Integrated Business Statistics Program (IBSP)

This guide is designed to provide additional information as you work through your questionnaire. If further assistance is required, please call us. A Statistics Canada employee will be happy to assist you.

Help Line: 1-800-858-7921

Table of contents

General information

What is the Annual Survey of Manufacturing Industries and why is it important?

The Annual Survey of Manufacturing Industries is conducted every year by Statistics Canada to obtain important information on the manufacturing sector (including logging operations) of the Canadian economy. Manufacturing establishments in Canada are required to provide information on such aspects of their operations as sales, costs/expenses, salaries and wages. Results from the Annual Survey of Manufacturing Industries help Statistics Canada in compiling key data on the Canadian economy, such as the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The total value of sales is used along with inventories to calculate production statistics. Total sales of individual products, and external trade data, are used to estimate the size of the Canadian market for particular goods.

The data are also published and are used by the business community, trade associations, municipal, provincial/territorial, and federal governments, international organizations and private citizens.

Businesses and governments depend on official statistics to make vital economic decisions. For example:

  • the Bank of Canada relies on the GDP to make decisions that influence interest and exchange rates, which in turn affect the costs of doing business
  • businesses and associations use the survey results to:
    • track their performance against industry averages
    • evaluate expansion plans
    • prepare business plans for investors
    • adjust inflation-indexed contracts
    • plan marketing strategies.

Why was I chosen to receive the Annual Survey of Manufacturing Industries?

For most surveys, businesses are selected through random sampling to represent other businesses of the same type in their regions, with similar revenue or number of employees. Some businesses must be included every year as they contribute substantially to their particular industry or region. Smaller businesses must also be sampled if an industry only includes a limited number of businesses in a province or territory, to provide an accurate picture of an industry.

Whenever possible, Statistics Canada does use administrative data already filed with government, such as income tax returns or customs records. However, these sources do not contain all the information required to produce a complete industry profile. This is especially true for large businesses operating in a number of different industries, and in more than one province/territory. Tax records usually provide data for the legal entity but not for the different business units (establishments) that operate in different industries and/or provinces/territories. We need data from these specific business units to produce statistics by industry and by province/territory. Note: Although Statistics Canada can obtain records from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to create statistics, CRA cannot access any individual survey records from Statistics Canada.

To protect the confidentiality of data provided by respondents, only data in aggregate form are available for use.

Your assistance in completing the enclosed survey is vital to the production of timely and accurate manufacturing statistics. If you experience difficulties in completing this survey, please do not hesitate to call us at 1-800-858-7921.

Guidelines

General remarks

This guide provides details to help you complete the survey with more exact responses in the following sections.

  • introduction
  • revenue
  • expenses
  • sales of goods manufactured
  • purchases of raw materials and components to be used in manufacturing process
  • details on business locations
  • detailed information on energy and water costs or expenses

The data requested can generally be obtained from:

  • the accounting records and financial statements (for profit centers) for your business unit
  • your production and cost reports (for cost centers)
  • your employment and payroll records
  • other sources (e.g., your plant or production manager).

Introduction

Coverage

Please report the data for your establishment (referred to as a business unit) in this questionnaire. Each of the locations included in your business unit should be pre-printed in Details on this business's locations section. If you have acquired or disposed of a location, please indicate this change in the space provided.

Note: A business unit is the smallest operating unit in your business that can report the following items:

  • the value of sales
  • the cost of materials and supplies purchased
  • the cost of energy and water utility purchased
  • the opening and closing inventories
  • the number of employees and their salaries and wages.

Generally a business unit corresponds to a plant, mill or factory. However, it may comprise more than one plant or location when your accounting records do not permit separate reporting of the items listed above. A business unit may also include ancillary or support units, such as sales offices or warehouses.

If your business has more than one business unit, a separate questionnaire should be completed for each unit. Each questionnaire should cover all the activities of the relevant business unit.

If your firm has a separate administrative unit or head office located in a municipality other than the one in which the plant is located, then you should also fill out a separate questionnaire for the Head Office Survey. The activities of ancillary or support units which serve more than one of your business units should also be reported on a head office questionnaire (even if there is no separate head office as such).

If you are in doubt about the best way to report, or you are not sure what questionnaires are being completed by other units of your firm, please call 1-800-858-7921 for assistance. Please quote the reference number on the front page of the questionnaire in all communications.

Reporting instructions

When precise figures are not available please provide your best estimates. Report all monetary values in Canadian funds, rounded to the nearest thousand dollars (e.g., $55,417.40 should be reported as 55). Percentages should be rounded (e.g., report 37.3% as 37 and 75.8% as 76).

The contact person sections (one at the beginning of the questionnaire and one at the end) ask for the name of the designated business or organization contact as well as the person who was primarily responsible for completing this questionnaire. Sometimes this is not the same person. Please answer both questions accurately.

Business or organization and contact information

This section verifies or requests basic identifying information of the business or organization such as legal name, operating name (if applicable), contact information of the designated contact person, current operational status, and main activity(ies).

1. Legal name and Operating name

Legal Name
The legal name is one recognized by law, thus it is the name liable for pursuit or for debts incurred by the business or organization. In the case of a corporation, it is the legal name as fixed by its charter or the statute by which the corporation was created.

Modifications to the legal name should only be done to correct a spelling error or typo.

To indicate a legal name of another legal entity you should instead indicate it in question 3 by selecting 'Not currently operational' and then choosing the applicable reason and providing the legal name of this other entity along with any other requested information.

Operating Name
The operating name is a name the business or organization is commonly known as if different from its legal name. The operating name is synonymous with trade name.

2. Designated contact person

Verify or provide the requested contact information of the designated business or organization contact person. The designated contact person is the person who should receive this questionnaire. The designated contact person may not always be the one who actually completes the questionnaire. If different than the designated contact person, the contact information of the person completing the questionnaire can be indicated later in the questionnaire.

3. Current operational status

Verify or provide the current operational status of the business or organization identified by the legal and operating name in question 1. If indicating the operational status of the business or organization is 'Not currently operational' then indicate an applicable reason and provide the requested information.

4. Main activity

This question verifies the business or organization's current main activity as classified by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is an industry classification system developed by the statistical agencies of Canada, Mexico and the United States. Created against the background of the North American Free Trade Agreement, it is designed to provide common definitions of the industrial structure of the three countries and a common statistical framework to facilitate the analysis of the three economies. NAICS is based on supply-side or production-oriented principles, to ensure that industrial data, classified to NAICS, are suitable for the analysis of production-related issues such as industrial performance.

The target entity for which NAICS is designed are businesses and other organizations engaged in the production of goods and services. They include farms, incorporated and unincorporated businesses and government business enterprises. They also include government institutions and agencies engaged in the production of marketed and non-marketed services, as well as organizations such as professional associations and unions and charitable or non-profit organizations and the employees of households.

The associated NAICS should reflect those activities conducted by the business or organizational unit(s) targeted by this questionnaire only, as identified in the 'Answering this questionnaire' section and which can be identified by the specified legal and operating name. The main activity is the activity which most defines the targeted business or organization's main purpose or reason for existence. For a business or organization that is for-profit, it is normally the activity that generates the majority of the revenue for the entity.

The NAICS classification contains a limited number of activity classifications; the associated classification might be applicable for this business or organization even if it is not exactly how you would describe this business or organization's main activity.

Please note that any modifications to the main activity through your response to this question might not necessarily be reflected prior to the transmitting of subsequent questionnaires and as a result they may not contain this updated information.

If the current NAICS associated with this business or organizations is not correct, please provide a brief description of the main activity and provide any additional information as requested.

Reporting period information

  • May 1, 2019 to April 30, 2020
  • June 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020
  • July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020
  • August 1, 2019 to July 31, 2020
  • September 1, 2019 to August 31, 2020
  • October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2020
  • November 1, 2019 to October 31, 2020
  • December 1, 2019 to November 30, 2020
  • January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020
  • February 1, 2020 to January 31, 2021
  • March 1, 2020 to February 28, 2021
  • April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021

Here are other examples of fiscal periods that fall within the required dates:

  • September 18, 2019 to September 15, 2020 (e.g., floating year-end)
  • June 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020 (e.g., a newly opened business)

Revenue

1. Sales of goods and services

Sales of goods and services are defined as amounts derived from the sale of goods and services (cash or credit), falling within a business's ordinary activities.

For Manufacturing and Logging Industries

Report all sales (domestic and exports) of goods and services from Canadian locations at final selling price. Sales should be reported 'Free On Board' (FOB) factory gate: net of excise and provincial or territorial sales taxes, HST/GST, trade discounts, returns and allowances, and charges for outward transportation by common or contract carriers. (Note: FOB factory gate means truck gate if manufacturer is using own truck and driver).

Sales denominated in foreign currency should be converted into Canadian dollars at the exchange rate on the day of transaction.

Note: Goods reported as sold should not be included in inventory and goods held on consignment should be reported as inventory until actually sold.

Include:

  • sales of goods manufactured from own materials whether at this business unit or at any other subcontracted manufacturing plants located within Canada
  • sales out of warehouses at locations other than your business unit if storage warehouses are owned or rented by your business unit
  • sales of logs and wood residue, regardless of the source of these materials (for logging operations only)
  • sales of goods purchased for resale, as is (purchased from another company or another business unit of your firm not covered by this questionnaire)
  • amounts received from progress billings
  • revenue from repair work (labour costs only as materials and products are owned by client)
  • charges for installation of manufactured goods where installation is part of sales
  • book value of goods sold for rental
  • transfers to other business units or a head office of your firm. Note that these should be reported at the value shown on your books of account (i.e. book transfer value).

Exclude:

  • transfers into inventory and consignment sales
  • federal, provincial and territorial sales taxes, and excise duties and taxes
  • shipping charges by common carrier or contract carriers
  • discounts and returns.

2. Rental and leasing

Rental and leasing revenue from assets owned by your business unit should be reported here. This revenue should be reported before deduction of expenses such as property taxes and repairs and maintenance excluding the goods and services tax (GST). Rental expenses should not be subtracted from rental revenues.

Include:

  • revenue from rental or leasing of manufactured products made by your business unit
  • revenue from long and short term rental or leasing of vehicles, machinery and equipment owned by your business unit (including operating leases)
  • revenue from rental or leasing of apartments, commercial buildings, land, office space, residential housing, investments in co-tenancies and co-ownerships.

Exclude:

  • finance charges from financing and sales leases
  • revenue from intellectual property (e.g., patents, trademarks, copyrights).

3. Commissions

Include commissions earned on the sale of products or services by businesses such as advertising agencies, brokers, insurance agents, lottery ticket sales, sales representatives, and travel agencies – Compensation could also be reported under this item (for example, compensation for collecting sales tax).

4. Subsidies (including grants, donations and fundraising)

Include:

  • non-repayable grants, contributions and subsidies from all levels of government
  • revenue from private sector (corporate and individual) sponsorships, donations and fundraising.

5. Royalties, rights, licensing and franchise fees

A royalty is defined as a payment received by the holder of a copyright, trademark or patent. Royalties paid by your business unit should not be subtracted from royalty revenues.

Include:

  • revenue received from the sale or use of all intellectual property rights of copyrighted materials such as musical, literary, artistic or dramatic works, sound recordings or the broadcasting of communication signals. Examples are: motion pictures, computer programs, etc
  • revenues from franchise fees
  • revenues from licensing agreements.

6. Dividends

Dividend expenses should not be subtracted from dividend revenues.

Include:

  • dividend income
  • dividends from Canadian sources
  • dividends from foreign sources
  • patronage dividends.

Exclude:

  • dividend from capital investment from affiliates

7. Interest

Interest expenses should not be subtracted from interest revenues.

Include:

  • investment revenue
  • interest from foreign sources
  • interest from Canadian bonds and debentures
  • interest from Canadian mortgage loans
  • interest from other Canadian sources.

Exclude equity income from investments in subsidiaries or affiliates.

8. Other revenue (please specify)

Include all amounts not included in questions 1 to 7 above such as:

  • revenue from warranties
  • placement fees for displaying items on websites, store windows, catalogues
  • revenue from shipping and handling charges that are not included in the price of the merchandise
  • deposit service income, credit service income and card service income
  • lodging and boarding revenue in the logging industry
  • revenue from secondary activities (e.g. cafeterias and lunch counters
  • revenue from outside installation or construction work not related to your own products.

9. Total Revenue

(sum of lines 1 to 8)

Expenses

1. Purchases

For Manufacturing and Logging Industries

Please report the laid-down cost FOB, plant gate, but excluding HST/GST, for purchases / cost of materials.

Include:

  • purchases of raw materials and components for manufacturing
  • purchases of non-returnable containers and other shipping and packaging materials (boxes, cartons, barrels, kegs, bottles, pallets)
  • purchases of goods purchased for resale in the same condition as purchased (without further manufacturing or processing)
  • shipping charges by common carrier or contract carriers
  • freight in and duty
  • fuel purchased to be used as an input into the manufacturing process as a feedstock or processing material (e.g., crude oil processed into gasoline).

Exclude:

  • federal, provincial and territorial sales taxes, and excise duties and taxes
  • change in inventories

2. Employment costs and expenses

a. salaries, wages and commissions

Please report all salaries and wages (including taxable allowances and employment commissions as defined on the T4 – Statement of Remuneration Paid) for this reporting period. Amounts reported should be gross, before any deductions at source.

Include:

  • indirect labour costs (e.g., food service staff, repair staff)
  • overtime payments
  • vacation pay
  • payments to casual labour
  • directors' pay
  • bonuses (including profit sharing)
  • commissions paid to regular employees such as your manufacturer's agents
  • taxable allowances (e.g., room and board, gifts such as air tickets for holidays)
  • retroactive wage payments
  • stock options awarded to employees (the amount for which you have entered a "code 38" on the employees' T4 and which is included in box 14 – value according to CRA rules)
  • any other allowance forming part of the employee's earnings
  • payments to individuals working on their own premises using equipment and materials provided by your business unit since such persons should be treated as employees
  • severance pay.

Exclude:

  • deferred stock options awarded to employees that meet relevant CRA rules (the amount for which you have entered a "code 53" on the employee's T4 and which is excluded from box 14)
  • amounts paid out to other business units for employment costs only
  • monies withdrawn by working owners and partners of unincorporated business units
  • director's fees or distribution of profits to shareholders of incorporated business units
  • cost/expenses for outside subcontracted employees (report the amount at question 3-Subcontracts)
  • cost/expenses for temporary workers paid through an agency, as well as charges for personnel search services (report these amounts at question 21 - All other costs and expenses)

b. employee benefits

Report expenses related to the employer portion of employee benefits.

Include:

  • payments for employee life and extended health care insurance plans (e.g., medical, dental, drug and vision care plans)
  • employer portion of Canada Pension Plan/Québec Pension Plan contributions
  • employer pension contributions
  • contributions to provincial and territorial health and education payroll taxes (applicable to your business unit)
  • workers' compensation (provincial or territorial) applicable to your business unit
  • employer portion of EI premiums
  • association dues paid by the employer
  • all other employee benefits such as childcare and supplementary unemployment benefit (SUB) plans.

Exclude employee portions of employee benefits (i.e., deductions from pay).

3. Subcontracts

Subcontract expense refers to the purchasing of services from outside of the company rather than providing them in-house. In such cases, business units provide materials to other business units or individuals for the production of outputs on a so-called "custom basis". Subcontract expense only refers to work hired out for production towards the company's outputs.

Include:

  • commissions paid to non-employees
  • any amount you pay to any other business units, firms, or individuals for work done on materials you own
  • custom work and contract work
  • subcontract and outside labour
  • hired labour.

Exclude:

  • research and development subcontracts (report these amounts at question 4 - Research and development fees)
  • salaries and wages paid to employees
  • payments to individuals working on their own premises using machinery, equipment and materials provided by your firm (such persons should be treated as employees)
  • cost of materials
  • cost/expenses for temporary workers paid through an agency, as well as charges for personnel search services (report these amounts at question 21 – All other costs and expenses)
  • repairs and maintenance services (report these amounts at question 13 - Repair and maintenance).

4. Research and development fees

Paid activities (purchased or subcontracted) conducted with the intention of making a discovery that could either lead to the development of new products or procedures, or to the improvement of existing products or procedures.

Exclude own labour costs (included at line 2. a. - Salaries, wages and commissions)

5. Professional and business fees

Please report only the total cost of purchased professional or business service fees here (a detailed breakdown may be required in a subsequent section).

Include:

  • legal services
  • accounting and auditing fees
  • education and training fees
  • appraisal fees
  • management and administration fees
  • property management fees
  • information technology (IT) consulting and service fees (purchased)
  • data processing services fees
  • architectural fees
  • engineering fees
  • scientific and technical service fees
  • other consulting fees (management, technical and scientific)
  • veterinary fees
  • fees for human health services
  • payroll preparation fees
  • all other professional and business service fees.

Exclude:

  • service fees paid to Head Office and other business units not included in this questionnaire (report these at question 21 - All other costs and expenses)
  • the cost of in-house activities undertaken by your own staff.

6. Energy and water expenses

Report the cost/expense of purchased utilities attributed to operations in the current reporting period such as water, electricity, gas and heating.

Include:

  • diesel, fuel wood, natural gas, oil and propane
  • sewage.

Exclude:

  • energy expenses covered in your rental and leasing contracts
  • telephone, Internet and other telecommunications
  • vehicle fuel (report these at question 21 - All other costs and expenses)
  • raw materials i.e. any fuel purchased as input to the manufacturing process as a feed stock or processing material (e.g. crude oil to be refined into gasoline) or for any other non-energy purpose (report these at question 1 - Purchases).

7. Office and computer related expenses

Please report all office supplies purchased and used by your business unit for both manufacturing and non-manufacturing operations.

Include:

  • office stationery and supplies, paper and other supplies for photocopiers, printers and fax machines
  • postage and courier fees (used in the day-to-day office business activity)
  • memory storage devices and computer upgrade expenses
  • data processing expense (equipment, software and software licenses).

Exclude telephone, Internet and other telecommunication expenses (report this amount at question 8 - Telephone, Internet and other telecommunication).

8. Telephone, Internet and other telecommunication

Include:

  • telephone, fax, cellular phone, or pager services for transmission of voice, data or image
  • internet access charges
  • purchased cable and satellite transmission of television, radio and music programs
  • wired telecommunication services
  • wireless telecommunication services
  • satellite telecommunication services
  • large bandwidth services to send/receive digital works
  • online access services
  • online information provision services.

9. Business taxes, licenses and permits

This item comprises the cost of various licenses and permits, and some indirect taxes (taxes levied on your business unit that are not corporate income or logging taxes, sales or excise taxes, or insurance premium taxes).

Include:

  • property taxes paid directly and land transfer taxes
  • business taxes
  • vehicle license and/or registration fees
  • beverage license fees
  • trade license fees
  • professional license fees
  • all other license fees
  • lot levies
  • building permits and development charges
  • other property/business licenses or permits not specified above.

Exclude:

  • property taxes covered in your rental and leasing expenses
  • corporate income taxes
  • stumpage fees (report these amounts at question 11 –Crown charges).

10. Royalties (other than Crown royalties), franchise fees and memberships

Include:

  • amounts paid to holders of patents, copyrights, performing rights and trademarks
  • gross overriding royalty expenses and direct royalty costs
  • resident and non-resident royalty expenses
  • membership fees
  • franchise fees.

Exclude stumpage fees (report these amounts at question 11 – Crown charges).

11. Crown charges (for logging, mining and energy industries only)

Include:

  • crown royalties, Crown leases and rentals, oil sand leases and stumpage fees
  • federal or provincial royalty, tax, lease or rental payments made in relation to the acquisition, development or ownership of Canadian resource properties.

12. Rental and leasing (land, buildings, equipment, vehicles, etc.)

Include:

  • lease/rental expenses, real estate rental expenses, condominium fees and equipment rental expenses
  • only operating leases (as opposed to leases that can be capitalized)
  • motor vehicle rental and leasing expenses (without driver)
  • furniture and fixtures
  • computer, machinery and equipment rental expenses (without operator)
  • storage expense
  • studio lighting and scaffolding; Road and construction equipment rental
  • road and construction equipment rental
  • fuel and other utility costs covered in your rental and leasing contracts.

Exclude rental and leasing of vehicles (with driver), machinery and equipment (with driver or operator) (report these costs at question 21 - All other costs and expenses).

13. Repair and maintenance

This item comprises repair and maintenance costs related to the replacement of parts or other restoration of plant and machinery to keep your properties in efficient working condition.

Include:

  • waste removal services, hazardous and non-hazardous
  • janitorial and cleaning services
  • sweeping and snow removal services
  • costs related to materials, parts and external labour associated with the following expenses: buildings and structures, machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, security equipment and other goods (except fabricated metal products or furniture repair services).

Exclude:

  • salaries (report at question 2 – Employment costs and expenses
  • property management fees (report these at question 5 – Professional and business fees)
  • repair and maintenance expenses that are included in any payment to a head office.

14. Amortization and depreciation

Report the amortization/depreciation (the systematic allocation of the cost of assets to current operations over their useful life) related only to the current reporting period.

Include:

  • direct cost depreciation of tangible assets and amortization of leasehold improvements
  • amortization of rental equipment (for operating leases: by lessor; for capital leases: by lessee)
  • amortization of intangible assets (e.g., amortization of goodwill, patents, franchises, copyrights, trademarks, deferred charges, deferred gains and losses on investments, organizational costs).

15. Insurance

Insurance recovery income should be deducted from insurance expenses.

Include:

  • accident and health insurance services
  • life insurance and individual pension services
  • asset insurance services, including property and motor vehicle
  • general liability insurance services
  • executive life insurance
  • bonding, business interruption insurance and fire insurance
  • all other insurance services not elsewhere specified.

Exclude:

  • payments on behalf of employees which are considered to be taxable benefits (report these at question 2(b) – Employee benefits)
  • premiums paid directly to your head office (report these at question 21).

16. Advertising, marketing, promotion, meals and entertainment

Include:

  • advertising planning and creating services
  • newspaper advertising and media expenses
  • catalogues, presentations and displays
  • trade fairs and exhibition organization services
  • tickets for theatre, concerts and sporting events for business promotion
  • fundraising expenses
  • meals, entertainment and hospitality purchases for clients
  • other advertising services.

17. Travel, meetings and conventions

Include:

  • travel expenses
  • rental services of passenger cars, buses and coaches with operator
  • meeting and convention expenses, seminars
  • passenger transportation (airfare, bus, train, etc.)
  • accommodations (hotel and motel lodging)
  • travel allowance and meals while travelling
  • travel agency services
  • taxi services
  • meal and beverage services for consumption on the premises
  • other travel expenses.

18. Financial services (bank charges, transaction fees, etc.)

Include:

  • explicit service charges for financial services
  • credit and debit card commissions and charges
  • collection expenses and transfer fees
  • registrar and transfer agent fees
  • security and exchange commission fees
  • other financial service fees.

Exclude interest expenses (report these at question 19 - Interest expense).

19. Interest expense

Please report the cost of servicing your company's debt such as interest and bank charges, finance charges, interest payments on capital leases, amortization of bond discounts.

Include (interest on):

  • short-term and long-term debt
  • bonds and debentures
  • mortgages.

Exclude:

  • dividends paid to term and retractable preferred shares
  • debt issue expenses, including their amortization.

20. Bad debt, loan losses, donations, political contributions and inventory writedown

Include:

  • charitable donations and political contributions
  • bad debt expense
  • loan losses
  • provisions for loan losses (minus bad debt recoveries)
  • inventory adjustments.

21. All other expenses (please specify)

Include intracompany expenses.

Include:

  • log yard expense, forestry costs, logging road costs
  • production costs
  • vehicle fuel expenses
  • pipeline operations, drilling, site restoration costs
  • gross overriding royalty
  • other producing property rental costs
  • well operating, fuel and equipment costs
  • other lease rental costs
  • other direct costs
  • equipment hire and operation costs
  • overhead expenses allocated to costs of sales
  • cash over/short (negative expense)
  • reimbursement of parent company expenses
  • warranty expenses
  • recruiting expenses
  • general and administrative expenses
  • interdivisional expenses
  • interfund transfers (minus expense recoveries)
  • exploration and development costs (include: geological prospecting, well abandonment and dry holes, exploration expenses, development expenses)
  • safety supplies
  • cafeteria supplies
  • materials, components and supplies for installation and construction that is not related to own product
  • all other supplies, material and components not elsewhere specified
  • variance
  • all other expenses not reported elsewhere.

Exclude items related to expenditures in prior periods.

22. Total expenses

(sum of lines 1 to 21)

Industry Characteristics

Sales

1. Cost Center

A cost center is a department or section of a company where managers are directly responsible for costs. For example, consider a company that has a manufacturing department, a research and development department, and a payroll department. Each department could be a cost center. Cost centers do not directly report revenues as these are reported by another part of the company such as a head office.

2. Valuation of sales

Please indicate whether you will report at final selling price or any alternate valuation.

  • if you are a single business unit firm, sales must be reported at your final selling price.
  • if you are part of a multi-business unit firm:
    a) sales to your firm's non-logging or non-manufacturing business units must be reported at your final selling price.
    b) sales to your firm's logging or manufacturing business units, sales branches, selling warehouses or head offices should be reported at the value shown on your books of account (i.e., book transfer value)

Report all sales (domestic and exports) goods and services from Canadian locations at final selling price. Sales should be reported FOB factory gate: net of excise and provincial or territorial sales taxes, HST/GST, trade discounts, returns and allowances, and charges for outward transportation by common or contract carriers. (Note: FOB factory gate means truck gate if manufacturer is using own truck and driver).

Sales denominated in foreign currency should be converted into Canadian dollars at the exchange rate on the day of transaction.

Note: Goods reported as sold should not be included in inventory and goods held on consignment should be reported as inventory until actually sold.

Please note that the questionnaires for the manufacturing industries and the logging industries are slightly different. Depending on which one you have received, the questions might be worded slightly differently and some categories of revenue might not be part of your questionnaire.

Sales for selected items

3. a. Sales of goods manufactured

Include:

  • sales of goods manufactured from own materials whether at this business unit or at any other subcontracted manufacturing plants located within Canada
  • sales out of warehouses at locations other than your business unit if storage warehouses are owned or rented by your business unit
  • amounts received from progress billings
  • charges for installation of manufactured goods where installation is part of sales
  • book value of goods sold for rental
  • transfers to other business units or a head office of your firm. Note that these should be reported at the value shown on your books of account (i.e., book transfer value).

Exclude:

  • transfers into inventory and consignment sales
  • shipping charges by common or contract carriers
  • discounts and returns
  • federal provincial and territorial sales taxes and excise duties and taxes
  • sales of goods purchased for resale, as is
  • revenue from repair work
  • revenue from manufacturing and logging service fees and/or custom work.

b. sales of goods purchased for resale, as is

Report sales of goods that have not been processed or altered in your business unit and that have been purchased and resold in the same condition.

Include sales of products transferred to you from other business units of your firm and sold in the same condition as transferred.

Exclude:

  • transfers into inventory and consignment sales
  • shipping charges by common or contract carriers
  • discounts and returns
  • federal provincial and territorial sales taxes and excise duties and taxes.

c. revenue from repair work

Repair work comprises fixing/repairing products that have already been installed or delivered to a client (or other business unit). This work could be done at the client's facilities or at your business unit (where the products were uninstalled and shipped for repair). Repair work also includes warranty repairs where your business unit charges a fee to either an external business or another business unit within your firm. In all of these cases, your business unit has only provided labour to a client but this client owns the product(s) and materials involved.

Exclude:

  • shipping charges by common or contract carriers
  • discounts
  • federal provincial and territorial sales taxes and excise duties and taxes.

d. revenue from manufacturing service fees or and/or custom work

Custom work, manufacturing service, comprise manufacturing work undertaken to the specifications of a client (or other business unit of your firm) prior to installation or initial delivery. Your business unit has only provided labour to a client but this client owns the product(s) and materials involved.

Exclude:

  • shipping charges by common or contract carriers
  • discounts
  • federal provincial and territorial sales taxes and excise duties and taxes.

f. other sales - specify:

Include sales of goods and services not specified elsewhere.

Exclude:

  • revenue from rental and leasing
  • commissions
  • revenue from royalties, franchise and licensing fees
  • revenue from interest and dividends
  • subsidies /grants.

Total sales of goods and services

(sum of lines a. to f.)

Selected expense information

Please note that the questionnaires for the manufacturing industries and the logging industries are slightly different. Depending on which one you have received, the questions might be worded slightly differently and some categories of expense might not be part of your questionnaire.

4. a. purchases of raw materials and components

Report the laid-down cost 'Free On Board' (FOB) factory gate, but excluding HST/GST for all raw materials and components purchased for your manufacturing or logging process.

Include:

  • shipping charges by common carrier or contract carriers
  • freight in and duty
  • fuel purchased to be used as an input into the manufacturing process as a feedstock or processing material (e.g., crude oil processed into gasoline).

Exclude:

  • federal provincial and territorial sales taxes and excise duties and taxes
  • purchases of goods purchased for resale in the same condition as purchased (without further manufacturing or processing)
  • purchases of non-returnable containers and other shipping and packaging materials (boxes, cartons, barrels, kegs, bottles, pallets, etc.)
  • change in inventories.

b. purchases of non-returnable containers and other shipping and packaging materials

Report the laid-down cost for all shipping and packaging materials purchased ('Free On Board' (FOB) factory gate, but excluding HST/GST).

Include:

  • boxes, cartons, barrels, kegs, bottles, pallets, etc.
  • shipping charges by common carrier or contract carriers
  • freight in and duty.

Exclude:

  • federal provincial and territorial sales taxes and excise duties and taxes.

c. purchases of goods for resale, as is

Report the laid-down cost of goods purchased for resale in the same condition as purchased ('Free On Board' (FOB) factory gate, but excluding HST/GST), i.e., without further manufacturing or processing.

Include:

  • shipping charges by common carrier or contract carriers
  • freight in and duty.

Exclude:

  • federal provincial and territorial sales taxes and excise duties and taxes
  • change in inventories.

d. vehicle fuel expense

Report any vehicle fuel expenses incurred during your manufacturing or logging process.

Include purchases of gasoline, diesel fuel, propane, natural gas and other fuel used to operate any type of vehicle at the location or otherwise, such as sales representatives' cars, delivery trucks, lift trucks, etc.

Exclude any fuel purchased for power/heat generation.

Salaries, wages and commissions

Details on salaries, wages and commissions

This section requests a breakdown of total salaries, wages and commissions for this business unit. Amounts reported for salaries and wages should be gross, before any deductions from employees for income tax and employee contributions to health, accident, pension, insurance, or other benefits, all of which should be included. Please do this calculation separately for direct and indirect labour. Do not include benefit contributions by the employer.

Details on average number of people employed

To calculate the average number employed, add the number of employees in the last pay period of each month of the reporting period and divide this sum by the number of months (usually 12). Please do this calculation separately for direct and indirect labour.

The section is designed to account for all personnel on the payroll of your business unit.

Direct labour (manufacturing or logging)

Please report gross salaries and average number of workers.

Include employees engaged in:

  • manufacturing (processing and/or assembling)
  • logging and forestry support
  • packing, handling, warehousing
  • repair and maintenance, janitorial
  • watchmen
  • foremen doing work similar to their employees
  • erection/installation by own business unit when an extension of your manufacturing operations.

Indirect labour (administrative and selling/operating)

Please report gross salaries and average number of workers. Do not include workers that are not on your payroll.

Include:

  • executives, administrators and office staff
  • sales staff
  • food service staff
  • building construction and major renovation staff (when work is chargeable to fixed asset accounts)
  • machinery and equipment repair staff (when work is chargeable to fixed asset accounts).

Opening and closing inventories

Inventories are to be reported at the value maintained in your accounting records (book value). If your accounting records do not distinguish between goods of own manufacturing or logging process and goods purchased for resale, please provide your best estimate of the distribution between the two inventory types.

Include:

  • inventory at the manufacturing plant or at any warehouse or selling outlet which is treated as part of this business unit
  • inventory in transit in Canada
  • inventory held on consignment for Canada.

Exclude:

  • goods owned and held in inventory abroad
  • any goods held on consignment from others.

a. raw materials and components

Include:

  • materials and components to be used in the manufacturing process
  • fuel purchased to be used as an input into the manufacturing process as a feedstock or processing material (e.g., crude oil processed into gasoline)
  • non-returnable containers and other shipping and packaging materials.

Exclude any raw material intended for resale in the same condition as purchased.

b. goods and work in process

Include:

  • partially completed goods
  • the value of work done on goods accounted for under progress billing for which no payment has been received.

c. finished goods manufactured

Include:

  • goods of own manufacture from your business unit
  • logs, wood residues and manufactured products.

d. goods purchased for resale, as is

Include all goods which are purchased for resale without further processing by your business unit.

Exclude components manufactured by another business unit/firm that are purchased or transferred by this business and used as inputs for the assembly and manufacturing system (report these under question 11 – Raw material and components).

e. other inventories - specify

Include all other inventory of materials used in your logging or manufacturing process but not included in the above categories.

Total inventories

(sum of lines a. to e.)

Sales of goods manufactured

This section represents a breakdown, by product for the total reported at question 3.a. Sales of goods manufactured in the Industry characteristics section. Please report the value of sales (in thousands of Canadian dollars) for each product produced by your manufacturing operations for the products listed in this section.

For each product, report sales net of:

  • shipping charges by common or contract carriers
  • discounts
  • sales allowances
  • return sales
  • sales taxes
  • excise duties and taxes.

Exclude shipping charges by contract or common carrier if possible for each product class. If your accounting records do not allow you to provide sales of your reported commodities net of shipping charges, you will be prompted to report your total shipping charges at a later time.

If you manufacture products that are not listed in this section, please enter the product description and relevant amounts at question 2 – All other products of own manufacture sold – please specify below. This question is about the different products sold by this business. For example: If, in addition to the products listed in the previous screens, this business also sold motor vehicle steering components, motor vehicle transmission components and motor vehicle brake systems, report 3 additional products.

Purchases of raw materials and components to be used in the manufacturing process

This section requests a breakdown, by product, of the total reported at 4a. 'Purchases of raw materials and components' of the Industry characteristics section. Please report the cost of raw materials for each individual product used in manufacturing operations.

In reporting the cost of the various items purchased, give the laid-down value at your business unit, (i.e., the amounts after discounts actually paid or payable).

Where quantity information is requested, please provide this information from your records or, if not recorded, provide your best estimate.

Note: If you are involved in contract logging, manufacturing services or custom work, the raw materials and components used in these processes that are owned by the business to which you are providing a service should not be reported here.

Include:

  • semi-processed goods, if you are part of a multi-business unit firm and receive semi-processed goods as transfers from the other business units of your firm for further processing. The cost of such goods should be equivalent to the transfer value reported by the shipping unit plus any transportation and handling charges paid by your business unit to common or contract carriers
  • any fuel purchased as an input into the manufacturing process, as a feedstock or processing material (e.g., crude oil processed into gasoline), or for any other non-energy purpose.

Exclude fuel used for energy purposes (e.g., for office or plant heating) – These energy items should be reported in the "Detailed information on energy and water costs or expenses" section.

If you purchased raw materials that are not displayed in this section, please enter the raw material name and relevant amounts at question 2 – All other raw materials and components purchased – please specify below. This question is about the different raw materials or components used in the manufacturing or logging process by this business. For example: If, in addition to the products listed in the previous screens, this business also used iron ore, copper ore, and fibrous glass materials, report 3 additional products.

Details on this business's locations

General guidelines

This section requests a breakdown of total operating revenues, salaries, wages and commissions for all locations included in this survey. Please report separately for each location (covered by your business unit).

The section is designed to account for all personnel on the payroll of your business unit, including those working in ancillary units which form part of your business unit. Ancillary units are those not directly engaged in the manufacturing process but that offer support activities to your business unit (e.g., warehouses, sales offices).

Please indicate if any locations are no longer part of your business unit and should be deleted from the list.

If there are any locations not listed, please provide information on these. Include any additional ancillary units, such as warehouses and sales offices, that are not directly engaged in manufacturing activities.

Operating revenues represent the revenue generated from the course of normal business operations (e.g., sales and commissions).

Labour expenses

Amounts reported for salaries and wages should be gross, before any deductions from employees for income tax and employee contributions to health, accident, pension, insurance, or other benefits, all of which should be included. Please do this calculation separately for direct and indirect labour at each location. Do not include benefit contributions by the employer.

Direct labour (manufacturing or logging)

Please report gross salaries. Include wages for employees engaged in:

  • manufacturing (processing and/or assembling)
  • logging and forestry support
  • packing, handling, warehousing
  • repair and maintenance, janitorial
  • watchmen
  • foremen doing work similar to their employees
  • erection/installation by own business unit when an extension of your manufacturing operations.

Indirect labour (administrative and selling/operating)

Please report gross salaries. Do not include workers that are not on your payroll.

Include salaries for:

  • executives, administrators and office staff
  • sales staff
  • food service staff
  • building construction and major renovation staff (when work is chargeable to fixed asset accounts)
  • machinery and equipment repair staff (when work is chargeable to fixed asset accounts).

Please indicate whether each specific location operated for the full reporting period or part of it. If a location did not operate for the full year, please provide an explanation in the space provided (e.g., seasonal operations, strike, plant closure).

Detailed information on energy and water costs or expenses

Please report information on all purchased energy, water utility expenses and electricity purchased by your business unit for energy purposes only. Answers to the detailed questions should cover amounts used by your business unit in all plant and office operations and any support units which are part of your business unit. Do not report fuel consumed as fuel purchased unless the amounts are substantially the same (or unless you can only report consumption)

Include transportation costs, duties, etc. which form part of the laid-down cost at your business unit.

Exclude any fuel purchased to be used as an input into the manufacturing process as a feedstock or processing material or for any other non-energy purposes (e.g., a raw material for products such as chemicals, synthetic rubber and a variety of plastics).

1. Electricity

Please report the delivered cost of purchased electricity.

2. Gasoline

The cost of purchased gasoline includes that used for all plant operations.

Exclude fuel for motor vehicle use

3. Light fuel oil

Please report the total value of purchased light fuel oil for this reporting period.

Include:

  • light fuel oil includes all distillate type fuels for power burners
  • fuel oil no.2 (heating oil no. 2)
  • fuel oil no.3 (heating oil no. 3)
  • furnace fuel oil
  • gas oils
  • light industrial fuel.

4. Heavy fuel oil

Please report the total value of purchased heavy fuel oil for this reporting period.

Include:

  • all grades of residual type fuels for steam or diesel engines (non-vehicle use)
  • bunker B and Bunker C
  • fuel oils no. 4, 5 and 6
  • residual fuel oil.

5. Diesel fuel

Please report the total value of purchased diesel fuel for the current reporting period

Exclude fuel for motor vehicle use.

6. Liquefied petroleum gas (e.g., propane, butane)

Please report the total value of purchased liquefied petroleum gases (LPG) for this reporting period. LPG's comprise normally gaseous paraffinic compounds extracted from refinery gases.

Exclude fuel for motor vehicle use

7. Natural gas

Please report the total value of purchased natural gas, which comprises a mix of hydrocarbon compounds and small quantities of various non-hydrocarbons existing in a gaseous phase.

Exclude fuel for motor vehicle use

8. Coal

Please report the total value of purchased coal for this reporting period.

9. Water Utilities

Please report the total value of water utility costs. Note that in some municipalities, water utilities are included in the municipal tax bill. If this case applies to you, please enter the amount if it is itemized on your tax bill.

10. Other energy and water expenses - specify:

Please report the total value of all other purchased energy types not specified elsewhere (e.g., steam, oxygen or hydrogen).

11. Total energy and water expenses

(sum of lines 1 to 10)

How can I obtain data from Statistics Canada?

Inquiry service

Ask about our most recent data by:

Data from the Annual Survey of Manufactures and Logging

Dissemination Solutions Section

Telephone: 613-951-9497
Toll Free: 1-866-873-8789
E-mail address: statcan.meddisseminationmwtd-mceddisseminationdfcgdi.statcan@statcan.gc.ca

Please remember to sign your name at the end of the questionnaire

For further information and assistance

Remember, if you are experiencing difficulty in completing the survey or if you are not sure about how to respond to a specific question, please call us at1-800-858-7921 and someone will be happy to assist you.

Please keep a copy of this questionnaire accessible in case you receive an enquiry from our staff. It could also serve as a guide to completing next year's survey, if necessary.

Intergrated Business Survey Program (IBSP)

Thank you for your cooperation.
Remember, all data provided are kept confidential.
Please retain a copy for your records.

Notification of intent to extract web data

Statistics Canada is piloting a web data extraction initiative, also known as web scraping, which uses software to search and compile publicly available data from organization websites. As a result, we may visit the website for this organization to search for, and compile, additional information. This initiative should allow us to reduce the reporting burden on organization, as well as produce additional statistical indicators to ensure that our data remain accurate and relevant.

We will do our utmost to ensure the data are collected in a manner that will not affect the functionality of the website. Any data collected will be used by Statistics Canada for statistical and research purposes only, in accordance with the agency's mandate.

For more information regarding Statistics Canada's web scraping initiative, please visit About us.

To learn more about Statistics Canada's transparency and accountability, please visit Transparency and accountability.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Statistics Canada Client Services, toll-free at 1-877-949-9492 (TTY: 1-800-363-7629) or by email at infostats@statcan.gc.ca. Additional information about this survey can be found by selecting the following link:

Consult the reporting guide at Integrated Business Statistics Program (IBSP) for further information.

Gender and sexual diversity statistical metadata standards

Opened: February 2, 2021
Closed: March 12, 2021
Results posted: August 16, 2023

Consultation objectives

In recent years, there has been an increase in public awareness and sensitivity in Canada towards the 2SLGBTQI+ population. However, existing statistical data and information on this population have remained limited.

To address these information gaps, Statistics Canada has developed statistical metadata standards to better respond to the data needs on gender and sexual diversity in Canada. Throughout this process, Statistics Canada has engaged with stakeholders and partners, including civil society organizations, as well as researchers in the field of gender and sexual diversity and gender studies.

Among engagement activities, Statistics Canada launched a public consultation in 2021 on the proposed updated gender and new sexual orientation and LGBTQ2+Footnote 1 standards, inviting members of the Canadian public and international partners to review them and provide feedback to ensure their relevance.

Consultation methodology

This consultative engagement initiative is now closed.

The public consultation on gender and sexual diversity statistical metadata standards was conducted electronically. It was publicized through public announcements that described the proposed updates to the standard for gender of person, which was first released in April, 2018. The announcements also proposed new standards for sexual orientation of person and LGBTQ2+ status of person and listed the types of inputs sought.

Announcements were disseminated through the Statistics Canada's website and social media. Moreover, stakeholders and partners, civil society organizations and researchers were invited by email to participate and to share the consultation invitation with others within their network.  

In addition to the public consultation, virtual meetings were organized in both official languages with partners and researchers to gather their feedback.

How participants got involved

Overall, Statistics Canada received 205 responses by email in both official languages from a range of individuals and organizations, including academics and research groups, civil society organizations, government departments and agencies at the federal, provincial and territorial level in Canada and overseas, academics and researchers, and the general public.

The consultation also included several follow up discussions in both official languages with academics and subject-matter experts.

Results

Statistics Canada has completed the review process for the updated gender standard and the new sexual orientation standard. The updated gender standard was released on October 1, 2021. All comments received during this consultation and other engagements activities were taken into account, and many are reflected in the updated standard.

The new sexual orientation standard was released on August 16, 2023. The public consultation was one of four phases that informed the development of the sexual orientation standard. In addition to the public consultation, Statistics Canada undertook a targeted expert consultation, focus groups, and a testing phase which consisted of one-on-one interviews.

Statistics Canada thanks members of the Canadian public and international partners for their involvement in this consultative engagement initiative.

The report is available in HTML and PDF formats: 2021 Public onsultation on Gender and Sexual Diversity Statistical Metadata Standards - What We Heard Report

Plans at a glance

As the national statistical office, Statistics Canada provides Canadians with key information on Canada's economy, society and environment. The agency's data and insights help individuals, businesses and governments make informed decisions. For example, Statistics Canada data help Canadians understand how changes in the inflation rate can affect their pocketbooks. The data also enable Canadian companies to make key business decisions. They provide government officials with vital evidence to promote economic growth, plan roads and cities, adjust pensions, and develop employment and social programs that benefit Canadians.

Over the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated Statistics Canada's mission to find innovative ways to bring new data and insights to Canadians, whenever and wherever they are needed. Never have data-driven insights been more important in enabling Canadians to see challenges and opportunities sooner, and act on them faster. Statistics Canada has leveraged its multi-year modernization effort to respond to Canadians' evolving data needs during the pandemic in agile, adaptive and innovative ways.

The agency also recognizes that the need for trusted, high-quality data—and responsible stewardship of those data—has never been greater, as people and institutions navigate a digital, data-driven world where more and more data are coming from a wider variety of sources. To that end, Statistics Canada's major focus over the coming year will be the 2021 Census of Population and Census of Agriculture. The census, conducted every five years, is the most authoritative snapshot of the people of Canada and the most important source of disaggregated data. The 2021 Census will take place during the pandemic and will therefore require adaptations to ensure it is conducted safely and provides comprehensive information on the impacts of COVID-19.

Statistics Canada's ongoing modernization efforts will be embedded within these priorities. As a result, Statistics Canada will also focus on the following actions in 2021–22.

Strengthening the statistical system

Despite the pandemic and the rapid pace of change, one thing has remained constant at Statistics Canada—to continue being an independent and trusted source of official statistics, ensuring confidentiality and trust through every stage of data dissemination.

Building an agile workforce and culture

As part of a whole-of-government initiative, and working with partners such as Shared Services Canada, Statistics Canada continues to adopt new technologies that enable its employees to work remotely, securely and safely during the pandemic. The agency is also equipping employees with the skills, technology and continuous-improvement mindset to adapt to rapidly evolving data needs. These initiatives include

  • new secure digital platforms that enable staff to collaborate virtually
  • strengthened and integrated protocols to meet the highest security requirements so that Canadians' data are strictly protected
  • training and skills upgrading for employees to encourage lifelong learning and ensure they are equipped to use next-generation data analytics tools.

Delivering user-friendly services

Statistics Canada is actively developing technology-based solutions to increase Canadians' access to timely, high-quality data in user-friendly formats, on demand. In response to the pandemic, the agency is accelerating its shift from collecting and storing fixed, static data stocks to sharing dynamic data flows.

The goal is to use data as they should be used in the digital age: as rapidly moving knowledge flows that can be turned into timely and meaningful insights on demand. These can be used by more Canadians to guide their decision-making, especially during critical situations such as the pandemic response.
The agency will continue to find fresh ways to present and share data so that they are easier for anyone to find and use, including

  • modernizing the look and feel of web and social media content
  • developing on-demand data subscription services
  • launching online data hubs organized by topic
  • adding more data visualization products that provide a user-friendly approach to understanding the data
  • striving to make communications clear and accessible to all Canadians.

Using leading-edge methods

Statistics Canada's activities have always been driven by sound data strategies. The agency will continue to explore new methods of collecting data that move beyond the survey-first approach. These include using innovative data collection approaches, such as web panels, and integrating more administrative data (existing non-survey-based information from a variety of sources) with data science approaches, while strictly preserving the confidentiality and security of those data.

Given the uncertainty created by COVID-19, the agency will continue to provide more targeted, timely and detailed data on emerging issues that affect Canada's economy and society. These will be released both during the pandemic and over the longer term as the country recovers.

In particular, Statistics Canada will continue to place an urgent priority on disaggregating more datasets, where feasible. This will better identify the economic and social inequalities experienced by vulnerable populations, such as women, Indigenous people, Canadians living with disabilities, groups designated as visible minorities and the LGBTQ+ community. To better understand the unequal impacts of the economic downturn caused by COVID-19, the agency will continue to explore how to address data gaps in several statistical programs, including its flagship Labour Force Survey.

Collaborating and engaging with more Canadians

Collaborating with public and private sector partners, Statistics Canada will continue to identify new ways to collect and share data, while maintaining the high standard of trust that Canadians have come to expect. To ensure that more data are integrated from a variety of sources and that more end users have the information they need to make evidence-based decisions, the agency has already identified more opportunities to collaborate with new and existing partners. These partnerships will continue to grow as the country moves beyond pandemic response towards recovery.

Building statistical capacity and fostering data literacy

Statistics Canada will continue to be a national data literacy leader through its data strategy signature initiatives and the newly created Office of the Chief Data Officer. The agency will maintain a proactive and coordinated approach to drive the use of data as a strategic asset throughout the Government of Canada and will provide support to other federal organizations.

Through partnerships with Indigenous people, organizations and communities, Statistics Canada will work alongside them to enhance their capacity to build and maintain their own statistical programs, grounded in their needs and based on recognition of rights, respect and collaboration.

The agency, whose expertise is recognized globally, will continue to play a leadership role on the world stage. In partnership with the United Nations, the Organisation for Economic Development and Co-operation, and other national statistical offices, Statistics Canada will continue to provide technical assistance to strengthen the capacity of developing countries so that they can build and maintain their own statistical programs.

Collaborating effectively in the international community enables Statistics Canada to lead by example and build upon its reputation; this kind of engagement promotes the development and use of strong statistics. Thoughtful and effective international partnerships also expand Canada's influence in trade, global governance and the promotion of equality.

For more information on Statistics Canada's plans, priorities and planned results, see the "Core responsibilities: planned results and resources, and key risks" section of this report.

Chief Statistician's message

Cheif Statistician Anil Arora

I am pleased to present Statistics Canada's 2021-22 Departmental Plan.

This report outlines how the agency is fulfilling its mandate over the coming year to provide Canadians with timely, high-quality data for decisions that impact all of us.

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated Statistics Canada's multi-year modernization efforts, and fundamentally transformed the way we operate. And thanks to this modernization and to our dedicated staff, we were well prepared. Almost overnight, we were able to quickly pivot operations to focus on mission-critical programs, and move some 7,500 employees to telework. Faced with an unprecedented need for data, they stepped up to the plate, enabling the agency to deliver data-driven insights to Canadians at a time when they were needed most.

At no time has the role of data – and Statistics Canada's role as a trusted data steward – been more important in helping Canadians not only survive this crisis, but also thrive once we move past it.

Our effort to modernize our operations is based on five pillars:

  • Fostering a modern and flexible workplace based on an agile workforce and culture.
  • Delivering user-centric products and services to focus resources on what clients want and need today, and to make Statistics Canada data easier for anyone to find and use.
  • Using leading-edge methods. We do this by identifying new methods of collecting data that move beyond the survey-first approach, finding new ways to integrate data from a variety of sources, and using high-throughput tools to analyze and visualize data.
  • Collaborating and engaging with partners, sharing expertise, and increasing access to data.
  • Building statistical capacity with partners and fostering data literacy among Canadians so that more end-users – whether they are businesses, governments or citizens – can make evidence-based decisions from data.

To that end, Statistics Canada will deliver results over the coming year based on the following priorities:

  • Strengthening the Statistical System. The Canadian Statistics Advisory Council (CSAC) released, in October 2020, the first annual report which provides a detailed assessment of Canada’s statistical system and advice on how it could be strengthened. Statistics Canada will work closely with partners within and outside the federal government to make tangible progress in the areas recommended in the report.
  • Launch the 2021 Census of the Population and Census of Agriculture. Every five years, the censuses provide a detailed portrait of Canadians and their communities. In 2021, census data collection will take place against the backdrop of a pandemic, which will require Statistics Canada employees to adapt to public-health measures, such as physical distancing, during the collection of census data. The data collected for this census will also capture the sheer scale of the social and economic impacts that Canadians continue to face as a result of COVID-19.
  • Enhance coverage of emerging social and economic concerns. Statistics Canada will continue to produce more data on important issues, such as housing affordability, health outcomes, household debt and Canadians' quality of life. Given the economic uncertainty created by COVID-19, we will also identify timely and accurate indicators to track the sharp changes in employment levels and business activity during an economic shock. Another urgent priority is to disaggregate datasets to better identify the economic and social impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations, such as women, Indigenous people, people living with disabilities, the LGBTQ+ community, and groups designated as visible minorities.
  • Seek out data from alternative sources. Canadians often wonder why they are asked to provide the same data multiple times to government institutions. That's why we will engage with Canadians and collaborate with both public- and private-sector partners on ways to collect, store and share administrative data – information not based on surveys that are already held by other organizations. The objective is to make Statistics Canada more responsive to the data needs of Canadians, without adding extra demands on them to provide the same information to us multiple times. This commitment is part of the Government of Canada's vision of offering services focused on the needs of end users. Better data integration from various sources means the federal government has a better sense of the needs of Canadians. Better data integration holds great potential for making Canadians' interactions with the Government of Canada easier, providing them with a more seamless experience when they seek a service or benefit. It can make government more efficient, better at coordinating public services and better equipped to make evidence-based decisions that can improve the lives of all Canadians, particularly those who may not have benefitted equally in the past. And as we seek to integrate more data to better serve Canadians, we will continue to strictly protect their privacy.
  • Build statistical capacity and foster data literacy. Through newly established partnerships with Indigenous communities, we will share our globally recognized expertise in using data for public accountability, social impact and innovation. We will also continue to collaborate with other federal departments as well as our provincial and territorial counterparts to use data as a strategic asset to better serve Canadians.
  • Modernize our operations. To better meet Canada's evolving data needs, especially during a public-health crisis, we are actively developing new technology-based solutions to provide Canadians with increased access to timely, high-quality data. We are investing in secure digital infrastructure to protect the data assets that Canadians have entrusted to us. We are also launching new on-demand digital tools and services – part of our commitment to improve our services to Canadians by identifying fresh ways to model and present data to them.

Over the past century, Statistics Canada has evolved from being the nation's collector and keeper of fixed stocks of data, to being a dynamic service provider that shares ever-moving flows of data, wherever and whenever they are needed. These data can be used by many more Canadians, who are looking for accurate, authoritative information tailored to their unique needs to make important decisions.

We will continue to strictly protect the information Canadians have entrusted to Statistics Canada and be transparent about the methods that we use to ensure that their information is both secure and kept strictly confidential. I invite Canadians to visit Statistics Canada's Trust Centre to see how we are introducing world-leading privacy-protection methods and how our dedicated employees work to bring Canadians the data and insights that they have counted on for more than 100 years.

Anil Arora
Chief Statistician of Canada

From the Minister

The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, P.C., M.P.

The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne
Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry

Statistics Canada and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) are working to position Canada as an innovation leader on the global stage by fostering a diverse, growing, competitive and sustainable economy that benefits all Canadians.

While our government's priority continues to be fighting COVID-19 and protecting Canadians' health and safety, we are committed to fostering conditions for investment, enhancing Canadian innovation, and driving growth in key sectors. Together, we will strengthen the Canadian economy and restore consumer confidence through strategic actions, including investing in training for workers, and supporting Canadian businesses as they adapt and grow in a knowledge-based economy.

Statistics Canada, as the country's national statistical office, will continue to support key government priorities by advancing efforts in the following areas; gender equality, diversity and inclusion, public health data management, energy, environment and sustainable development. The agency will work to build statistical capacity in Indigenous organizations, and meet the increasing need for data to help fuel our economy and labour market. And, thanks to the participation of thousands of Canadians, Statistics Canada will deliver the 2021 Census that provides a detailed and comprehensive statistical portrait of Canada that is vital to our country.

Statistics Canada's ambitious modernization agenda has positioned the agency to be responsive to the COVID-19 crisis. As we navigate a path to recovery, Statistics Canada will continue to deliver meaningful insights. More than ever, Canadians need timely, granular and integrated data to shed light on the impacts of the pandemic on Canadian society and our economy.

Finally, in tackling some of today's most pressing challenges, such as climate change, we will continue to invest in science and research. We will also ensure that federal research is fully available to the public; that researchers can freely share their work; and that evidence-based approaches are utilized when making decisions. In doing so, we will facilitate the kind of new discoveries made by Canada's leading researchers and academics.

Together with Canadians of all backgrounds, regions and generations, we are building a strong culture of innovation to position Canada as a leader in the global economy. For more information, it is our pleasure to present the 2021-22 Departmental Plan for Statistics Canada.

Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID)

About SLID

About SLID

Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID) data RETrievel system (SLIDRET) acts as an interface between the database and the user. SLIDRET allows users to create a dataset according to their own specifications. The custom query (.qry) files is submitted to the Real Time Remote Access (RTRA) along with the SAS program. The software is needed to access SLID and is available free of charge via the client service unit.

Note on SLIDRET:

The RTRA system only accepts cross-sectional extractions from SLIDRet. RTRA users should ensure to select CrossSection under "Type of analysis" in the SLIDRet application.

SLIDRet automatically provides the appropriate weight variable option associated with the unit of analysis in "5. Run Query". Therefore, a RTRA user does not need to specify a weight variable (eg: ILBWT26 or WTCSLD26) in "2. Variable Selection" in SLIDRet. An error will occur if a RTRA user submits a query file with more than one weight variable identified.

Submissions

Submissions

For SLID submissions, we recommend that you convert your SAS code and Query files into .zip files. RTRA allows .zip files to be submitted. This ensures that RTRA will pair the .sas and .qry files correctly. When you submit two files (.sas and .qry) instead of a .zip file, there's a chance that RTRA will not be able to pair the .sas and .qry files.

  1. Create a ZIP file with the files SLIDQRY_name.sas and SLIDQRY_some.qry in it. The ZIP file itself can be named anything.
  2. Place the ZIP files in the Inbox.
  3. RTRA will automatically extract the files in the ZIP, put them in the Inbox and prefix the files with same date and time stamp so that they can be matched. Processing then happens as usual.
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System limitations

SAS compatibility

SAS compatibility

The Real Time Remote Access (RTRA) system uses SAS version 9.4 and data requests must be submitted in the form of SAS programs in plain American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) format. Statistics Canada does not provide programming assistance, or make modifications to the programs that are submitted. If a program does not run properly, a log will be returned with an explanation of why it failed.

Constraints

Constraints

  1. System limits
    • There are no limits to the number of programs that you can submit while you hold an active RTRA subscription. However, there is a maximum of 10 successful submissions per day
    • For each successful program submission, no more than 10 Real Time Remote Access (RTRA) procedure macro calls are permitted, resulting in a maximum of 100 tabulations that can be created per day
    • When running your SAS programs, please be advised that the maximum temporary space in SAS processing is 100 GB
    • A maximum of four or five variables can be specified in the class variable list, depending on the RTRA procedure macro being called
    • Class variables cannot contain any missing values
    • Each class variable may not have more than 500 distinct values
    • All observation counts in the SAS log returned to the user are replaced with xxxxxx.
  2. SAS restrictions

Certain SAS keywords, or statements, are not allowed through RTRA. The following list is subject to review and may be modified.

  • Certain occurrences of % and &
  • Comments of the form %*...;
  • Writing permanent datasets to RTRA system disk space
  • _ERROR_
  • _N_
  • ABORT
  • CATNAME
  • DCREATE
  • DM
  • DOPEN
  • ENDRSUBMIT
  • ENDSAS
  • ERROR
  • EXECUTE
  • FDELETE
  • FILE
  • FILENAME
  • FIRST
  • FIRSTOBS
  • FOPEN
  • FTP
  • INFILE
  • LAST
  • LIBNAME
  • MAPS
  • MAPSGFK
  • MAPSSAS
  • MODULE
  • MODULEC
  • MODULEI
  • MODULEIC
  • MODULEIN
  • MODULEN
  • MOPEN
  • OBS
  • ODS
  • OPTION
  • OPTIONS
  • PATHNAME
  • PEEK
  • PEEKC
  • PEEKCLONG
  • PEEKLONG
  • POKE
  • POKELONG
  • PRINTTO
  • PTRLONGADD
  • PUT
  • PUTLOG
  • RSUBMIT
  • SASFILE
  • SASHELP
  • SASUSER
  • SIGNOFF
  • SIGNON
  • SYMGET
  • SYMPUT
  • SYMPUTX
  • SYSTASK
  • SYSTEM
Shell program: Test your code

Shell program: Test your code

To help you test your SAS code, a shell program and a SAS macro catalog are available for download.

Please open the shell program and follow the descriptions for the different sections of the program:

Section 1

  • This section shows you how to simulate the standard libname that will be created automatically by the RTRA system
  • Make sure you change the file path to point to where you have saved your test data
  • Do not use a different libname - it must be RTRAData.

Section 2

  • This section can be discarded for testing if you have created your own set of test data
  • Survey dummy datasets are available for use in this section.

Section 3

  • This section shows you how to point to the RTRA procedure macro to create your table.
  • Change the name of the downloaded SAS macro catalog to "sasmacr"
  • Make sure you change the file path to point to where you have saved the SAS catalog provided (sasmacr.sas7bcat).

Section 4

  • This section shows you how to include your program and to run it
  • Make sure you change the file path to point to where you have saved your program.
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Electronic File Transfer Service

The following are the steps to send and receive files through the Electronic File Transfer (EFT) service. Follow the link to access the Electronic File Transfer Service welcome page.

Step 1

Step 1

A user account is required to access the EFT website. Enter your username and password into the appropriate fields.

After your first login, the password will expire and you will be required to enter a new one. Do not reveal your username and password to anyone – you will be held responsible for all activities related to your account.

Step 2

Step 2

Select a safe from the list of "Safe names". Select either to send "Files to Statcan" or receive "Files from Statcan".

Step 3

Step 3

If you selected to send the file "To Statcan", the "Upload" option will display. By clicking "Upload file" you will be prompted to browse your computer to select the SAS program you want Statcan to run for you.

Note: Your SAS file name must not exceed 70 characters in length.

Step 4

Step 4

Once you have selected your SAS file, it will automatically be sent to the RTRA system. If your SAS file has disappeared from the folder, it has successfully been uploaded to Statcan.

Step 5

Step 5

You can continue to upload other SAS files by using the "Upload " button or you may end this session and click the "Sign out" button in the top right hand corner of the page, under the drop-down menu.

Step 6

Step 6

E–mail notification

You will receive an email from Statistics Canada with the subject line "EFT – TEF Notification" that will include instructions on how to download your output files.

Step 7

Step 7

To download your output files, you must first login to the EFT system. If you have not already done so, please repeat Step 1 before continuing to Step 8.

Step 8

Step 8

Select your files by clicking the "From Statcan" hyperlink to view your output files. The number in front of your file name is a unique identifier for StatCan's use.

Note: You have 7 days to download your files from when you receive the email notification before they are deleted.

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SAS Programming Tips

Alternative to the disallowed word PUT

Alternative to the disallowed word PUT

The word PUT is not allowed in Real Time Remote Access (RTRA) because the PUT statement allows a user to write values from the microdata to the SAS  log. However, users may want to use the PUT function to create character values by applying a format (typically used to convert numeric values to character). Since the word PUT is disallowed, users can instead use the PUTC or PUTN functions which are similar to the PUT function. PUTC creates a character value by applying a character format. PUTN creates a character value by applying a numeric format.

Note: Unlike the PUT function, for the PUTC and PUTN functions the format to apply (the second argument) must be in quotation marks. For example:

AgeChar = PUTN(Age, "3.");

Converting character values to numeric

Converting character values to numeric

In some cases, a user may want to convert character microdata values to numeric. For example, the LFS microdata variable SP_WEARN is a character variable. Because of this, SP_WEARN cannot be used as an RTRA statistical analysis variable (in RTRAMean for example). It must be converted to numeric first. This conversion can be done using the INPUT function.

In the data step example below, a new numeric variable SP_WEARN_NUM is created by applying the INPUT function to SP_WEARN. It is assumed that the values in SP_WEARN include two implicit decimal places.

data work.LFS;

   set RTRAData.LFS200005;

   length SP_WEARN_NUM 8;

   SP_WEARN_NUM = INPUT(SP_WEARN,7.2);

run;

The new variable SP_WEARN_NUM can then be used as an analysis variable in the RTRA procedures.

Applying the KEEP option to the RTRAData data set

Applying the KEEP option to the RTRAData data set

Applying the KEEP option to the RTRAData data set can make the data step more efficient.  SAS will only retrieve the variables listed in the KEEP option. It is useful when only a small number of variables are needed. Note that if KEEP is specified, the variable named ID must be included in the list of variables.

For example:

data work.CSDDis;

   set RTRAData.csd2012_disab(keep=DDIS_FL REF_AGE SEX DCLASS DLFS ID);

run;

Note: While KEEP can make the data step more efficient when only a small number of variables are needed, KEEP is not a requirement. If there is a large number of variables to keep, it is easier to omit the KEEP option. SAS will automatically keep all variables (including the variable ID).

Defining new variables with a LENGTH statement

Defining new variables with a LENGTH statement

The example below shows how the values of a new character variable can be inadvertently truncated when the variable is not defined with a LENGTH statement.

data work.CSDDis;

    set RTRAData.csd2012_disab;

    if (REF_AGE < 10) then AgeGroup = "Under10";

    else if (10 <= REF_AGE <= 30) then AgeGroup = "Between10and30";

    else if (31 <= REF_AGE <= 90) then AgeGroup = "Between31and90";

    else if (REF_AGE > 90) then AgeGroup = "OlderThan90";

   else AgeGroup = "AgeUnknown";

run;

Since the new variable AgeGroup is not defined with a LENGTH statement, SAS uses the first occurrence of AgeGroup in the data step to determine the character length to assign the variable. The first occurrence is where AgeGroup is assigned the value "Under10". Therefore, SAS assigns a length of 7 to the variable AgeGroup. The problem with this is that the length of 7 is not sufficient to accommodate character values assigned to AgeGroup later in the data step, such as "Between10and30".

Here are the values of AgeGroup in the output data step for the different age groups. Notice the truncation that has occurred:

Defining new variables with a length statement
REF_AGE AgeGroup [char(7)]
< 10 Under10
10 - 30 Between
31 - 90 Between
> 90 OlderTh
Any other value AgeUnkn

If AgeGroup is a class variable, the values in the tabulated results will be truncated as shown above. Even worse, all REF_AGE values from 10 - 90 will end up in the same category – Between.

To avoid this problem, use a LENGTH statement to assign a sufficient length to AgeGroup before assigning it a value:

data work.CSDDis;

   set RTRAData.csd2012_disab;

   length AgeGroup $ 15;

   if (REF_AGE < 10) then AgeGroup = "Under10";

   else if (10 <= REF_AGE <= 30) then AgeGroup = "Between10and30";

   else if (31 <= REF_AGE <= 90) then AgeGroup = "Between31and90";

   else if (REF_AGE > 90) then AgeGroup = "OlderThan90";

   else AgeGroup = "AgeUnknown";

run;

Defining new variables with a length statement
REF_AGE AgeGroup [char(15)]
< 10 Under10
10 - 30 Between10and30
31 - 90 Between31and90
> 90 OlderThan90
Any other value AgeUnknown
Missing ELSE statement when defining a derived variable

Missing ELSE statement when defining a derived variable

When defining a derived variable in a data step, IF/ELSE statements are usually used.

For example:

data work.CSDDis;

   set RTRAData.csd2012_disab;

   length AgeGroup $ 15;

   if (0 <= REF_AGE < 10) then AgeGroup = "Under10";

   else if (10 <= REF_AGE <= 30)  then AgeGroup = "Between10and30";

   else if (31 <= REF_AGE <= 90)  then AgeGroup = "Between31and90";

   else if (91 <= REF_AGE <=120) then AgeGroup = "Between91and120";

run;

The potential problem with this code is that it ignores any special values of REF_AGE that may exist in the data. For example, the data set csd2012_disab may contain missing REF_AGE values (.) or a value such as 999 may represent "Not Stated". For observations where REF_AGE is not 0-120, AgeGroup will be set to blank. If AgeGroup is used as a class variable in RTRA, RTRA will generate an error message since a class variable cannot have any missing values.

To prevent this problem, an additional ELSE statement should be used as a "catch all". This ensures that AgeGroup will be non-blank in all observations in the output data set.

data work.CSDDis;

   set RTRAData.csd2012_disab;

   length AgeGroup $ 15;

   if (0 <= REF_AGE < 10) then AgeGroup = "Under10";

   else if (10 <= REF_AGE <= 30)  then AgeGroup = "Between10and30";

   else if (31 <= REF_AGE <= 90)  then AgeGroup = "Between31and90";

   else if (91 <= REF_AGE <=120) then AgeGroup = "Between91and120";

   else AgeGroup = "Other";

run;

In the example shown above, for all observations where REF_AGE is not 0-120, AgeGroup will be assigned a value of "Other".

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