This table contains a concordance between Retail Services Price Index (RSPI) CANSIM vectors in the 2008 and 2013 baskets. Given that the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) utilized in the two baskets is different, an indicator was assigned to each matched vectors to indicate their level of comparability.

Comparability between 2008=100 basket and 2013=100 basket vectors is defined as the extent to which matched vector compare to each other in terms of industry basket weight (gross margins).

For example, the weight of the Motor vehicle and parts dealers sub-sector in the 2008 basket (CANSIM table 332-007, vector v61986319) is the same as that of the corresponding industry in the 2013 basket (CANSIM table 332-0025, vector v107645804). Consequently, the matched vectors are fully comparable.

In contrast, the weight of the electronics and appliance stores sub-sector (vector v61986317, CANSIM table 332-0007) in the 2008 basket is 90 - 95% of the corresponding industry weight in the 2013 basket. The lack of full comparability between this industry’s matched vectors is due to changes in industry classification in the 2013 basket.

For more information on retail trade industry classification changes, please consult: Concordance: North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Canada 2012 to North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Canada 2007.

Concordance between RSPI’s monthly CANSIM tables

Concordance between RSPI’s quarterly CANSIM tables

Census of Agriculture data at work
Data products
Custom data products and services
Pricing
Service centres

Census of Agriculture data at work

The Census of Agriculture is the cornerstone of Canada's agriculture statistics program. Governments use Census of Agriculture data to develop, operate and evaluate agricultural policies and programs. Statistics Canada uses the data as benchmarks for estimating crops, livestock and farm finances between census years.

Users in the private sector see the Census of Agriculture as an important window on the agricultural industry. Agribusiness evaluates market potential, and makes production and investment decisions based on census data; farm boards and organizations use Census of Agriculture data as a foundation for their discussions with governments and trade organizations. Governments and farm organizations use census data to evaluate the impact of natural disasters on agriculture (such as fires, floods, droughts and storms) and react quickly. Academics base much of their economic analysis of agriculture on data from the Census of Agriculture.

The Census of Agriculture serves all of these needs by offering a variety of products and services.

Data products

Basic counts and totals for all 2016 farm and farm operator variables will become available online as of May 10, 2017. These data are tabulated at the national and provincial levels, as well as at all three subprovincial levels (census agricultural region, census division and census consolidated subdivision).

A series of analytical articles will appear for several weeks following the release in May providing an informative and unbiased look at the state of agriculture in the country.

In the fall of 2017, the selected historical farm and farm operator data will become available.

Custom data products and services

The Data and Subject Matter Consulting Unit of the Census of Agriculture can tailor products and tabulations to meet the special data requirements of clients. Custom tabulations allow the user to create unique tables from the 2016 Census of Agriculture and agriculture-population linkage databases (from 1971 to 2011 except for the 1976 Census), as well as selected historical data (every census year available since 1921).

Subject to confidentiality restrictions, custom tabulations can be produced for Census of Agriculture standard geographic areas, as well as user-defined areas.

Pricing

The data products mentioned previously are all available on Statistics Canada's website for free on their respective day of release. Pricing for custom data products and services are based on the consulting time that is required for developing the product, the number of geographic areas and variables requested, and the data processing requirements for the custom product.

Service centres

To obtain more information on the data, products and services available from the Census of Agriculture, please Contact us at Statistics Canada.

Introduction
User consultation
Evaluating the suggestions
Questionnaire content and development
New on the questionnaire
Getting and returning your questionnaire
Data collection begins in May
Options for completing the Census of Agriculture
The Census Help Line
The Census of Agriculture and the Internet
Internet security—completing the questionnaire online
Census follow-up
Large farms
Census Communications Program

Head office processing

Data capture
Edit, follow-up and imputation
Data validation
Data security
Data quality
Data dissemination
Census of Agriculture marketing

Introduction

As previously stated, the censuses of agriculture and population are conducted at the same time every five years. However, once the data are collected, most processing activities are quite separate.

User consultation

Planning for the next census begins even before the current census cycle is finished. A series of workshops were held across Canada in 2012 with users and stakeholders such as federal departments and provincial ministries, agricultural associations, academics and agriculture service providers. Users subsequently submitted recommendations for the types of questions they would like to see on the 2016 Census of Agriculture questionnaire. The recommendations received through these submissions were used to develop the content and design of the census questionnaire.

Evaluating the suggestions

Before going any further, the submitted recommendations had to meet certain criteria before being judged suitable for inclusion in the Census of Agriculture:

• Is this topic of national interest?
• Are data worthwhile at more detailed geographic levels than provincial or national?
• Will farmers easily understand the question?
• Can the question be answered—that is, do the farm operators have the information to answer the question?
• Will farm operators be willing to answer it?
• Will there be a broad demand for the data generated by the question?
• Can the question be answered by either 'Yes,' 'No,' or a quantitative response?

Questionnaire content and development

Although the questionnaire is updated every census to reflect users' changing requirements as identified through the submission process, certain questions appear on every census. These questions—such as those on farm operators, land area, livestock numbers and crop areas—are considered essential by Statistics Canada and other major users of Census of Agriculture data. Repeating basic questions allows the census to measure change over time, while adding new questions and dropping others allows data to be collected that reflect new technologies and structural changes in the agriculture industry. Four new topics, notably the adoption of technologies, direct marketing, succession planning and renewable energy systems were added to the 2016 questionnaire. These topics reflect changes in the industry and strong user demand for this new information. Also, to reduce respondent burden the detailed questions related to farm operating expenses have been replaced with one question asking for total farm operating expenses.

New or changed questions were developed in head office in consultation with industry experts. They were tested a number of times with farm operators across Canada through one-on-one interviews on their farms and in focus groups. Farm operators selected for testing reflected regional diversity—in types of agriculture, production techniques, farm size, language and age. This testing proved that some questions would not perform well on the census, and that the wording of other questions would require fine-tuning. Respondent burden, content-testing results, user priorities and budgets were all taken into consideration in determining the final content of the 2016 Census of Agriculture questionnaire. It was approved by Cabinet in the spring of 2015.

New on the questionnaire

The 2016 Census of Agriculture questionnaire contains questions asked in 2011 as well as new ones. Some questions remain unchanged to maintain consistency and comparability of data over time. Other questions have been added or deleted to reflect changes in the agriculture industry. For example:

• Technology: A new step (section) was added to request the different technologies used on the farm.
• Direct Marketing: A new step was added to collect information on direct marketing practices farms may have.
• Succession Planning: A new step (section) was added on whether the farm has a formal, written succession plan, and if so, who the successor would be in that plan.
• On-farm practices and land features: Several response categories were eliminated to reduce burden on respondents and to simplify the questions on manure, irrigation and land practices
• Land inputs: A new response category was added: Trace minerals and nutrients (copper, manganese, etc.)
• Organic: This category was simplified to reduce burden on respondents and to allow for emerging issues, such as succession planning, to be added to the questionnaire.
• Renewable energy producing systems: A new step was added to collect information on which renewable energy producing systems, if any, are being used on farms.
• Farm operating expenses: Only the total farm operating expenses is requested in 2016. All the detailed expenses have been removed from the questionnaire.

Getting and returning your questionnaire

On May 2, all known farm operations in Canada received an invitation letter to fill out their 2016 Census of Agriculture questionnaire on the internet using a Secure Access Code provided in the letter. If a paper questionnaire was preferred, the respondent could call the Census of Agriculture helpline to obtain the paper questionnaire by mail. Farm operators either completed and submitted an electronic form on the internet or mailed back the paper form directly to Statistics Canada in the National Capital Region.

Data collection begins in May

Conducting the Census of Agriculture jointly with the Census of Population in mid-May helps streamline collection procedures and saves millions of dollars.

In 2016, Canada Post delivered an invitation letter to fill out a Census of Agriculture questionnaire on the internet to addresses where it is believed a farm operator lives. The addresses are determined from Statistics Canada’s Business Register, populated from the previous census and other agriculture surveys. Census of Population invitation letters and questionnaires were delivered by Canada Post as well, but may have been delivered by an enumerator in rural areas.

On the Census of Population questionnaire respondents are asked if there is a farm operator living in the household. This question triggers a follow-up from Head Office to help ensure that new farms are identified and counted.

Options for completing the Census of Agriculture

Respondents were able to complete their questionnaires via the internet, on paper, or by telephone. Telephone follow-up will be conducted with those respondents who received invitation letters or questionnaires but did not return them.

The Census Help Line

The 2016 Census Help Line provided a toll-free telephone service that respondents could call during the collection period to obtain assistance in completing the questionnaire.

The Census of Agriculture and the Internet

In 2016, the option of completing the Census of Population or Census of Agriculture questionnaires over the Internet was offered once again. Both questionnaires used a single portal, or entry point. Instructions for accessing the website address and the Internet forms were included in the invitation letters delivered to respondents, as was the unique secure access code that respondents could use to access the electronic questionnaire. This authenticated users and confirmed that a letter has been received from that household. The Internet version also included navigational aids, drop-down menus, help pages and online edits.

Internet security—completing the questionnaire online

Statistics Canada always takes the protection of confidential information provided online very seriously. A secure login process and strong encryption are key elements in helping to prevent anyone from accessing or tampering with census information when the questionnaire is completed and transmitted by Internet.

Census follow-up

Once the data are collected and captured, Statistics Canada employees edit or check them for completeness. Any questionnaire with missing or incomplete data required followed up by telephone. Questionnaires not returned within a certain period of time, also required telephone follow-up.

Large farms

A special data collection process was developed to handle the increasingly complex structure of large integrated agricultural operations. Each operation's business structure was profiled to determine which of its components were to be enumerated and how many questionnaires needed to be completed. The required number of questionnaires was sent to a contact within the operation. Once completed, they were mailed back to head office, where they were edited before being incorporated into the regular census processing flow.

Census Communications Program

In the months leading up to the census, the Census Communications Program promoted both the Census of Agriculture and the Census of Population. The campaign informed respondents about Census Day, and reminded them of the importance of completing the questionnaire promptly. A variety of separate promotional materials were developed for the Census of Agriculture and distributed to various agricultural organizations, producer groups and the farm media. They were also distributed at a number of farm shows and agricultural conferences, and displayed by businesses in rural areas. The program also solicited third-party support from government and agricultural organizations and corporations. In addition, a series of advertisements ran in the major agricultural trade magazines and newspapers and were aired on farm radio stations during the few weeks leading up to May 10.

Head office processing

Data capture

The Census of Agriculture and Census of Population questionnaires, whether completed and submitted on the internet or on paper go their separate ways once they arrive at the Data Operations Centre in the National Capital Region. There, the paper questionnaires are sorted, electronically scanned and the data automatically captured using Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR) software, a technology that reads data from images. Any responses not recognized by the ICR process are sent to a Statistics Canada employee who views the questionnaire image and enters the correct data into the system.

Edit, follow-up and imputation

Once the data have been captured, they are loaded to an automated processing system that takes them through detailed edit, follow-up and imputation processes. The data are first subjected to many rigorous quality control and processing edits to identify and resolve problems related to inaccurate, missing or inconsistent data. A Statistics Canada employee followed up with these problematic records that could not be resolved in editing to clarify the missing or incomplete data. Finally, those situations that cannot be resolved through either edit or follow-up are handled by an imputation procedure that replaces each missing or inconsistent response either with a value consistent with the other data on the questionnaire or with a response obtained from a similar agricultural operation.

Data validation

Data validation follows the edit, follow-up and imputation processes. At this stage, Statistics Canada analysts review the aggregate data at various geographic levels and examine the individual values, large and small, reported for each variable. The data are compared with previous census results, current agricultural surveys and administrative sources. Errors remaining due to coverage, misreporting, data capture or other reasons are identified and corrected. Where necessary, respondents are contacted to verify their responses. Near the end of the validation process, certification reports containing results of the analysis and recommendations for publication are prepared and presented to a review committee.

Data security

The security of personal information is of paramount importance to Statistics Canada. Census data are stored on Statistics Canada systems that are isolated from any other network. External devices, such as telephone dial-in services that connect to Statistics Canada's confidential data storage systems, are not permitted, making it impossible to break into Statistics Canada's databases.

In addition, Statistics Canada's premises have controlled access so that only persons with the appropriate security clearance who have taken the oath of secrecy can enter facilities housing confidential data. Anyone from outside Statistics Canada needing entrance to these premises is escorted by a Statistics Canada employee at all times. Only Statistics Canada employees who need to see Census of Agriculture questionnaires and data as part of their regular work duties are able to access personal information.

Data quality

Quality assurance procedures to ensure complete and accurate information from every agricultural operation in Canada are reviewed and improved for each census.

In 2016, Canada Post delivered a Census of Agriculture invitation letter to addresses where it was believed a farm operator lived. The addresses are determined from the previous census and other agriculture surveys. Census of Population letters and questionnaires were delivered by Canada Post, or dropped off by an enumerator in list/leave areas, or completed by an enumerator in canvasser areas.

To ensure all farm operations were identified, the Census of Population questionnaire asked if there was a farm operator living in the household. This question triggered a follow-up from head office to help ensure that new farms were identified and enumerated for the Census of Agriculture.

Respondents will be able to complete their questionnaires via the Internet, on paper, or by telephone. Telephone follow-up will be conducted with those respondents who received letters and/or questionnaires but did not return them.

In addition, the data processing sequence includes several safeguards that can find 'missing' farms that were counted in 2011 but did not return a questionnaire in 2016 or, conversely, farms that did not exist in 2011 but have been identified on subsequent agriculture surveys since then.

Finally, the Coverage Evaluation Survey gave an estimated undercoverage rate for the 2011 Census of Agriculture of 1.8%.

Data dissemination

Once data are collected, processed, verified and certified, they are ready for public use. Census of Agriculture data are available at low levels of geography and are presented in various standard formats and through custom data tabulations. All published data are subjected to confidentiality restrictions to ensure that no respondent can be identified.

Census of Agriculture marketing

This is the last stage in the census cycle. Once all the data have been collected, processed and produced, users and respondents must be made aware of what products and services are available. The Census of Agriculture staff at head office and Advisory Services staff in the regional reference centres complete most of the promotion. A variety of activities—including mail-outs, media releases, feature articles, client visits and displays—make both the public and private sectors aware of 2016 Census of Agriculture products and services. The marketing, dissemination and communications divisions of Statistics Canada provide technical support.

Introduction
A brief history
Questionnaire respondents
Timing of the Census of Agriculture
Types of data collected
Agriculture-population linkage database

Introduction

A picture of Canada would be incomplete without important and current information about agriculture, which plays an important role in the Canadian economy.

The Census of Agriculture provides comprehensive information on topics such as crop area, number of livestock, weeks of farm labour, number and value of farm machinery, farm expenses and receipts, and land management practices. The most recent was conducted in conjunction with the Census of Population on May 10, 2016. Although the two censuses are very different, conducting them at the same time has several benefits. This chapter describes the Census of Agriculture and how it is conducted.

A brief history

The Constitution Act of 1867 (formerly the British North America Act) determined that a census would be taken every 10 years starting in 1871. However, rapid expansion in Western Canada at the turn of the century made a more frequent census necessary. Starting in 1896, a separate Census of Agriculture was taken every five years in Manitoba, and, beginning in 1906, in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

By 1956, rapid economic growth and development created the need for national demographic and agricultural information at more frequent intervals. In 1956, the five-year Census of Agriculture was extended to the entire country, and the Census of Population became a regular enumeration every five years. That year, the two started a long tradition of being conducted concurrently.

Although the Census of Agriculture and the Census of Population are conducted at the same time, they do have separate questionnaires. Most of the development, testing, processing, data validation and preparation for data dissemination for the Census of Agriculture and the Census of Population are handled by different groups within Statistics Canada. However, sharing the data collection and communications activities for both censuses streamlines procedures and reduces costs considerably. Another important benefit is that information from the two questionnaires can be linked to create the agriculture-population linkage database. This unique database provides users with information pertaining to the social characteristics of the farm population.

Questionnaire respondents

Anyone who operates a farm, ranch or other agricultural operation that produces at least one of the products intended for sale (listed in Figure 1), is required to complete the Census of Agriculture questionnaire.

Figure 1
Products intended for sale from an agricultural operation

Products intended for sale from an agricultural operation

Crops	Livestock	Poultry	Animal products	Other agricultural products
hay field crops tree fruits or nuts berries or grapes vegetables seed	cattle pigs sheep horses game animals other livestock	hens chickens turkeys chicks game birds other poultry	milk or cream eggs wool furs meat	sod, greenhouse or nursery products Christmas trees mushrooms honey or bees maple syrup products

Operators are defined as those responsible for the management and/or financial decisions made in the production of agricultural commodities. All operations, regardless of size, must submit a completed Census of Agriculture questionnaire. As a group, even very small operations contribute significantly to the agricultural community and economy. Since 1991, the Census of Agriculture questionnaire has expanded to include multiple operators reporting for one farm.

Timing of the Census of Agriculture

As in previous censuses, the 2016 Census of Agriculture data collection activities were conducted jointly with the Census of Population in early May.

Statistics Canada recognizes that for farmers this is one of the busiest times of the year. However, collecting the data at the same time as the Census of Population and combining public awareness campaigns—even though the two censuses are very different—streamlines procedures, ensures accurate coverage and saves millions of dollars.

In 2016 the censuses of population and agriculture used a method called 'the Wave' to deliver invitation letters, reminder cards and questionnaires at specific times throughout the collection period, to remind Canadians to fill out their questionnaires.

On May 2, (Wave 1) all known farm operations in Canada received an invitation letter to fill out their 2016 Census of Agriculture questionnaire on the internet using a Secure Access Code provided in the letter. If a paper questionnaire was preferred, the respondent could call the Census of Agriculture helpline to obtain the paper questionnaire by mail. Farm operators either completed and submitted an electronic form on the internet or mailed back the paper form directly to Statistics Canada in the National Capital Region.

Wave 2 has no specific Census of Agriculture activities. However, Census of Agriculture respondents receiving a Census of Population reminder card, might prompt a Census of Agriculture response.

Farm operations from Wave 1 that still had not responded received a Census of Agriculture questionnaire package in the mail as part of Wave 3.

Types of data collected

The 2016 Census of Agriculture questionnaire had a total of 183 questions on 16 pages. Respondents were only required to complete questions that applied to their agricultural operations; an average respondent answered about 20% of the questions. A series of 'skip' questions also helped the respondents move quickly through the questionnaire. The following is a list of the types of data collected:

• CRA business number
• type of operating arrangements
• farm operator information
• main farm location
• size (area) of operation
• land use and land tenure
• area and type of field crops
• area and type of fruits, berries and nuts
• area and type of vegetables
• area of nursery products and sod
• area of Christmas trees
• area and type of greenhouse products
• area of mushrooms
• number of maple taps
• number of bee colonies and other pollinating bees
• land management practices
• chicken and turkey production and inventory
• eggs produced
• number of birds hatched in commercial poultry hatcheries
• number and type of livestock
• market value of land and buildings
• number and market value of farm machinery by type
• total gross farm receipts
• total farm business operating expenses
• value of forest products
• total number of employees and number of employees paid on a full, part-time or seasonal basis
• organic production
• direct marketing
• succession planning
• renewable energy producing systems.

Agriculture-population linkage database

An important benefit of conducting the Census of Agriculture with the Census of Population is that the two can be matched or linked by computer. Since all farm operators also complete a Census of Population questionnaire, linking information from the two questionnaires provides a social profile of the farm population that includes information such as marital status, the language of farm operators and the size of farm families.

Archived Taking an agriculture census Archived
Archived The Census of Agriculture cycle Archived
Archived Census of Agriculture products and services Archived

Repurposing data supports the growing need for information

Every day, government and private-sector organizations collect data for their various needs. All levels of government are increasingly interested in maximizing the potential of administrative data to build a comprehensive and coherent statistical picture of the economy, society and the environment.

Statistics Canada is responsible for providing Canadians with reliable and comprehensive data and for giving governments, businesses, unions and not-for-profit organizations the information they need to maintain an open and democratic society.

For close to 100 years, Statistics Canada has repurposed data collected by other organizations to enhance the decision-making capability of governments and communities. These data support the creation of statistical outputs which bring evidence to policy and decision making, and save money and time.

What are the benefits of giving Statistics Canada access to your administrative data?

• brings together statistical information from many high-quality sources
• reduces the response burden on individuals and companies
• saves money
• provides a direct way to tabulate statistical outputs
• responds quickly to growing needs for quality statistical outputs
• facilitates statistical modelling based on the integration of multiple data sources
• leads to better survey design.

Your data is PROTECTED

Statistics Canada will protect the confidentiality of the information that it obtains from all data providers. The data are held in a secure environment, and the privacy of individuals is fully protected.

Contact us

For more information on confidentiality, privacy or repurposing data, contact us at infostats@statcan.gc.ca or at 1-800-263-1136.

Statistics Canada website

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Information on Canadian Government Finance Statistics Provisional Estimates

November 19, 2014

OTTAWA – Statistics Canada's makes regular updates to the Canadian System of Macroeconomic Accounts in order to incorporate the most current information on the economy from censuses and annual surveys, and to improve estimation methods. These type of revisions are typically limited to a number of reference years.

Periodically, the Canadian macroeconomic accounts or components of the macroeconomic accounts undergo major revisions, which are much broader in scope. These are reserved for incorporating conceptual, classification, presentational, major statistical changes or due to the introduction of a new international accounting standard.

Since 2009 Statistics Canada has been working towards implementing the Government Finance Statistics standard, an international standard for reporting government revenues, expenditures, financial transactions, revaluations, assets, liabilities and net worth.

In short, Government finance statistics are:

• an economic representation of a government's financial activity;
• the International Monetary Fund's preferred basis for reporting government financial statistics;
• conceptually consistent with the balance of payment, international investment position and national account set of statistics.

Statistics Canada is now ready to release a set of provisional estimates of Government Finance Statistics for the period 2008-2009 to 2012-2013.

Government Finance Statistics allow users to analyze the financial soundness of the government and government business enterprises in the same way that financial soundness and stability is measured in the corporate or household sector. Government Finance Statistics also enable users to determine whether government decisions are sustainable over the long term, and assess government liquidity constraints as well as financing needs.

What are Government Finance Statistics?

The Canadian Government Finance Statistics will:

• Improve international comparability. Most countries around the world publish a set of government statistics according to the IMF's government finance statistics manual. The Canadian Government Finance Statistics will be compatible allowing for inter-country comparisons with respect to indicators such as government sources of revenue, expenditures and level of debt.
• Allow policy makers to study the financial position, liquidity and operations of the different levels of governments in a consistent and systematic manner;
• Incorporate the latest advances in methodology in the area of economic measurement, and;
• Integrate updated source data and statistical techniques to add detail to economic estimates to more fully reflect the role of government in the Canadian economy.

Why Provisional?

Given the degree of changes associated with the development of this new product, Statistics Canada has decided to release the data with the provisional qualifier.

The provisional qualifier signals to users that the data are fit for use but subject to revision. Over the next year these data will be integrated into the rest of the Canadian System of Macroeconomic Accounts (such as the National Accounts, Balance of Payments, International Investment Position, Input-Output Tables). The data will be revised due to this integration process as the estimates, concepts and methods are compared and adjusted to align with counterparty information and integrated into the wider national accounts framework.

In addition there are a number of tasks that need to be completed over the next year to improve the usability of the data. These include:

• Balancing grants across levels of government: The GFS data estimate grants paid by one government to another government. Since the data are built from individual government accounting records the recording of what one level of government pays to another is not always consistent with what the receiving level of government records. For example, the Federal government may record a grant to a province valued at $100m. The provincial government may only record receipt of $95m (due to timing or approaches to classification). It is the role of the GFS compiler to determine how to balance these flows. This balancing has not been incorporated into the GFS data at this time.
• Inclusion of capital expenditures and capital stock: The current version of GFS data will not include estimates of capital spending and capital stock by government. The GFS manual recommends that government capital stock estimates be valued on a replacement cost basis. This means that the value of the government's non-financial assets need to be valued at current prices. Government accounting records are inconsistent in their valuation of non-financial assets. As such, a methodology referred to as a perpetual inventory method, needs to be adopted to properly value the government's non-financial assets. These estimates are not yet ready for dissemination. They will be ready sometime within the next year. The implication is that the provisional CGFS estimates will not include estimates of capital investment and capital stock and therefore it will not be possible to derive government net operating balance, net lending/borrowing or net worth.
• Consolidation: Consolidation is a method of presenting statistics for a set of institutional units (or entities) as if they constituted a single unit. For example, consider the following sectors within the Canadian public sector universe: Federal general government, provincial and territorial general government and local general government. Assume that we would like to analyze the overall impact of the federal, provincial/territorial and local governments on the Canadian economy. One way to do this would be to view these sectors as a single general government sector. In order to do this we could consolidate these units together and treat them as if they are a single unit. Consolidation is not simply summing together the data into a single aggregate. Consolidation involves first eliminating the transactions and debtor-creditor relationships that occur among the units being consolidated and then aggregating the remaining transactions. In other words, transactions or stock position of one unit are paired with the same transaction or stock position recorded for the second unit and then both the transaction or stock position are eliminated. The provisional GFS data will not be presented on an inter-sectoral basis. This has a number of implications. First, it makes it difficult to compare data from one province to another. For example, suppose you wanted to analyze total expenditures on health in the province of Ontario. You could not add together the health expenditures of the provincial general government, health sector and local government because you would invariably double count the expenditures. Some of the expenditures of the provincial general government on health represent grants to the health sector. The health sector then spends those same funds on hospital care, emergency care etc. Adding the two figures together results in a double counting of the information. Until the data are consolidated the only analysis that can be done using the CGFS data is a time series comparison of the data for a particular level of government.
• Aboriginal General Governments: While Statistics Canada has been producing data for the aboriginal general government sector since 2012 as part of the release of the Canadian System of National Accounts these data have not yet been incorporated into the CGFS release.

Given these limitations one could ask why the data are being released at this point in time. Statistics Canada felt it was better to release the data now rather than wait another year since there is currently a lack of data in the area of government finance statistics, especially at the provincial and local level. While some of the detailed series may change over the next year and there are some data gaps, the general story and trends found in the data will remain the same.

‘Sequence of accounts'' approach

The strength of the Government Finance Statistics framework lies in the fact that it is a set of interrelated statements that integrate flows (revenues and expenditures) and stock positions (debt) for different levels of governments and government business enterprises.

The CGFS data is presented as a “sequence of accounts.” That is, it consists of two inter-related accounts; a statement of operations and a balance sheet.

This framework allows data users to monitor the impact current government policy and spending has on its stock of assets and liabilities, examine the liquidity of governments and the sustainability of government fiscal policy.

The Canadian Government Finance Statistics are also closely linked to other macroeconomic frameworks such as the System of National Accounts, Balance of Payments and International Investment Position. This ensures the data are comparable to other macroeconomic indicators such as gross domestic product, the balance of payments, household debt and net worth positions.

Increased Detail

With the initial release of the CGFS nine new matrixes will be published from which over 100 new data tables can be constructed.

Users will be able to look at government revenues (by type of revenue) and expenditures (by type of expenditure), transactions in assets, liabilities, as well as the stock of assets and stock of liabilities by level of government (federal, provincial, local).

Information is also available for various sub-sectors of governments such as the health sector and education sector.

A classification of the functions of government (COFOG) table is also available for each level of government. The COFOG tables provide an alternative view of government expenditures – focusing on the intended purpose of the expenditure. They paint a picture of the social and economic role governments play in society and the economy.

Finally a selected set of analytical tables are provided to data users. This includes tables which present government financial stability indicators and debt positions – at book and market value.

Who can use Government Finance Statistics?

Government Finance Statistics can be used by:

• Taxation analysts interested in studying tax rates and sources of revenue
• International bodies such as the OECD, IMF, UN to analyze the activities of the Canadian government relative to other countries.
• International credit agencies who need to advise on the credit worthiness of Canadian governments.
• The financial sector who need to track the governments'' demand and supply of funds in/to the economy.
• Tax payers interested in understanding how their tax dollars are spent and assessing the stewardship of the government.

Complex project

The compilation of the Canadian Government Finance Statistics is a complex project including structural, presentational, conceptual and statistical changes.

Regular users of Statistics Canada's data are urged to familiarize themselves with these changes.

Users are invited to consult the following links on our website for a more in-depth explanation of the changes.

For more information, contact Media Relations (613-951-4636); statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcafn.gc.ca.

Ce document est aussi disponible en français.

Background

In 2010, Statistics Canada launched the Integrated Business Statistics Program (IBSP) to provide a moreefficient model for producing economic statistics. The main objective was to enhance the economic statistics program so that it remains as robust and flexible as possible while reducing the burden onbusiness respondents.

The IBSP encompasses around 60 surveys covering four major sectors: manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, services (including culture) and capital expenditures. By 2019/2020, the IBSP will include roughly 150 economic surveys covering all sectors of economic statistics.

The program changes ensure that Statistics Canada will continue to produce a consistent and coherent set of economic statistics. As well, data users and researchers can more easily combine economic data with information from other sources to undertake their analyses.

The IBSP uses a standardized approach for economic surveys conducted at Statistics Canada. This framework involves:

• Using a common Business Register as the unique frame
• Maximizing the use of administrative information to reduce business response burden
• Using electronic questionnaires as the principal mode of collection
• Harmonizing concepts and questionnaire content
• Adopting common sampling, collection and processing methodologies

What are some of the more significant changes?

• A new approach to sampling ensures businesses will only be asked those questions that are pertinent to their operations. This creates a win-win situation for Statistics Canada and respondents. Statistics Canada reduces the collection effort and has a greater likelihood of collecting the information it requires to produce official statistics relevant to Canadians. It also reduces the time needed by respondents to complete their business surveys.
• Increased use of administrative data reduces business response burden. Administrative data files (such as corporate income tax files) have been used extensively as a direct substitute for a sub-set of sampled units and for imputation of non-response. In the transition to the IBSP model, imputation methods were adapted to take full advantage of the availability of administrative data. This resulted in additional response burden reductions across survey programs. The majority of sampled businesses are no longer required to provide data for revenue and expense information that is available from tax data. The IBSP questionnaires are designed to collect information that is not available from administrative data files, such as commodities produced and business practices.
• A new coherent approach to developing provincial/territorial estimates uses existing information on Statistics Canada's business register to determine provincial/territorial shares of revenues, expenses and value added. This ensures a coherent and standardized approach that is consistent across all IBSP surveys. Previously, these data were collected directly from each respondent, contributing to response burden.
• Electronic questionnaires are now the primary mode to collect data from business respondents. Businesses complete surveys using a secure online application. The result is a more efficient and higher quality collection process. In addition, the quality of survey statistics may improve because electronic questionnaires have built-in checks designed to limit reporting errors that can occur with paper-based questionnaires.
• Increased coverage of the business population results in a more comprehensive set of business statistics. Beginning in reference year 2013, the population covered by the suite of annual economic survey programs increased to include all firms regardless of their size. In previous years, relatively small businesses (based on their sales) were not included in Statistics Canada's central business frame. However, with new self-coding technology, it became possible to classify all businesses operating in the Canadian economy onto the central business frame, regardless of the sales of the firm. As a result, with improved coverage of the population, the IBSP-based estimates better reflect the population of businesses operating in Canada.
• Questionnaires have been updated to reflect the latest business terminology and accounting practices of Canadian businesses. In addition the questionnaires apply the latest standard classifications used by Statistics Canada, such as the North American Industry Classification System and the North American Product Classification System.

Does this impact the comparability of data through time?

The extent of the changes in the business statistics program introduced by the IBSP means that some series may no longer be consistent with estimates from previous periods. For example, the increase in the business population alone means that the estimates will tend to be higher than those previously ublished.

For some series, data changes will be small and comparisons with estimates to previous reference periods will be consistent. In other cases, the impacts can be significant, leading to breaks in the current estimates when compared to past estimates.

Recognizing the importance of data continuity, Statistics Canada will continue to use several assessmenttechniques in order to examine whether current estimates will be directly comparable to past estimates.Some of the techniques that may be used include:

• Evaluating survey estimates at all levels of detail (national, sub-national, NAICS)
• Comparing estimates obtained from sub-annual surveys (where applicable)
• Comparing tax information
• Analysing the results for common respondents in 2012 and 2013
• Comparing historical movements by respondent and by the industry in general.

In all cases, users are aware that breaks can exist and that any comparisons with previousdata should be made at their own discretion.

Once the estimates for the current reference year are available, revisions will be made to the previous year's data.

Who will use the new IBSP estimates?

• Businesses use the estimates to better understand their performance within their given industry relative to the industry average.
• Industry analysts and associations use the IBSP estimates to analyze the performance of given industries in the Canadian economy both nationally and regionally.
• Federal departments and agencies, provincial ministries and authorities, the press, survey respondents, and the general public use estimates to assess trends in the Canadian economy.

The IBSP data are a main input into the Canadian System of Macroeconomic Accounts. They are first adjusted to macroeconomic accounting concepts and definitions and are then integrated into the macroeconomic accounting frameworks. This integration involves adjusting the data to adhere to the macroeconomic accounting identities as well as ensuring consistency through time. These data are thebuilding blocks for Statistics Canada's benchmark measure of gross domestic product and a key input into the estimates used to determine equalization payments and the allocation of harmonized sales tax revenue.

Periodically, Statistics Canada undertakes large scale changes as part of its survey renewal process.The new IBSP data will be integrated into the Macroeconomic Accounts. Although the new data may leadto some changes/revisions to the national accounts, the System of National Accounts framework ensuresthat the national account estimates are robust and coherent.

Have any other survey releases taken place under the new IBSP schedule?

Yes. The first survey released under IBSP was the 2013 Survey of Aquaculture that was published in theDaily on November 14, 2014. Since then, several other annual surveys have been released, and a number of monthly surveys will soon be made available.

Further Information

For a more detailed explanation of the changes, please consult the Integrated Business Statistics Program Overview on the Statistics Canada website .

More information on the technical aspects on sampling and estimation is available upon request.

For more information, contact Media Relations (613-951-4636); statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca.

Ce document est aussi disponible en français.

Changes to the Passenger Bus and Urban Transit Survey

Starting in May 2015, Statistics Canada rolled out a re-designed survey related to public bus and urbantransit in Canada. All companies engaged in public bus and urban transit in Canada are included in thisredesigned survey.

The changes starting for 2014 include:

• Increasing the coverage of the estimates from 95% to 100%
• Combining urban transit services with commuter services and para-transit
• Eliminating the publication of CANSIM Table 408-0011 – Canadian passenger bus and urban transit industries, maintenance cost, by type of vehicle

Data comparability and accessibility

Data for this survey is published in CANSIM tables. Direct comparisons of data between the new CANSIM table and the previously published tables may not be possible. However, previous tables will remain available for reference purposes.

How can I obtain for more information on changes to the survey?

This document highlights key changes to the survey and its impacts for end users. For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this survey, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (613-951-4636; statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).

Background

In 2010, Statistics Canada launched the Integrated Business Statistics Program (IBSP) to provide a more efficient model for producing economic statistics. The main objective was to enhance the economic statistics program so that it remains as robust and flexible as possible while reducing the burden on business respondents.

The IBSP encompasses around 60 surveys covering four major sectors: manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, services (including culture) and capital expenditures. By 2019/2020, the IBSP will include roughly 150 economic surveys covering all sectors of economic statistics. The list of surveys currently included in IBSP is available online.

The program changes ensure that Statistics Canada will continue to produce a consistent and coherent set of economic statistics. As well, data users and researchers can more easily combine economic data with information from other sources to undertake their analyses.

The IBSP uses a standardized approach for economic surveys conducted at Statistics Canada. This framework involves:

• Using a common Business Register as the unique frame
• Maximizing the use of administrative information to reduce business response burden
• Using electronic questionnaires as the principal mode of collection
• Harmonizing concepts and questionnaire content
• Adopting common sampling, collection and processing methodologies

What are some of the more significant changes?

• A new approach to sampling ensures businesses will only be asked those questions that are pertinent to their operations. This creates a win-win situation for Statistics Canada and respondents. Statistics Canada reduces the collection effort and has a greater likelihood of collecting the information it requires to produce official statistics relevant to Canadians. It also reduces the time needed by respondents to complete their business surveys.
• Increased use of administrative data reduces business response burden. Administrative data files (such as corporate income tax files) have been used extensively as a direct substitute for a sub-set of sampled units and for imputation of non-response. In the transition to the IBSP model, imputation methods were adapted to take full advantage of the availability of administrative data. This resulted in additional response burden reductions across survey programs. The majority of sampled businesses are no longer required to provide data for revenue and expense information that is available from tax data. The IBSP questionnaires are designed to collect information that is not available from administrative data files, such as commodities produced and business practices.
• A new coherent approach to developing provincial/territorial estimates uses existing information on Statistics Canada's business register to determine provincial/territorial shares of revenues, expenses and value added. This ensures a coherent and standardized approach that is consistent across all IBSP surveys. Previously, these data were collected directly from each respondent, contributing to response burden.
• Electronic questionnaires are now the primary mode to collect data from business respondents. Businesses complete surveys using a secure online application. The result is a more efficient and higher quality collection process. In addition, the quality of survey statistics may improve because electronic questionnaires have built-in checks designed to limit reporting errors that can occur with paper-based questionnaires.
• Increased coverage of the business population results in a more comprehensive set of business statistics. Beginning in reference year 2013, the population covered by the suite of annual economic survey programs increased to include all firms regardless of their size. In previous years, relatively small businesses (based on their sales) were not included in Statistics Canada's central business frame. However, with new self-coding technology, it became possible to classify all businesses operating in the Canadian economy onto the central business frame, regardless of the sales of the firm. As a result, with improved coverage of the population, the IBSP-based estimates better reflect the population of businesses operating in Canada.
• Questionnaires have been updated to reflect the latest business terminology and accounting practices of Canadian businesses. In addition the questionnaires apply the latest standard classifications used by Statistics Canada, such as the North American Industry Classification System and the North American Product Classification System.

Does this impact the comparability of data through time?

The extent of the changes in the business statistics program introduced by the IBSP means that some series may no longer be consistent with estimates from previous periods. For example, the increase in the business population alone means that the estimates will tend to be higher than those previously published.

For some series, data changes will be small and comparisons with estimates to previous reference periods will be consistent. In other cases, the impacts can be significant, leading to breaks in the current estimates when compared to past estimates.

Recognizing the importance of data continuity, Statistics Canada will continue to use several assessment techniques in order to examine whether current estimates will be directly comparable to past estimates. Among the techniques that may be used include:

• Evaluating survey estimates at all levels of detail (national, sub-national, NAICS)
• Comparing estimates obtained from sub-annual surveys (where applicable)
• Comparing tax information
• Analysing the results for common respondents in 2012 and 2013
• Comparing historical movements by respondent and by the industry in general.

In all cases, users are aware that breaks can exist and that any comparisons with previous data should be made at their own discretion.

Once the estimates for the current reference year are available, revisions will be made to the previous year`s data.

Who will use the new IBSP estimates?

• Businesses use the estimates to better understand their performance within their given industry relative to the industry average.
• Industry analysts and associations use the IBSP estimates to analyze the performance of given industries in the Canadian economy both nationally and regionally.
• Federal departments and agencies, provincial ministries and authorities, the press, survey respondents, and the general public use estimates to assess trends in the Canadian economy.

The IBSP data are a main input in the Canadian System of Macroeconomic Accounts. They are first adjusted to macroeconomic accounting concepts and definitions and are then integrated into the macroeconomic accounting frameworks. This integration involves adjusting the data to adhere to the macroeconomic accounting identities as well as ensuring consistency through time. These data are the building blocks for Statistics Canada's benchmark measure of gross domestic product and a key input into the estimates used to determine equalization payments and the allocation of harmonized sales tax revenue.

Periodically, Statistics Canada undertakes large scale changes as part of its survey renewal process. The new IBSP data will be integrated into the Macroeconomic Accounts. Although the new data may lead to some changes/revisions to the national accounts, the System of National Accounts framework ensures that the national account estimates are robust and coherent.

Have any other survey releases taken place under the new IBSP schedule?

Yes. The first survey released under IBSP was the 2013 Survey of Aquaculture that was published in the Daily on November 14, 2014. Since then, several other annual surveys have been released, and a number of monthly surveys will soon be made available.

Further Information

For a more detailed explanation of the changes, please consult the Integrated Business Statistics Program Overview on the Statistics Canada website.

More information on the technical aspects on sampling and estimation is available upon request.

For more information, contact Media Relations (613-951-4636); mediahotline@statcan.gc.ca.

Ce document est aussi disponible en français.

Changes to how natural gas storage information is produced

New Product

Starting January 2016, Statistics Canada will begin surveying the natural gas storage industry in order to examine its characteristics related to inventories and flows. Companies whose principal activities relate to distribution and transmission of natural gas but who also have storage operations will be part of this new survey.

The creation of the survey will provide more detailed and complete data to end users as it will expand on the relatively small storage content previously requested on natural gas distribution and transmission surveys.

Among the information that will be released to end users are national and provincial storage data related to the following:

• Opening inventories
• Closing inventories
• Inventory change (i.e., the difference between total opening and closing inventories)
• Injections to storage
• Withdrawals from storage
• Other adjustments (i.e., includes discrepancies due to meter inaccuracies and/or leakage or other losses)

Data availability

Gas storage data will be made available on the volume of gas stored in both thousands of cubic metres and gigajoules.

Data comparability and accessibility

As a result of the content changes for the survey, natural gas storage information previously found in CANSIM tables 129-0001, 129-0002, 129-0003 and 129-0004 will no longer be directly comparable with data that will be published under IBSP.

In place of these tables, gas distribution data will now be published solely under table 129-0005. By centralizing the data in one table, users will more easily be able to access survey results.

How can I obtain for more information on the monthly gas storage survey?

This document highlights key changes to the survey and its impacts for end users. For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this survey, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (613-951-4636; statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).

Starting with the release of January 2016 reference month data, the basket of goods used to calculate the EPSPI was updated to reflect the sales revenues in 2014. This update is to better reflect important changes in the consumption of electricity by non-residential customers in Canada.

The update, which occurs periodically, is designed to ensure the EPSPI reliability for two key purposes: a measure of inflation for the distribution of electricity; and a tool for analysis of price formation and behaviour as well as for contract escalation.

The update includes two major changes: the weights of various items in the basket of goods used to calculate the index, which was based on 2009 data, will now be based on 2014 data; and the EPSPI base year (the period for which the value 100 is assigned to the index) has changed from 2009 to 2014. As a result of rebasing, CANSIM table 329-0073 has been replaced by the new table 329-0079. This new CANSIM table contains historical and current data. A vector number concordance table between the new and old tables is available below.

Although the EPSPI base year has changed to 2014=100 in the new CANSIM table, the rates of change measured for periods prior to 2014 remain unchanged for both of the 2009=100 and the 2014=100 tables, barring rounding. From 2014 onwards, the same lower-level or elemental price movements are used, but updated 2014 weights will be used to aggregate these movements. Therefore, at the lower level, the movements will be the same, but the aggregate movements will change due to the updated weights. This means that with the implementation of the new 2014 weights, the index movements from January 2014 to December 2015 were revised.

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or for the Media unit: 613-951-INFO (613-951-4636);STATCAN.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.STATCAN@statcan.gc.ca.