I. Introduction

The main objective of this survey is to obtain detailed revenue and expenditure data on each college and vocational school in Canada. Coupled with what is already available for the university sector, this gathering of data will provide a complete picture of the financial statistics of postsecondary education as well as vocational training in Canada.

The following notes provide the principles, definitions and guidelines necessary for the completion of the data form. Since it is desirable to obtain figures as comparable as possible from one institution to another, each respondent is requested to:

• provide accompanying notes of explanation in the observations and comments section of the submission for figures that do not follow the guidelines;
• provide comments on items which are excluded from the data, such as cases where provinces are making contributions to repay debt on behalf of an institution or material gifts received as donated service along with their estimated market value;
• estimates should be made whenever possible if income and expenditure figures are not readily available in the required format from the financial records of the institution. When estimates are made they should be indicated with an asterisk (*).

II. Submission

The final deadline for the submission is indicated in the covering letter. The completed questionnaire(s) should be returned in the self-addressed envelope provided.

A copy of the institution's Audited Financial Statements is also requested with your submission. If a copy is not available, please advise Statistics Canada as to the date on which they will be forwarded.

III. Coverage

With the exception of private institutions that only offer courses at the trade and vocational level, the survey covers all private and public non-degree granting institutions that offer educational programs at the postsecondary level and/or at the trade and vocational level. For statistical purposes, institutions are classified as follows:

1. Colleges/Institutes/Polytechnics

   Included in this classification are the colleges of applied arts and technology (CAAT's) in Ontario, general and vocational colleges (CEGEP's) in Quebec, institutes of technology and any other institutions providing education in fields such as paramedical technologies, nursing, agriculture, forestry, nautical sciences, etc.. These institutions offer programs at the postsecondary level, and may offer trade-vocational level programs.

2. Vocational Schools

   This classification includes Community Colleges in Saskatchewan and Vocational Centres in Alberta, government training schools, vocational training centres and any other institution offering programs at the trade-vocational level only.

3. Training in hospitals

   Included in this classification are educational centres located in hospitals, which offer educational or training programs, independently of the community college system, in nursing, radiotherapy, radiography, medical technology, etc..

   To ensure full coverage, it is important that each reporting officer indicates on section 2 of the questionnaire the affiliated campuses included in and/or excluded from the submission.

IV. Confidentiality

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.

V. Authorization to Release

In order for Statistics Canada to release the information provided an 'Authorization to release' form must be signed. The form provided authorizes Statistics Canada to release the information in aggregation to the provincial/territorial level only.

VI. Principles of Reporting

1. Accrual Concept

For the purpose of this survey, the revenue and expenditure data should be reported on an accrual basis. That is, all revenues and expenditures should be reflected in the period in which they are considered to have been earned and incurred respectively. For example, major adjustments, such as retroactive salary and their related benefit costs, should be reported on that basis.

2. Total Income and Expenditures

All income and expenditures of the institution are to be reported. In this regard particular attention should be paid to the following:

• when an institution is provincially governed or consists of a branch of a department, all costs related to the operation, maintenance and administration of the institution are to be reported; the actual funds used to finance those expenditures should be shown as a provincial source of funds;
• consultations may be required with the institution's research department to obtain detailed breakdowns of income sources and expenses related to sponsored research;
• capital expenditures, as well as related revenues, that are financed by a government Department or Ministry other than the one responsible for the institution must be included in this report; the reporting officer is responsible for obtaining and providing this information;
• the figures reported should not include income or expenditures for the purpose of creating or eliminating an appropriation; however, any actual income or expenditure transaction recorded directly in reserve accounts should be included in the figures reported; this also applies to other assets and liability accounts; provisions for replacement of assets are considered to be transfers to reserve or appropriation accounts and should not be reported as expenses;
• receipts and expenses relating to special purpose, trust and other funds of the institution should, as well, be included in the report.

3. Ancillary Enterprises

An ancillary enterprise is an entity that exists to furnish goods and services to students, staff or others, and that charges a fee directly related to, although not necessarily equal to, the cost of the goods or services. To reflect properly the full cost of these enterprises, you should report their total gross revenues and total gross expenditures in the appropriate cells in the Schedule 1 and Schedule 2A. In addition, a breakdown by type of ancillary enterprises (bookstores, food services, residences, parking) must be completed on the Supporting Schedule A.

4. Reporting of Income

When reporting the sources of funds in the operating, sponsored research and capital income in Schedule 1, it is important to show the revenues under the headings that correspond to the immediate source of funds for the institution. For example, if an institution offers training courses for which Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) purchases seats, then the amount of money paid by ESDC should be shown under "Federal" only if the money is received directly by the institution. If the money is received by a third party (provincial government) and then transferred to the institution, then the direct source of funds is the "Provincial Government".

VII. Definitions

1. Program Cost Groups

This section defines the program cost groups to be used in the reporting of direct instruction expenditures on Schedule 2B of the questionnaire.

The criteria used to define the various program cost groups originates from those used in other surveys conducted by Statistics Canada and also from analysis of different educational systems across Canada. Note that these statistical definitions may not correspond identically to other existing definitions used by other organizations or governments.

a) Postsecondary Programs

This program cost group includes all direct expenditures incurred in providing instruction to students enrolled FULL-TIME or PART-TIME in postsecondary programs offered by Colleges/Institutes (see section III). These programs are of two kinds: university transfer programs and semi-professional career programs.

b) Trade and Vocational Programs

This program cost group includes all direct expenditures incurred in providing instruction (or training) to students (or trainees) enrolled FULL-TIME in vocational programs at the trade level for credit towards a recognized standing of proficiency or certification. Also included are direct expenditures related to students enrolled in academic upgrading programs for entry into a vocational program. Such students normally attend regular day classes in provincial trade schools, trade or industrial divisions of community colleges, adult vocational centres and other similar schools. These programs or courses prepare the student (trainee) for an occupational role below the professional or semi-professional level. A period of less than one year is normally sufficient to complete courses at this level. For less complex occupations, a program may last only a matter of weeks. Completion of grade 9 or 10 is usually required for entrance to these courses.

Included are, for example, pre-employment programs, language, skill or academic upgrading programs, refresher courses, apprenticeship programs, training on the job or training in-industry programs associated with educational institution, nursing assistant, etc..

c) Continuing Education Programs

This program cost group includes all direct expenditures incurred in providing instruction to students enrolled PART-TIME in courses, mostly in the evening, offered under the auspices of subsidiary divisions of schools designated by various names such as Division of Continuing Education, Adult Education Division and so on. Excluded are activities which have no sustained instruction or educational purpose such as recreational activities, presentations in the performing arts, art exhibitions and displays, debates fairs, conferences or conventions of clubs or associations.

Included are, for example, courses such as pre-employment programs, language, skill or academic upgrading programs, refresher, professional development, general interest, etc., which are offered on a PART-TIME basis.

2. Funds

a) Operating

This fund accounts for the cost of credit and non-credit instruction, non-sponsored research, academic support services, administration, plant maintenance and other operating expenses of the institution financed by fees, grants and other operating income. This fund will normally include all revenues and expenses regarding materials, supplies or services that are consumed within the year and which the institution considers to be operating, within the functional operating areas referred to in section 3 below.

b) Sponsored Research

Sponsored Research is a restricted fund that accounts for income and expenditures for all sponsored research as well as Research and Development (R&D). For an activity to qualify as R&D, there must be an appreciable element of novelty. Income is to be reported following the funds flow approach.

Sponsored Research covers the following activities:

Basic Research is any experimental or theoretical work undertaken primarily to acquire new knowledge of the underlying foundation of phenomena and observed facts, without any particular application or use in view;

Applied Research is the original investigation undertaken to acquire new knowledge, and directed primarily towards a specific practical objective;

Experimental Development is systematic work drawing on existing knowledge gained from research and/or practical experience that is directed to producing new materials, products or devices, installing new processes, systems and services, or improving those already installed.

The following activities should not be counted as R&D:

• all education and training of personnel; however, research by graduates and postgraduate students should be counted;
• scientific and technical information services such as collecting, coding, recording, classifying, analyzing, disseminating, translating, and evaluating, except where conducted solely or primarily for R&D support;
• routine testing of materials, components, products, processes, soils, etc.;
• maintenance of national standards;
• administrative and legal work connected with patents and licenses;
• investigations of proposed engineering projects using existing techniques; however feasibility studies on research projects are part of R&D;
• policy-related studies at the national, regional and local levels, as well as those of business enterprises in pursuit of economic activity;
• routine software development, computer maintenance, quality assurance, routine data collection, and market research;
• the many steps other than R&D necessary for the development and marketing of a manufactured product;
• the raising, management, and distribution of R&D funds; and
• routine investigation and normal application of specialized medical knowledge.

Sponsored Research accounts for the institution's income paid in the form of a contract (legally enforceable arrangements under which the institution, or an individual within the institution, agrees to undertake a research project, using the institution's facilities and/or personnel, for a sponsor that provide funds to meet all or part of the costs of the project) or a grant (unconditional payment for which service is not necessarily expected) from a source external to the institution.

Income sources include government, private industry and donors. Income may also include investment income, if the corresponding expenditures are reported in Sponsored Research.

Expenditures include activity funded from Sponsored Research income and exclude activity funded from the General Operating fund. It also includes the purchase of capital assets, if the corresponding income is reported as Sponsored Research.

c) Capital

The uniform reporting practice in the annual return for capital expenditures is to follow the funds flow approach, rather than to capitalize and amortize. Funds received to acquire capital assets are reported as income in the period in which the funds are received or receivable. Funds used to acquire capital assets are reported as expenditures in the year they take place.

For reporting purposes, capital expenditures are to be reported in the same fund as the corresponding income. Specifically, capital expenditures are only reported in the Capital fund when the corresponding income is reported in the Capital fund.

It is a restricted fund that accounts for resources provided to the institution for capital purposes and not reported in any other fund. Fund income includes grants and related investment income, donations and other resources made available to the institution by external funding sources, such as government and donors, specifically for capital purposes. Fund expenditures include building programs, acquisitions of major equipment and furniture, major renovations and alterations, space rental and buildings, land and land improvements.

Capital expenditures, as well as related revenues, being financed by a Government Department or Ministry other than the one responsible for the institution must be included in this report. The reporting officer should be responsible for obtaining and providing this information.

3. Functions (Schedule 2A)

a) Instruction and non-sponsored research

This includes all direct costs related to credit and non-credit courses, summer courses, extension programs and all other academic functions related to instruction and non-sponsored research such as offices of academic department heads, audio-visual services, laboratories, etc..

b) Library

This includes all the operating costs of the main library as well as the campus libraries, if there are any. All costs of library acquisitions from the Operating fund should be shown under this function.

c) General Administration

This includes costs for activities whose primary function is to provide administrative support for the operation of the institution. It includes the activities of the president's office, vice president, registrar, finance, personnel, public relations, secretariats, etc.. It also includes expenditures on convocations, ceremonies, legal and audit fees, long distance phone calls, the internal portion of debt repayments and costs for computing facilities.

d) Physical Plant

This includes the costs related to physical facilities, such as physical plant offices, maintenance of buildings and grounds, fire insurance, telephone service, security, repairs and furnishing, renovations and alterations, mail delivery service.

e) Student Services

This includes costs for activities whose primary purpose is to assist students in their educational or employment pursuits and which are outside of, but supplemental to, the instruction of academic programs. It includes the costs of: counselling, placement, health services, athletics (not physical education), student accommodation services (not residences), student transportation services, bursaries, scholarships and prizes, student financial aid office, cultural activities, etc..

4. Types of Income

a) Government Grants and Contracts

Lines 1 to 10 include grants from, and contracts with, federal government departments and agencies, provincial/territorial government departments and agencies, and municipal governments.

Government grants provide financial support to institutions and the grants may or may not be restricted.

Government contracts provide financial support to institutions under certain stipulations and conditions, including the provision of a deliverable product, such as a piece of equipment, a service or a report. A contract normally includes provisions for institutions to recover certain indirect or overhead costs, with the contract specifying or documenting the basis for the calculation of the recoverable costs.

Federal

Lines 1 to 6 include all research grants, research contracts, grants and contributions from the Government of Canada and its departments and agencies. Income received from the five major federal government agencies is reported on lines 1 to 5 as applicable.

The line items under "Federal" are as follows:

Provincial/Territorial

Lines 7 to 9 include income from provincial government departments and agencies. For example, Provincial/Territorial CFI matching grants, Provincial/Territorial CFI matching income (line 8) from the Ministry responsible for the institution is reported under the Sponsored Research fund.

In the case of a provincially/territorially administered institution, direct provincial funding is to be included here.

Municipal

Examples of income to be reported on this line include grants from urban transit, communication and parking authorities.

b) Fees

This includes all mandatory student fees for credit and non-credit courses (with the exception of residence fees, parking fees and other similar fees which should be reported under 'ancillary enterprises - gross') paid by, or on behalf of all FULL-TIME and PART-TIME students.

All other fees charged to students such as laboratory fees, transcript, late registration, application, athletic fees, etc., are to be reported under the heading 'other'.

Normally, whenever revenues from fees are reported in Schedule 1 under specific program(s), related expenditures should be reported for the corresponding program(s) in Schedule 2B.

Note: Fees that are "flow through" (such as student activity fees collected for the students' council, etc.) should not be reported as college revenue.

c) Bequests, Donations, Non-Government Grants

This includes receipts from business, industry, foundations, individuals and religious organizations, as well as the value of services donated by various organizations.

d) Investment Income

This includes income from all investments such as dividends, bonds, mortgages, short-term notes and bank interest. Realized gains (or losses) should also be included if they are treated as income in the operating and/or capital funds.

e) Ancillary Enterprises (gross)

This includes total revenues from all ancillary enterprises such as residence or parking fees, and sales of services and products from bookstores, food services (dining hall, cafeterias and vending machines), publishing, laundry services, etc..

It should also be noted that the reporting officer is asked to report, on Supporting Schedule A, a breakdown of total income for the institution's ancillary enterprises.

f) Borrowings

This includes only those borrowings which are used to finance expenditures when repayment is to be made by the institution. Note that borrowings should be reported on an accrual basis.

g) Miscellaneous

This includes net income from rentals (other than ancillary enterprises), library fines and fines for other similar charges, and any income not reported elsewhere.

h) Interfund Transfers

When income from one fund is used to finance expenditures in another fund, report the amount as an interfund transfer. Total interfund transfers must net to zero.

5. Types of Expenditures

a) Salaries and Wages

Salaries and wages (excluding fringe benefits) as well as payments for leave of absence, shown under the appropriate functions and programs, are to be broken down into the following two categories:

b) Fringe Benefits

This includes the institution's contribution (in respect of all salaries and wages) to pensions, group life insurance, workmen's compensation, unemployment insurance, Canada pension, salary contribution insurance, long term disability insurance and other similar benefits. Also include staff development costs paid for by the institution.

c) Library Acquisitions

This includes all purchases of books, periodicals, audio/visual material and other reference material for the library. Costs of binding may also be included if normally considered part of the acquisition costs.

d) Operational Supplies and Expenses

This includes all expenditures for supplies which are normally consumed in the fiscal year, including postage, teaching supplies, photocopying, publications, long distance telephone charges, repair materials, all supplies to operate laboratories, etc..

e) Utilities

This includes all expenditures for fuel, electricity, water, gas, telephone equipment rental, etc..

f) Furniture and Equipment

This includes all expenses for furniture and equipment, such as laboratory equipment (other than consumables), administrative equipment and furnishings, copying and duplicating equipment, computing equipment maintenance equipment, etc.. Rental and maintenance costs as well as other related operating expenses should be shown under the appropriate operational function. Costs for replacing or acquiring new furniture and equipment should be reported under the capital fund.

g) Scholarships and Other Related Students Support

This includes all payments to students including scholarships, bursaries, prizes, fee remissions, gifts, etc..

h) Fees and Contracted Services

This includes all expenses for services contracted to external agencies (except for renovations, alterations and major repairs). Examples would be cleaning contracts, security services, snow removal, etc.. Also included are fees paid to legal counsellors (including retainers for negotiations of collective contracts), auditors' fees, consultant's fees, etc..

i) Debt Services

This includes all payments made to service debts of the institution such as bank interest, mortgage or debenture interest payments, and related charges. Principal payments on loans, mortgages, debentures or repayable grants should be excluded.

j) Buildings

This includes all capital expenditures which are normally considered part of construction costs, except for furniture and equipment as well as land and site services which are to be reported under their respective item. Costs for space rental, building insurances, taxes, minor renovations and alterations on buildings, and all other related operating expenses should be shown under the Physical Plant operational function. Depreciation is not to be included as an expenditure.

k) Land and Site Services

This includes capital expenditures on acquisitions of and improvements to land such as landscaping, sewers, tunnels, roads, etc.. Capitalized professional fees and planning costs related to this category are also to be included. Rental, maintenance and insurance costs as well as other related operating expenses for this item should be shown under the Physical Plant operational function.

l) Miscellaneous

This is to be used when the institution has an operating or capital expenditure not classified in the other categories.

m) Transfers To/From

This item is used for internal transfers of costs between funds or functions whenever it is not feasible to directly adjust the appropriate expenditure items.

The total internal transfers of costs should net to zero.

n) Ancillary Enterprises (gross)

Includes all gross expenditures incurred in the operating of ancillary enterprises (see section 4 (e) above).

It should be noted that the reporting officer is asked to report, on the Supporting Schedule A, a breakdown of total expenditures for the institution's ancillary enterprises.

VIII. Supporting Schedule A

Additional information is to be provided in this section for the total revenue and expenditures of institutional ancillary enterprises (bookstores, residences, food services and parking).

IX. Suggestions

Statistics Canada would welcome any suggestions made to improve this survey.

Canadian Centre for Education Statistics

This information is collected under the authority of the Statistics Act, Revised Statutes of Canada, 1985, Chapter S19.

Confidential when completed

Voluntary survey

Although your participation in this survey is voluntary, your cooperation is important so that the information collected will be as accurate and complete as possible.

Survey purpose

Results from this survey allow users a better understanding of the financial position (income and expenditures) of all community colleges and public vocational schools in Canada. Your information may also be used by Statistics Canada for other statistical and research purposes.

Confidentiality

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.

Financial Year Ending: Day, Month, Year (2022)

Identification of the institution

• Name of institution
• Address (number and street)
• City
• Province
• Postal code
• Check the appropriate boxes
  • Type
    • Public
    • Private
  • Governing authority
    • Province or territory
    • Board

Identification of the reporting officer

• Name and title of reporting officer
• Address (number and street)
• City
• Province
• Postal code
• Email address
• Telephone number
• Fax number
• Signature of the reporting officer
• Day, Month, Year

Does your institution offer courses at the elementary-secondary level, other than those academic upgrading courses such as Adult Basic Education which should be reported in this questionnaire?

• Yes
• No

If yes, please exclude revenues and expenditures relating to that level of education.

Instructions

1. Please read the guidelines carefully.
2. All amounts should be expressed in thousands of dollars ($'000).
3. Indicate estimated amounts with an asterisk (*).

Affiliated institutions or campuses included in this report

Affiliated institutions or campuses partially included in this report

Affiliated institutions or campuses excluded from this report

Schedule 1 – Operating, Sponsored Research and Capital Income
Table summary
This is an empty data table used by respondents to provide data to Statistics Canada. This table contains no data.

Types	Funds
	Operating ($'000)	Sponsored Research ($'000)	Capital ($'000)	Total ($'000)
Government Grants and Contracts
FederalSchedule 1 footnote *
1. Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC)
2. Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI)
3. Canadian Institutes of Health Research
4. Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
5. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
6. Other federal
Provincial
7. Regular Grants
8. CFI Matching Fund
9. Other
10. Municipal
Fees
11. Postsecondary Programs
12. Trade Vocational Programs
13. Continuing Education Programs
14. Other
Bequests, Donations, Non-Government Grants
15. Business Enterprises and Individuals
16. Non-profit Organizations and Foundations
17. Sub-total
18. Investment Income
19. Ancillary Enterprises (Gross)Schedule 1 footnote **
20. Borrowings
21. Miscellaneous
22. Interfund TransfersSchedule 1 footnote ***
23. Total Income
Schedule 1 footnote * As highlighted in Section VI.4 in the Guidelines, amounts reported here should relate only to payments received directly by the institution. Return to Schedule 1 footnote * referrer Schedule 1 footnote ** Total should correspond with figures reported in the supporting schedule A. Return to Schedule 1 footnote ** referrer Schedule 1 footnote *** Total interfund transfers must equal to zero. Return to Schedule 1 footnote *** referrer

Schedule 2A – Operating, Sponsored Research and Capital Expenditures by Function and by Type
Table Summary
This is an empty data table used by respondents to provide data to Statistics Canada. This table contains no data.

Types of Expenditures	Functions
	Operating						Sponsored Research ($'000)	Capital ($'000)	Total ($'000)
	Instruction and non-sponsored researchSchedule 2A footnote * ($'000)	Library ($'000)	General Administration ($'000)	Physical Plant ($'000)	Student Services ($'000)	Total Operating ($'000)
Salaries and Wages
1. Teachers
2. Other
3. Fringe Benefits
4. Library Acquisitions
5. Operational Supplies and Expenses
6. Utilities
7. Furniture and Equipment
8. Scholarships and Other Related Students Support
9. Fees and Contracted Services
10. Debt Services
11. Buildings
12. Land and Site Services
13. Miscellaneous
14. Transfers to/from
15. Ancillary Enterprises (Gross)Schedule 2 footnote **
16. Total Expenditures
Schedule 2A footnote * The figures in this column should be identical to the appropriate ones in column 5 (column total), schedule 2B. Return to Schedule 2A footnote * referrer Schedule 2A footnote ** Total should correspond with figures reported in the supporting schedule A. Return to Schedule 2A footnote ** referrer

Schedule 2B – Direct Instruction Expenditures by Program Cost Groups
Table Summary
This is an empty data table used by respondents to provide data to Statistics Canada. This table contains no data.

Types of Expenditures	Programs
	Postsecondary Programs		Trade and Vocational Programs ($'000)	Continuing Education Programs ($'000)	TotalSchedule 2B footnote * ($'000)
	University Transfer ($'000)	Career ($'000)
Salaries and Wages
1. Teachers
2. Other
3. Fringe Benefits
4. Operational Supplies and Expenses
5. Furniture and Equipment
6. Fees and Contracted Services
7. Miscellaneous
8. Transfers to/from
9. Total Instruction Expenditures
Schedule 2B footnote * The figures in this column should be identical to the appropriate ones in column 1 (column instruction and non-sponsored research), schedule 2A. Return to Schedule 2B footnote * referrer

Supporting Schedule A – Ancillary Enterprises
Table Summary
This is an empty data table used by respondents to provide data to Statistics Canada. This table contains no data.

	Total Income		Total Expenditures
	Operating ($'000)	Capital ($'000)	Operating ($'000)	Capital ($'000)
Bookstores
Food Services
Residences
Parking
Other
TotalSchedule A footnote *
Schedule A footnote * Total should correspond with figures reported in schedules 1 and 2A. Return to Schedule A footnote * referrer

Observations and Comments
Table Summary
This is an empty data table used by respondents to give their observations and comments. This table contains no data.

Description (Fund, Function, Type of Income, Expenditure)	Comments

Age at marriage

The age at the last birthday preceding marriage.

For the rare situation when a person's age at marriage is unknown, a value is randomly imputed after accounting for the distribution of known ages, the age of their spouse (when known), their legal marital status (when known), as well as the province or territory of occurrence.

The minimum age at marriage in Canada is 16. This was established in 2015 with changes to the Civil Marriage Act and the Criminal Code. However, provincial and territorial governments may apply a higher minimum age or additional conditions before a marriage registration is accepted. In all provinces and territories, marriage can occur without the need for explicit parental consent only from the age of majority (18 or 19 years depending on the jurisdiction). Marriage between the age of 16 and the age of majority is possible in most provinces and territories with the parents' or the courts' consent.

Prior to the federal legislative changes of 2015, there was no uniform minimum age at marriage in Canada. All provinces and territories had already established that the age of majority was a minimum for marriage without parental consent, but some allowed marriage from age 15 with parental consent or even earlier if the girl had a child or was pregnant.

In practice, at the national level, a very small number of marriages to persons under the age of 15 were recorded each year until the late 1990s and to persons of age 15 until the early 2010s. For historical continuity, the first age group in the marriage data tables is labelled "Under 20 years" rather than "15 to 19 years" or "16 to 19 years" as would be more precise in recent years.

Gender and sex

Information on gender or sex in the Marriage Database comes from two sources. Marriage registration forms provide information about the number and characteristics of the persons who marry, while demographic estimates (based on the census) are used as the denominators of marriage rates.

The way in which gender or sex is measured on the marriage registration forms of vital statistics registrars differs across the provinces and territories and has changed over time. Some provinces and territories have not collected information on gender or sex since the 2003 to 2005 period, when same-sex marriages were gradually legalized across Canada. Gender-specific totals are thus unavailable for Canada since this period.

The 2021 Census marked the first time that data on gender were collected in the Census of Population. The variable resulting from this question has three categories: man, woman and non-binary person. Prior to 2021, the census only collected information on sex, which referred at the time to whether the person was male or female. The introduction of gender is not expected to have a significant impact on data analysis and historical comparability, given the small size of the transgender and non-binary populations. For additional information on changes of concepts over time, please consult the Age, Sex at Birth and Gender Reference Guide, Census of Population, 2021.

Although sex and gender refer to two different concepts, the terminology related to gender is used throughout the data tables on marriage for readability.

Starting with the reference year 2021: Given that the non-binary population is small, data aggregation to a two-category gender variable is sometimes necessary to protect the confidentiality of responses provided. In these cases, individuals in the category "non-binary persons" are distributed into the other two gender categories and are denoted by the + symbol. "Men+" includes men (and/or boys), as well as some non-binary persons. "Women+" includes women (and/or girls), as well as some non-binary persons.

Gender composition of the couple

Refers to the combination of both spouses' genders. There are three categories of gender composition of couples: different-gender marriage uniting a man+ and a woman+, same-gender marriage uniting two men+, and same-gender marriage uniting two women+.

Statistics Canada started publishing information on the sex composition of couples in the reference year 2003 for some provinces and territories. As some other provinces and territories do not collect information on gender or sex, the gender composition of couples is unknown in these jurisdictions and unavailable for Canada.

Legal marital status

Refers to the marital status of the person under the law, not taking into account common-law unions. In marriage statistics, it refers to the spouses' status just prior to marriage.

• Never legally married
• Legally married and not separated
• Separated but still legally married
• Widowed
• Divorced

Only those persons whose legal marital status is never married, widowed or divorced can marry. Together, these three groups can be referred to as unmarried.

Marriage

Marriage is the lawful union of two persons, conferring mutual rights and obligations on the spouses. Marriages must be registered by a provincial or territorial vital statistics registrar. Common-law unions and civil unions (in Quebec only) are not marriages.

Prior to 2003, marriage was defined as the lawful union of two persons of the opposite sex. Following provincial court rulings in 2003, vital statistics registries in Ontario and British Columbia started registering marriages of same-sex couples. Subsequent rulings by courts in other provinces and territories in 2004 (Quebec, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Yukon) and 2005 (New Brunswick) expanded the number of jurisdictions registering same-sex marriages. On July 20, 2005, the Civil Marriage Act came into force across Canada and extended access to civil marriage to all couples.

Marriage rates and summary nuptiality indicators

Marriage statistics are compiled by place of occurrence, instead of by place of residence. Because of this, in the calculation of marriage rates, the population covered in the numerator does not exactly correspond to the one covered in the denominator. The numerator of those rates includes all persons who married in a given place of occurrence, regardless of whether they reside there or not, whereas the denominator includes only the population that resides in that place of occurrence. This discrepancy between the populations covered in the numerator and denominator has two distinct effects on the rates. At the Canada level, marriage rates could be overestimated because the numerator includes non-residents, such as foreign tourists marrying in Canada. Conversely, marriage rates could be underestimated when Canadian residents marry in other countries. At the provincial and territorial level, both the overestimation and underestimation could be heightened because of marriages occurring in a province or territory that is not the spouses' usual place of residence. The magnitude of the over- and underestimation could vary across provinces and territories.

There are many types of marriage rates and summary nuptiality indicators, including the following:

Crude marriage rate

The number of marriages in a year per 1,000 population (all ages and marital statuses combined) as of July 1 of the same year.

Age-specific marriage rate (ASMR)

The number of persons of a specific age group who marry during the year per 1,000 unmarried persons of the same age group as of July 1 of the same year. Among persons under 20 years of age, the rate is per 1,000 unmarried persons aged 15 to 19. ASMRs can be computed for all of the unmarried population (all persons whose legal marital status is either never married, widowed or divorced) or separately by legal marital status, in which case both the numerator and denominator only include persons with a specific marital status.

Age-specific first-marriage rate (ASFMR)

The number of never-married persons of a specific age group who marry during the year per 1,000 persons of the same age group (regardless of their legal marital status) as of July 1 of the same year. Among never-married persons under 20 years of age, the rate is per 1,000 persons aged 15 to 19.

ASFMRs are sometimes referred to as "reduced first marriages" or "marriage rates of the second kind" in the demographic literature.

Total first-marriage rate (TFMR)

The total first-marriage rate (TFMR) is a summary indicator of the quantum or intensity of nuptiality in a given period. As it accounts for differences in the size and age structure of populations it is better suited to comparisons over time and across places then other summary indicators such as the number of marriages or the crude marriage rate.

The TFMR corresponds to the sum of age-specific first-marriage rates (ASFMR) observed in a given period up to a given exact age. Traditionally, the sum includes ASFMRs up to, but not including, age 50. However, ages older than 50 are sometimes used as upper limits, which is now advisable given the increase in the average age at marriage in recent decades. Two TFMRs are published in this release: the TFMR before age 50 (sum of age-specific first-marriage rates from age 15 to age 49) and the TFMR before age 80 (sum of age-specific first-marriage rates from age 15 to age 79).

In principle, the TFMR can be interpreted as the proportion of people who would marry for the first time before their 50th (or 80th) birthday in a hypothetical cohort that would experience, at each successive age from age 15, the ASFMRs calculated for a particular period. In practice, the interpretation of the TFMR is affected by the fact that it does not account for the age structure of the unmarried population. For instance, the TFMR can take a value larger than one in a period of marriage catch-up or when age at marriage is decreasing. The TFMR could also be lower than expected in a population where migration is highly positive and where immigrants are more likely to have married before their arrival than the people of the same age in the receiving population. The latter situation is true of Canada in recent years.

Probability of ever marrying in the period first-marriage table

The first-marriage table, also called the nuptiality table, is a demographic model that summarizes the nuptiality experience of a population, much like the life table summarizes its mortality experience. The first-marriage table is a thought experiment in which we ask what would happen to a cohort of never-married individuals if first marriage was the only way of leaving the never married state, that is, in the absence of mortality and migration before a first marriage. It is used to study nuptiality in a "pure" state without interference from other demographic phenomena. Such a table can be built using data observed for a specific birth cohort or period. A period first-marriage table simulates entry into first marriage in a hypothetical cohort of never-married individuals who would experience, at each successive age from age 15, the age-specific marriage rates (ASMR) observed among the never-married population in a given period and place.

The probability of ever marrying is a summary indicator of the quantum or intensity of nuptiality in the first-marriage table. It corresponds to the proportion of people, in the table's hypothetical cohort, who would marry at least once over the course of their life or before a given age. Traditionally, the upper age limit was often set at 50 years, but older ages are sometimes used and are now even advisable given the increase in the average age at marriage in recent decades. An 80-year limit is used in this release. The probability of ever marrying is the reverse of another table indicator, the probability of remaining single.

In contrast to the TFMR—to which it is closely related—the probability of ever marrying accounts for differences in the marital status composition of populations in addition to their size and age structure. It may thus provide a better summary of period nuptiality than the TFMR, at least in some circumstances.

The probability of ever marrying by age 80 in the period first-marriage table can be computed by using the following formulas:

${\mathrm{Probability\; of\; ever\; marrying}}_{80}=1-\prod _{i=15}^{79}\left(1-p_i\right)$

where $p_i$ is the probability of marrying at age $i$. For each age between 15 and 79, the probability is derived with:

$p_i=1-e^{-t_i}$

where $t_i$ is the age-specific marriage rate (ASMR) at age $i$ observed among the never-married population during a given year:

$t_i=\frac{\mathrm{Number\; of\; never\; previously\; married\; persons\; who\; marry\; at\; age} i}{\mathrm{Number\; of\; never\; married\; persons\; of\; age} i \mathrm{in\; the\; population}}$

The conversion of rates into probabilities is made under the assumption that rates are constant during the age interval.

Mean age at marriage

The mean (average) age at marriage is calculated by summing the age of spouses at marriage and then dividing the sum by the total number of spouses. Calculations are based on the exact age of spouses at marriage (e.g., 25.17 years, computed from the day-month-year dates of birth and marriage). When only age at last birthday is known (e.g., 25 years), a fraction of a year (0.5 year on average) is randomly added to age at last birthday. When the age of a person is known only to fall within an open-ended age interval (e.g., 80 years and over), the mean age observed for that age group in the preceding years when more detailed values are available (e.g., 83.53 years) is used as an approximation of their age for the calculation of the mean age at marriage. The ages at marriage that have been imputed are included in the calculations.

Median age at marriage

The median is the middle value in a set of ordered numbers (for example, age of spouses at marriage ranked from youngest to oldest). In the case of an even number of observations, the median is the mean (average) of the two middle values. See the definition of the mean age at marriage for information on the treatment of the age variable before calculations.

Population

Persons whose usual place of residence is somewhere in Canada, including Canadian government employees stationed abroad and their families, members of the Canadian Forces stationed abroad and their families, crews of Canadian merchant vessels, and non-permanent residents of Canada (i.e., claimants of the refugee status and holders of a study or work permit, as well as their families). Demographic estimates are based on census counts but are adjusted for census net undercoverage and incompletely enumerated Indian reserves. Demographic estimates also adjust for the population growth over the period from Census day to the date of the estimate.

Midyear (July 1) population estimates by legal marital status are used to calculate rates in marriage vital statistics publications. Demographic estimates are frequently revised by Statistics Canada's Centre for Demography. Estimates used are the most recently available at the time of release.

Provinces and territories

Marriages are compiled based on the place of occurrence, that is, the province or territory where the marriage was solemnized and registered. Persons who marry in a given province or territory may have their usual place of residence in another country, province or territory.

Nunavut came into being officially as a Territory of Canada on April 1, 1999. The name "Northwest Territories" applies to an area with different geographic boundaries before and after that date.

Religion

The religious denomination of the spouse, as reported on the marriage certificate.

Spouse, husband (groom) and wife (bride)

A husband (or groom at the time the marriage takes place) is a married man+. A wife (or bride at the time the marriage takes place) is a married woman+. A spouse is a married person, regardless of their gender or sex. See "Gender and sex" and "Gender composition of the couple" for more information.

Type of officiant

Refers to the designation of the individuals authorized to perform marriages, that is, clergy or non-clergy. The designation of non-clergy officiants varies among the provinces and territories and includes the designations judge, justice of the peace, marriage commissioner, clerk of the court or designated person.

Vital statistics registrars

In each province and territory, a vital statistics registrar is responsible for maintaining a record of each birth, stillbirth, death and marriage occurring within its jurisdiction and for collecting information on the event and the people involved. Statistics Canada compiles the information transmitted by the thirteen registrars either as microdata or aggregate tables and then compute and release statistics from this information.

Table of contents

• Message from the Canadian Statistics Advisory Council
• Executive summary
• Recommendations
• Trust must be at the forefront of the national statistical system
• Privacy legislation must recognize and integrate Statistics Canada's authorities
• Statistical governance and data flows must be strengthened
• Canada's future success is contingent on a strong national statistical system
• Definitions
• Endnotes

Message from the Canadian Statistics Advisory Council

A national statistical system is the cornerstone to providing Canadians with timely, regional and local data they need. Canadians need trusted and detailed data that reflect their day-to-day experiences to make personal and family decisions and run their businesses. Governments also need access to high-quality data to design and deliver effective public services.

Presently, organizations in both the public and private sectors are driving the use of digital information, as well as generating new data at unprecedented rates. There is now a proliferation of data held by governments, financial institutions, corporations, the research sector, private data analytics firms and data mining companies. Yet abundance of data does not automatically translate into ease of use and insights. Appropriate data governance and coordination are needed for developing the right information Canadians and decision makers need.

This is exactly what we tackle in this year's report. We examine the need for new types of partnerships and data coordination to support Canadians and our leaders as the country recovers from the pandemic and deals with socioeconomic and global environmental challenges.

This focus builds on our first two reports. In 2020, our report showed how the COVID-19 pandemic made evident the statistical challenges of not having timely, consistent and disaggregated data in areas such as health and on racialized Canadians and Indigenous peoples. In our second report, in 2021, we focused on principles for the development of a national statistical system to address critical data needs, including data stewardship considerations, new partnerships, and capacities for making greater use of Canada's wealth of existing and potential data resources. We believe these are essential for building the infrastructure needed for a vibrant economy and a healthy population, and for meeting the pressing problems the country faces today and in the years to come.

For Canada to succeed in an increasingly dynamic digital world, Statistics Canada's leadership role in the national statistical system is key. The agency's employees should be commended for building on opportunities presented by the rapid changes sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic. They helped accelerate Statistics Canada's modernization efforts and reinforced the agency's position as a leader of innovation both at home and internationally. They also worked to create new infrastructure for collaborating and coordinating information.

In some areas, new partnerships, innovative data sources and data sharing technologies have made a big difference to the detail and timeliness of key indicators provided by Statistics Canada. These changes include completing the transformation to a contactless census, with most Canadians now filling out their census questionnaire online. The agency also reflected changing consumer spending practices in its calculation of inflation, used satellite imagery as an innovative data source to better capture growth of crops and made Canada the first country to introduce non-binary gender on the census. The agency plays a leading and collaborative role internationally, creating and promoting cutting-edge statistical methods that recognize national interests.

Still, our work over the last three years shows that critical data gaps remain. In crucial sectors, the national statistical system is hampered by fragmentation, unused data and unmet data needs. New governance models are needed that drive innovative methods and data uses. These require broader partnerships to bring new perspectives. Furthermore, statistical legislation and policy practices must also be reviewed to re-evaluate the collection and use of critical data.

Through our work, we have observed that there are overly simplistic views on many issues that are fundamental to the statistical system. There is also a broad lack of data literacy. For example, there is no conflict between respect for the privacy of Canadians and the need for Canadians to contribute data to the national statistical system. Yet researchers and decision makers are concerned over the inability to access the data they need. Some people question why data are being collected, how they will be used and what measures exist to protect data privacy. Many feel there are inadequate legislative and regulatory measures to promote the innovative use of data and at the same time protect the privacy of their personal information and prevent the potential harmful use of individual data.

We are grateful to Statistics Canada, the Chief Statistician of Canada (who is an ex officio member of the Council) and his excellent team for responding to our requests for information with both written and oral presentations. We would like to offer our very particular thanks to Romy Ochmann St-Jean, Sam Ndayishimye, Kacie Ha and Gaëlle Miollan of the Canadian Statistics Advisory Council Secretariat for their advice and assistance. We are also grateful for the work of Gail Mc Donald, Gurmeet Ahluwalia and Dr. Michael C. Wolfson and their insights as members of the Council.

For us, the best way to provide Canadians with these data is to ensure that the national statistical system has strong statistical leadership. This should be built upon mutually beneficial collaboration and partnerships across all levels of government and sectors. There is too much at stake for Canadians and communities not to have access to the statistical information they need to make decisions for today and tomorrow.

Signed:
The Canadian Statistics Advisory Council

Dr. Howard Ramos, chairperson
Annette Hester
Dr. Céline Le Bourdais
David Chaundy
Jan Kestle

Executive summary

Information and data are the foundations of a modern and diverse digital economy. They are also the foundations of national and official statistics. High-quality statistical information is among Canada's most valuable resources. A robust national statistical system is driven by innovation that crosses all sectors and communities. Canadians require disaggregated, timely, regional and local data to make personal and family decisions and run their businesses. Governments need these data to make informed decisions in times of crisis and every day as they provide public services.

The fast pace of social and economic change is affecting the kinds of data and analyses Canadians need. There has been a dramatic shift in how Canadians collect and receive information, with a proliferation of digitized data banks, sensor data and social media. New tools are being used to produce, collect, map, process, transform and visualize information.

However, data gaps remain in key areas that touch everyone, such as the environment and health. For example, there is a need to track and better understand the more frequent and devastating environmental occurrences to inform climate change policy and adaptation. As well, a recent expert advisory report to the Public Health Agency of Canada, Toward a world-class health data system^{Footnote 1} indicated that "failure to collaborate across Canada to build a learning health system risks continued escalation of health care costs, underperformance of health services and poor health outcomes including: avoidable illness and death, low levels of innovation, perpetuation of health inequities, and ineffective responses to future public health threats."

It is in the interest of Canadians, businesses and governments to ensure a national statistical system that promotes the sharing and integration of data across jurisdictions and sectors. For Canada to succeed in a dynamic digital economy, public and private organizations must collaborate to produce coherent and trusted statistical information. The true power of data comes with shared standards and coordination. There should be greater investment by the federal government and other sectors in implementing and maintaining state-of-the-art software and communications technologies to facilitate this data sharing. This would enable timely collection of important data to build a truly national data infrastructure.

As a country, Canada also needs to move past old debates around data and privacy that dominate ongoing discussions of these issues. The interpretation of statistical legislation needs to reflect a modern economy. For example, it is important to be able to responsibly obtain data not currently available in areas that are considered critical, such as in the energy, natural resources and environmental sectors.

This shift includes moving the thinking from simply the collection of data to also discussing the access and use of data. There needs to be a more extensive and informed conversation about the responsible, innovative use of data in a digital economy and the privacy of information. This includes a balance between individual rights and collective needs.

Recommendations

Recommendation 1:
Maintain the authority and responsibilities of Statistics Canada

There is no conflict between respect for the privacy of Canadians and the need for Canadians to contribute data to the national statistical system. It is in the interest of Canadians, businesses and governments to ensure a national statistical system that protects the privacy of Canadians' data and at the same time promotes the sharing and integration of data across jurisdictions and sectors.

The Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry should ensure that the authority and responsibilities of Statistics Canada are not diminished or compromised by privacy or other legislation related to data and digital infrastructure.

Recommendation 2:
Strengthen data stewardship within the national statistical system

Statistics Canada has a critical role to play in ensuring that Canada has the data it needs to successfully tackle social, economic and environmental challenges in a digital world. There should be no ambiguity around its responsibilities in national data standards and data flows.

Recommendation 3:
Strengthen data sharing across jurisdictions

National data strategies should develop multi-jurisdictional approaches to addressing data needs in Canada, including provincial, territorial and regional data flows. When data are shared across jurisdictions, the benefits to health, social, economic and environmental outcomes increase dramatically.

Trust must be at the forefront of the national statistical system

The national statistical system is based on a foundation of trust. Canadians value the protection of the personal data they share. They also value Canadian innovation in supporting a modern digital economy.

Canadians entrust their data to Statistics Canada, which has a long-standing track record of providing high-quality and timely statistics. The agency's statistical and technical expertise in creating nationally comparable data is highly regarded within Canada and internationally. Data protection is at the forefront of every activity the agency does, from the collection of individual data to access to detailed local results.

Canadians trust Statistics Canada more than other institutions. Almost 90% of Canadians trust Statistics Canada, according to an EKOS public opinion survey conducted in 2018^{Footnote 2} This is a much higher level of trust than that in other government institutions, banks and financial institutions, private market research or polling companies, and the media. As well, 98% of Canadians complete the census every five years. Also, rather than answer detailed financial questions on the census, the majority of Canadians allow Statistics Canada to access their income tax records.

At the same time, many studies, including the 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer: Trust in Canada^{Footnote 3}Charity Report^{Footnote 4} and Proof Strategies CanTrust Index^{Footnote 5} have shown a downward trend in trust in governments, businesses and media that predates the pandemic. This trend is driven by Canadians who feel anxiety as they deal with a rapidly shifting economy and a changing society, now compounded by the effects of the pandemic.

Yet this is precisely the time when Canadians and their governments require timely, independent, high-quality statistics. It has never been more important for Statistics Canada and the national statistical system to deliver on this service. Outreach by Statistics Canada to Canadians is important as they grapple with issues such as privacy and data literacy. The new Trust Centre web portal and the agency's Necessity and Proportionality Framework are good examples of how Statistics Canada is taking action to become more transparent about how data are collected and used.

Privacy legislation must recognize and integrate Statistics Canada's authorities

Laws and governance around statistics, data infrastructure and data protection need to be clear and unambiguous. They especially need to clearly define the authorities of governments and the rights of Canadians.

For example, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Public Health Agency of Canada in 2020 began using smartphone mobility data^{Footnote 6} to help develop public policy and determine where to allocate much-needed resources. This action met the needs and expectations of Canadians who wanted more granular and timely data on the trajectory of the pandemic. Although the government used properly de-identified data to assess mobility patterns, privacy advocates argued that the current regulatory framework and federal privacy laws do not adequately address the use of data, particularly de-identified or aggregated data. Such arguments favour individual concerns over the collective needs and expectations of society. These concerns, however, can be mitigated through legislation and policy practice, as well as data literacy.

Canada and many other countries are reviewing their data protection laws, given the dramatic increase in the prevalence and use of personal information from administrative data. This review includes the consideration of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and mobile and tracking data. Internationally, there are growing concerns about the data holdings collected by multinational companies and the information they scrape from the Internet.Canada needs to amend its legislation by the end of 2022 to comply with European Union legislation that affects, among other things, global trade.

In the spring of 2022, the Canadian government introduced Bill C-27, the Digital Charter Implementation Act^{Footnote 7}. The proposed legislation will ensure the continued safety and trust of Canadians in the digital environment in terms of private sector use of personal information and use of technology. It revises the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA)^{Footnote 8}, which set the ground rules for how private sector organizations collect, use and disclose personal information. The new legislation reflects the principles of the Digital Charter^{Footnote 9} launched in 2019, a blueprint for digital transformation in Canada.

The Canadian Statistics Advisory Council supports the planned revisions to PIPEDA. The new legislation is very welcome as the federal government enables responsible data innovation in a data-driven, digital and global economy.

At the same time, the Council has concerns on what governance there will be for the interpretation and application of the legislation. Without the proper expertise and authorities, there is potential for ambiguity. Caution is needed to ensure that privacy concerns do not, through law or policy interpretation, compromise the ability of government, the private sector and the research sector to access and use critical data in responsible, innovative ways.

Statistics Canada has the legal authority to collect federal, provincial and territorial data under the Statistics Act. The act also gives the agency the authority to collect data from the private sector and individuals. Most provincial and territorial jurisdictions include provisions in their data protection laws to permit data sharing with Statistics Canada for statistical purposes. The confidentiality of this information is already protected under the Statistics Act.

It is disconcerting that excessive powers of oversight and enforcement on technical statistical matters, such as those related to the use of de-identified data, would be attributed to the Privacy Commissioner in the proposed legislation.

Technical statistical matters should be assessed and governed by statistical experts in conjunction with privacy officials. The Council continues to advocate that federal, provincial and territorial data protection laws and policies recognize the imperative of data sharing for statistical purposes. There should be no legislative ambiguities with regard to Statistics Canada's authority to obtain these data under the Statistics Act.

The Council's recommendation this year reinforces this point. Federal agencies should work with Statistics Canada to ensure revisions to privacy legislation recognize and integrate these authorities for statistical purposes. All sectors should understand that the new legislation does not impede the coordination and sharing of data with Statistics Canada. Rather, new statistical methods and technologies have opened up possibilities to continue to protect the privacy of Canadians' personal information while bringing together more granular social, economic and environmental data that are important for tackling the issues Canadians face.

Statistical governance and data flows must be strengthened

Data gaps in areas such as health, the economy and the environment touch everyone, and Canadians are continuing to pay the price for a lack of coordinated and accessible data. For example, there is a need to track and better understand the more frequent and devastating environmental events to inform climate change policy and adaptation. These include floods, forest fires and droughts affecting Canadians and the country's natural resources. There also must be a better understanding of how business data critical for economic indicators can be provided without affecting a business's competitiveness. There is a need to understand and address barriers and inequities faced by racialized groups and Indigenous peoples, across Canada and at the local level. Canadians are also adopting new social, consumer and labour practices as a result of societal changes that have been evolving over decades. Accelerated and amplified by the pandemic, many of these practices will remain in some form.

Strengthening the national statistical system requires long-term and sustained leadership and commitment from the public, private and non-governmental sectors across Canada. A truly national statistical system is one where all sectors play a role. At the same time, stronger authorities and governance are necessary to ensure the coordination of data across sectors and to promote data flows in areas where barriers have hindered progress for many years.

Central to improving data flows within the Canadian statistical system are better relationships and partnerships across jurisdictions and with Indigenous peoples, the academic sector, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector. When founded on trust, respect and meaningful engagement, these partnerships can lead to mutually beneficial opportunities, creating the data Canadians need and providing access to these data.

Movement toward a more comprehensive and inclusive national statistical system would benefit from broader consultations and engagement with stakeholders and communities. These include outreach to experts and voices that may at times be non-conventional.

Statistics Canada's legal mandate includes promoting and facilitating the interoperability of data flows so that data collected and shared from a range of public and private sources can better contribute to the national data system. While the agency's legal mandate and stewardship have served Canadians well, they need to be strengthened to deal with new and long-standing barriers to data development and data flows.

The agency should be recognized as a prime national data steward to ensure that Canada has the data it needs. There should be no ambiguity around its responsibilities and authorities. The Council's 2021 report^{Footnote 10} presented principles of data stewardship that outline the relationships Statistics Canada should have with other government jurisdictions, Indigenous organizations and the private sector. The key duties of such stewardship are around coordinating data, setting shared standards and promoting the exchange of data.

Federal statistical system

In 2019, the federal government launched the Digital Charter, a blueprint for digital transformation in Canada. This is too important to be left to informal ad hoc initiatives. In Budget 2021^{Footnote 11}, the government reinforced its commitment to a whole-of-government approach to help protect people's personal data and encourage innovation in the digital marketplace. Defining and prioritizing data needs should thus be an integral part of federal program planning. Without a holistic approach, opportunities and investments are lost. Too many government programs lack an upfront assessment of statistical measures required to successfully develop, monitor and assess the relevance and effectiveness of programs. They also often fail to consider the resources needed to fulfill such assessments. Opportunities are missed for collaborating with other programs to develop data strategies that would not only serve common needs, but result in more comprehensive and enriched data.

The stewardship role of Statistics Canada must be clearly articulated and recognized in the governance of federal program planning to ensure the right statistics are identified and developed. With federal programs representing billions of dollars in investments, there is a significant financial cost to keeping the long-standing culture of narrow and siloed departmental data governance. This situation also adds a burden for Canadians, who are unnecessarily asked to provide the same information in multiple surveys and to different parts of the federal government, not to mention other jurisdictions.

The 2021 federal budget tasked Statistics Canada with creating a Disaggregated Data Action Plan to fill data and knowledge gaps. As Statistics Canada continues to consider new approaches to enable more detailed data on diverse population groups, the Disaggregated Data Action Plan has allowed the agency to improve and expand data collection in its major surveys. For example, this has resulted in the release of labour market information for visible minority groups. As well, Statistics Canada will now be able to release timely data on business conditions in Canada for businesses that are majority-owned by women, by visible minority sub-populations, by Indigenous peoples, by persons with a disability, and by immigrants to Canada. In addition, the agency has been a leader in linking data including administrative data to make up for shortfalls in other sources of information. An integrated approach through innovation and use of multiple and modern methodologies generally means more disaggregated data can be produced.

Provincial, territorial and regional data flows

As a national data steward, Statistics Canada does not have to, and should not, collect and control all the data in the country. Most data in Canada are collected by government departments at all levels of jurisdiction and by the private sector. Collected primarily to meet the administrative and operational needs of organizations, these data can be invaluable to the national statistical system if they are collected in a coordinated manner with common data standards.

When data are shared across jurisdictions, the benefits to health, social, economic and environmental outcomes increase dramatically. For example, to meet the demands for new types of data on biodiversity, clean technology, sustainable agriculture and reduction in plastic waste, there needs to be more sharing and integration of energy and environmental data from provincial and territorial governments, environmental NGOs, academic researchers, and the private sector.

National data strategies should present multi-jurisdictional approaches to addressing data needs in Canada, including provincial, territorial and regional data flows. There should be greater investment by the federal government and other sectors in implementing and maintaining state-of-the-art software and communications technologies to enable and coordinate the timely collection of important data across jurisdictions to build a truly national data infrastructure.

Integrating data at provincial and territorial levels has added complexity when jurisdictions become siloed, and legislation and policies create barriers to data sharing. It has been next to impossible to develop national comparative data for some critical areas.

For example, health is a complex and intricate sector, with large numbers of subsectors that interconnect with many social, economic and environmental disciplines. The governance structures for health data are often fragmented, with limited authority to coordinate data nationally. There is no central governance structure in Canada to oversee pan-Canadian health statistics. The recent expert advisory report to the Public Health Agency of Canada, Toward a world-class health data system^{Footnote 12}, and this agency's Pan-Canadian Health Data Strategy^{Footnote 13} represent positive efforts to address these issues.

There is also no central governance structure in Canada to provide official statistics in other domains such as the environment, natural resources and energy. Given the relevance of environmental challenges for decades to come, data requirements and funding for these areas should be based on a holistic approach involving all levels of government and private sector companies. As Canada moves to tackle climate change and address the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, it needs to transition from collecting information on resources alone to creating new models and measures that transcend jurisdictions to look at energy, the environment, the economy and social demographic factors multidimensionally. To be effective at tackling the greatest problem that countries will face this century, coordination and partnerships will be key.

More substantive debates are required about holding provinces and territories accountable to Canadians in terms of sharing data and statistical information for the billions of dollars transferred annually to provide health services. As the Council has recommended in previous reports, there should be an obligation under the transfer agreements for provinces and territories to share individual-level data with Statistics Canada for statistical purposes.

Indigenous-led data strategies

Indigenous-led data strategies are integral to the national data system. First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities are developing distinctions-based approaches to asserting their unique jurisdiction, ownership and control over their data. Indigenous-led data development and capacity investments are essential at the community, regional and national levels to support these efforts. Statistics Canada can play an important role in enhancing opportunities for communities and organizations to contribute to nationwide data development.

Relationships with governments are important in shaping trust and building partnerships. Over the coming years, as First Nations, Inuit and Métis implement their data strategies, there are opportunities for new collaborative frameworks to foster meaningful and long-term partnerships, enable mutual learning across jurisdictions, advance innovation, and guide transformative initiatives toward a more inclusive and stronger national statistical system. Distinctions-based relationships ensure that the unique rights, interests and circumstances of First Nations , Inuit and Métis over their data are acknowledged, affirmed and acted upon.

For this approach to be successful, First Nations, Inuit and Métis must be fully part of the governance structures of the national statistical system. In particular, Indigenous peoples, through their representative data organizations, should participate at appropriate federal data committees and tables.

The First Nations Information Governance Centre^{Footnote 14} and its regional partners are playing a leadership role in developing and implementing the First Nations Governance Data Strategy^{Footnote 15}. This strategy reflects priorities for establishing a First Nations-led network of fully functioning, interconnected data and statistical service centres, or Regional Information Governance Centres. This process includes developing all the capacities needed to best meet the data and statistical needs of First Nations communities, their governments, and their political and service delivery organizations.

The communities of Inuit Nunangat^{Footnote 16} face particular opportunities and challenges in the rapidly changing Canadian Arctic. Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami^{Footnote 17} has developed the National Inuit Strategy on Research^{Footnote 18} to improve the way Inuit Nunangat research is governed, resourced, conducted and shared. ArcticNet's^{Footnote 19} Inuit-led research program involves universities, companies, governments, non-profit organizations and Indigenous organizations across Canada and worldwide to advance collective knowledge of the Arctic through research and knowledge sharing efforts.

The Métis National Council^{Footnote 20} has created web information portals and data tools to share information on Métis Nation governance in areas such as the environment, economic development and Métis healing.

Today, much Indigenous-led research and efforts to leverage their own data are hampered by how data on Indigenous peoples can be accessed and used once they are collected. The national statistical system would benefit from Statistics Canada working with Indigenous organizations, federal agencies and other jurisdictions to resolve long -standing legal and policy issues around data sovereignty.

Private sector

There is a wealth of private sector data in this country that are not integrated within the national statistical system. The need for timely sharing and integrated analysis for the public good has never been more critical. When built upon shared standards and definitions, these data can fill critical gaps and help inform some of the more complex social, economic and environmental issues Canadians face.

Many leading-edge private sector organizations are driving the use of digital information to do just that. As Canadians show an appreciation for the value of good data, there is an opportunity for increased collaboration with private sector partners. Statistics Canada has a role to play in helping coordinate data standards, promote data flows and ensure data protection.

At the forefront of this issue is building and maintaining a strong position of trust with Canadians in an environment of heightened sensitivity for the protection of personal data. The ability of Statistics Canada to partner with the private sector can be hampered by ambiguity or misperceptions of existing legislation and policy practices. There needs to be more informed public dialogue in Canada about the alignment of data in a digital economy that is key to effective decision making and the privacy of information.

Canada's future success is contingent on a strong national statistical system

The value of the wealth of data in Canada is strongly correlated with cutting -edge innovations in how they are collected and used. Increasingly, detailed microdata are required by researchers and policy makers to better understand and address multidimensional issues. Informative statistics are founded on relevant, high-quality data, accessible from both established and innovative sources. Machine sensors, mobile phone data, banking data, administrative records and the Internet are at the cutting edge of data collection. The future of statistics is tied to the use of these new forms of data and measures that reflect the needs and concerns of the 21st century.

To this end, Statistics Canada's effort to modernize with investments in data science and cloud computing has been key. Infrastructure that promotes collaboration and coordination is essential. The agency has been a leader internationally in developing satellite data to help fill the deficiencies of surveys and censuses, as well as moving to new means of accessing and sharing information. Data are more accessible compared with having to visit the older brick-and-mortar data centres. The agency is also a leader in developing statistical concepts and data standards, such as new sociodemographic measures on gender and ethnocultural diversity.

Canada's future success is contingent on a strong national statistical system. It will be important to build on the momentum of new partnerships and modernization. At the same time, statistical governance and data flows must be strengthened to overcome long-standing data gaps in the critical areas of health, the economy and the environment. The roles and responsibilities around data coordination and integration must be unambiguous.