executives that focuses on building capacity for responsible disaggregated data analysis.

Whole-of-government impacts

Over the past few years, Statistics Canada has significantly enhanced the data landscape by increasing the availability of disaggregated data. This progress, driven by initiatives like the DDAP and a broader cultural shift within the agency, has had notable impacts across the Government of Canada.

One of the main examples of how disaggregated data are leveraged in the federal government's policies and programs lies with the application of Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus), including data from Statistics Canada's Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Statistics Hub, to better understand how intersecting identity, social and structural factors shape health outcomes. This approach supports evidence-informed decision-making and helps advance equity by ensuring that diverse lived experiences are considered in public policies and programs. The application of the Gender Results Framework (GRF) demonstrates the federal government's commitment to advancing gender equality through significant investments in key programs, policies and initiatives.

While some efforts—such as the GRF—are undertaken by all federal departments and agencies, many also leverage disaggregated data and the insights that can be drawn from disaggregated data analyses to inform their own program delivery and policy development. Some examples of this application can be found below.

Employment and Social Development Canada

Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) integrates GBA Plus and granular analysis across the policy and service continuum. As part of this approach, ESDC regularly leverages disaggregated data to inform policy and program development and to deepen understanding of the needs and experiences of clients and the impacts of programs and services.

ESDC uses disaggregated data to inform both the Disability Inclusion Action Plan and the ongoing implementation of the Accessible Canada Act (ACA). ESDC has been working with Statistics Canada to collect disaggregated data on accessibility that support the identification and removal of barriers over time.

ESDC is leveraging key disaggregated data from the 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability to create baseline information on the existence of barriers to accessibility in all seven priority areas set out in the ACA, including knowledge on how barriers are experienced in relation to the type and severity of disability. The inclusion of the Barriers Module, which explores experiences with specific types of accessibility barriers, from the 2022 CSD onward will help ESDC measure progress in the removal of barriers to accessibility over time.

Furthermore, ESDC leveraged disaggregated Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) administrative data and data from key national surveys, such as the 2016 and 2021 census, the Labour Force Survey, the Canadian Income Survey and the Longitudinal Immigration Database to assess the impact of the CERB. These data enabled nuanced analyses of benefit uptake and labour market dynamics across diverse population groups (such as CERB duration by occupation and industry, labour supply patterns, teleworkability) and the experiences of vulnerable groups. As well, these data were used to identify service gaps among underrepresented populations and drive targeted policy changes to improve program accessibility and equity.

Additionally, disaggregated data from the 2021 Census of Population played a key role in supporting ESDC's Employment Equity Act Review Task Force. To accomplish this, ESDC leveraged Statistics Canada's "labour and language of work" release to incorporate equity-relevant indicators into the final report. These indicators included detailed breakdowns of educational attainment, income, immigrant status, Indigenous identity, gender and visible minority status.

On top of this, disaggregated data enabled ESDC to examine the impacts of COVID-19 and inflation on housing affordability across Canada. Leveraging data sources, including the Labour Force Survey (2019 to 2023), the 2021 Census, and the Canadian Housing Survey (2018, 2021 and 2022), among others, revealed that low-income Canadians were hit hardest, facing greater income losses, debt burden and housing costs. These findings identified key policy implications, including the need to boost wages through human capital development and expand the skilled trades workforce to meet housing construction needs.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) regularly uses disaggregated data to inform its policy and program development, as well as better understand issues related to its programs. For example, in 2025, IRCC undertook a research project to examine the economic outcomes of refugees resettled to Canada from 2011 to 2021. To accomplish this, IRCC used a variety of sources, including 2021 Census data tables that were disaggregated specifically to the level of the various sub-streams of the Resettlement Assistance Program (government-assisted refugees and privately sponsored refugees) as well as by period of immigration. The variables examined included highest level of education, homeowner status, citizenship uptake.

Disaggregated data have been leveraged to assess the addition and removal of priority occupations for immigrant selection. The data have informed impacts on regions, wages, employment and gender for a comprehensive GBA Plus analysis of category-based selection. As well, IRCC juxtaposes Statistics Canada data with its own international visitor data to calibrate visa policy decisions that maximize economic benefits, including attracting top talent, while also minimizing risks of irregular migration, security threats and pressure on public programs.

Canadian Heritage

Canadian Heritage (PCH) has also leveraged DDAP data to support key initiatives, including Canada's Anti-Racism Strategy and Canada's Action Plan on Combatting Hate. The collaboration between Statistics Canada and PCH has further supported the Office of the Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia, contributing to the release of an infographic on the Muslim population in Canada in December 2024 and continuing to inform Canada's reporting to the United Nations on international human rights instruments.

PCH particularly relies on disaggregated data produced by the census, the General Social Survey and the Survey Series on People and their Communities to measure the impacts of its programs and policies. In this aspect, themes such as sense of belonging, shared values, pride in Canadian arts and culture, life satisfaction, and experiences of racism and discrimination are key.

PCH leverages disaggregated data to support budget requests, planning, high-level governance and different policy and program decisions. Identity variables made available by Statistics Canada, including gender, ethnicity and age, provide PCH with the essential data it requires to examine inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility.

Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada

Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) uses disaggregated data to better understand issues facing Indigenous Peoples by distinction and by region. For example, CIRNAC uses Community Well-Being Index scores, which are developed from disaggregated census data, to report on the socioeconomic conditions and well-being of Indigenous communities across Canada.

Through the implementation of its data strategy, CIRNAC is taking steps towards integrating disaggregated data into its routine policy and program development processes beyond results reporting. These efforts are strongly supported by the increased availability of disaggregated data from Statistics Canada since 2021.

Indeed, increasingly granular data have made steady inroads to enabling CIRNAC to better understand the diverse socioeconomic and health disparities that First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities face compared with other Canadians.

Efforts to date have supported more targeted approaches in areas such as housing, Indigenous economic development, and social programming in northern and remote communities. These insights can help inform decision-making, support more equitable outcomes, and identify data gaps that must be addressed through stronger partnerships and data governance with Indigenous Peoples.

Public Health Agency of Canada

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) leverages data to target promotion, program and policy efforts, such as the National Suicide Prevention Action Plan and the Healthy Canadians and Communities Fund. Data also inform peer-reviewed research articles, reporting on topics such as hepatitis B and C mortality, HIV mortality, population estimates of people who inject drugs in Canada, and population estimates of men who have sex with men, for instance. Disaggregated data also enhance PHAC's ability to conduct or complement public health surveillance activities speaking to, among other topics, concussion, falls and other injuries, mental health, physical activity, sedentary behaviour, sleep and obesity.

Additionally, disaggregated data are used by PHAC to support intersectoral engagement. This includes efforts such as House of Commons studies on the health of LGBTQIA2Footnote 1 communities, memoranda to Cabinet on food literacy, the Mental Health of Black Canadians Initiative, as well as PHAC's engagement on Canada's Anti-Racism Strategy (CARS 2.0) and the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan.

PHAC also leverages disaggregated data to populate and update tools such as the Health of People in Canada (HOPIC) dashboard and the Health Inequalities Data Tool. The HOPIC dashboard provides a snapshot of the health of our populations, while illustrating the wide range of health, socioeconomic and environmental factors that interact to keep Canadians healthy and well. The Health Inequalities Data Tool leverages multiple datasets and variables for analyses, in turn enabling PHAC to provide key stakeholders with detailed, population-specific data that quantify the scale of health inequalities across Canada, including breakdowns at the provincial and territorial levels. This supports decision-making and strategic planning within PHAC and with external partners by providing publicly available and downloadable information.

Taken together, these initiatives underscore a transformative shift in how disaggregated data are leveraged across the federal government. The growing emphasis on these data not only enhances the inclusivity of policies and programs, but also reinforces a commitment to evidence-based decision-making that better serves the diverse needs of Canadians.

As Canada continues to evolve, so too must the data that inform its decisions. In recent years, the DDAP has laid a solid foundation for inclusive, responsive and equitable policymaking. Moving forward, sustained collaboration and innovation will be essential to deepen our understanding of diverse lived experiences and to ensure that every Canadian is seen, heard and served.