Canadian Statistics Advisory Council 2022 Annual Report - Trust, Governance and Data Flows in the National Statistical System

Release date: November 16, 2022

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Message from the Canadian Statistics Advisory Council

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Signed:
The Canadian Statistics Advisory Council

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

Executive summary

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

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

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

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

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

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

Recommendations

Recommendation 1:
Maintain the authority and responsibilities of Statistics Canada

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

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

Recommendation 2:
Strengthen data stewardship within the national statistical system

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

 
  • 2.1 The Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry should
    1. ensure that the authority and responsibilities of Statistics Canada as data steward within the national statistical system are strengthened, both in legislation and governance
    2. ensure that new federal programs are mandated to include an assessment of data needs and have the resources to support the development and integration of data flows.
  • 2.2 The Chief Statistician of Canada should
    1. maintain and build on the momentum of the agency's efforts in addressing data gaps through new partnerships, modernization and innovation
    2. better navigate the complex landscape of data acquisitions from within the private sector and other sectors
    3. continue to improve access to and use of data obtained by Statistics Canada.

Recommendation 3:
Strengthen data sharing across jurisdictions

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

 
  • The Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry should
    1. ensure there is the legal, governance and resource support required for coordinating and sharing data across jurisdictions according to data standards
    2. ensure the federal government makes fiscal transfers contingent on data flows that can be integrated into the national statistical system.

Trust must be at the forefront of the national statistical system

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

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

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

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

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

Privacy legislation must recognize and integrate Statistics Canada's authorities

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Statistical governance and data flows must be strengthened

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

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

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

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

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

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

Federal statistical system

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

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

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

Provincial, territorial and regional data flows

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Indigenous-led data strategies

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Private sector

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Definitions

Administrative data are holdings of individual records collected by government departments and other organizations for the purpose of administering benefits, services and taxes. Under provisions of the Statistics Act, administrative data can be shared with Statistics Canada for statistical purposes.

Data stewardship, in support of the national statistical system, is the coordination and facilitation of nationwide data to inform Canadians and the country's public and private decision makers. It ensures these data are of high quality, easily accessible and used in a consistent manner. It includes data collected and managed by federal, provincial, territorial, municipal and Indigenous jurisdictions, as well as by the private sector.

Distinctions-based Indigenous led processes for First Nations, Inuit and Métis, both in and outside their communities, acknowledge the unique rights and jurisdiction of each group to maintain ownership and control over data that relate to its identity, people, language, history, culture, communities, and nations, both historical and contemporary. Each will establish laws and regulations to govern its data and determine how they will be managed, accessed and shared with other governments, organizations or individuals. Each is uniqueand distinct.

Equity-deserving groups are designated groups under the Employment Equity Act for which the government is required to strive to meet representation levels based on estimated workforce availability. They include women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities. The term also includesother groups that are disadvantaged, such as members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, who are not recognized in the act but are increasingly considered in government policies.

Indigenous as a term in this reportis understood at all times to mean First Nations, Inuit and Métis, living both in and outside their communities. Indigenous organizations, as referenced in this document, include the Assembly of First Nations, the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, the First Nations Information Governance Centre, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the Métis National Council and the Native Women's Association of Canada.

Integrating data involves linking records from different data sources on the same entity (i.e., a person or business). Microdata linkage is an internationally recognized statistical method that maximizes the use of existing information by linking different files and variables to create new information that benefits Canadians. Integrated microdata files should generally be created independently for research activities, and only on an as-needed basis. Linkage, storage and disposal protocols ensure the confidentiality of personal information.

Interoperability is the ability of different systems or products to connect and communicate in a coordinated way.

Microdata are individual records containing information collected from the census, surveys, administrative data and other sources. They may represent an individual, a household, a business or an organization. The confidentiality of identifiable information about individuals is protected under the Statistics Act.

Necessity and proportionality refer to principles applied to the collection of information. Statistics Canada considers needs for data to ensure the well-being of the country (necessity), and it also tailors the volume and detail of the data collected to meet these needs (proportionality).

A non-governmental organization (NGO) is a non-profit organization that operates independently of any government, typically one whose purpose is to address a humanitarian, social or political issue.

Racialized is a term increasingly used in place of "visible minority," a term that has been criticized in Canada and internationally, including by the United Nations. Racialized refers to people or groups who are categorized or discriminated against because of their racial background or appearance.

Statistical information is the added value to statistics resulting from quantitative interpretation, modelling and analysis. It can take many forms, including charts, interactive visualizations and analytical articles.

Canadian Association of University Business Officers (CAUBO)

Financial Information of Universities – 2021/2022

Canadian Centre for Education Statistics

This information is collected under the authority of the Statistics Act, Revised Statutes of Canada, 1985, Chapter S-19.

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

Purpose of the survey

This survey collects financial information (income and expenditures) on all universities and degree-granting colleges in Canada. Your information may also be used by Statistics Canada for other statistical and research purposes.

Confidentiality

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

Fax or e-mail transmission disclosure

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

Record linkages

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

General information

  • Name of University (or College)
  • Address of preparer
    • Street
    • City
    • Province
    • Postal Code
  • Fiscal year ending: Day Month Year
  • Name and title of preparer
  • Telephone
    • Area code
    • Number
    • Local
  • Fax
    • Area code
    • Number
  • E-mail address
  • Name of Senior Administrative Officer (if different from above)

Instructions

  1. Please read carefully the accompanying Guidelines.
  2. All amounts should be expressed in thousands of dollars ($'000).
  3. In the "Observations and Comments" section, please explain financial data that may not be comparable with the prior year.
  4. Please do not fill in shaded areas. All non-shaded cells should be completed.
    A nil entry should be indicated with a zero.

Reserved for Statistics Canada

  • Full-time equivalent
  • Report Status
  • Institution Code: nceYYIII
  • Comments
Table 1
Income by fund
Table summary
This is an empty data table used by respondents to provide data to Statistics Canada. This table contains no data.
Types of income Funds
General operating Special purpose and trust Sponsored research Ancillary Capital Endowment Total funds
Entities consolidated Entities not consolidated Sub-total
(thousands of dollars)
Government departments and agencies - grants and contracts  
Federal  
1. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council                  
2. Health Canada                  
3. Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council                  
4. Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)                  
5. Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI)                  
6. Canada Research Chairs                  
7. Other federal (see Table 6)                  
Other  
8. Provincial (see Table 7)                  
9. Municipal                  
10. Other provinces                  
11. Foreign                  
Tuition and other fees  
12. Credit course tuition                  
13. Non-credit tuition                  
14. Other fees                  
Donations, including bequests  
15. Individuals                  
16. Business enterprises                  
17. Not-for-profit organizations                  
Non-government grants and contracts  
18. Individuals                  
19. Business enterprises                  
20. Not-for-profit organizations                  
Investment  
21. Endowment                  
22. Other investment                  
Other  
23. Sale of services and products                  
24. Miscellaneous                  
25. TotalNote 1                  

  Observations and comments

  • Description (Fund and type of income)
  • Comments
Table 2
Expenditures by fund
Table summary
This is an empty data table used by respondents to provide data to Statistics Canada. This table contains no data.
Types of expenditures Funds
General operating Special purpose and trust Sponsored research Ancillary Capital Endowment Total funds
Entities consolidated Entities not consolidated Sub-total
(thousands of dollars)
Academic salaries  
1. Academic ranks                  
2. Other instruction and research                  
3. Other salaries and wages                  
4. Benefits                  
5. Travel                  
6. Library acquisitions                  
7. Printing and duplicating                  
8. Materials and supplies                  
9. Communications                  
10. Other operational expenditures                  
11. Utilities                  
12. Renovations and alterations                  
13. Scholarships, bursaries and prizes                  
14. Externally contracted services                  
15. Professional fees                  
16. Cost of goods sold                  
17. Interest                  
18. Furniture and equipment purchase                  
19. Equipment rental and maintenance                  
20. Internal sales and cost recoveriesNote 1                  
21. Sub-total                  
22. Buildings, land and land improvements                  
23. Lump sum payments                  
24. TotalNote 2                  

Observations and comments

  • Description (Fund and type of expenditure)
  • Comments
Table 3
Statement of changes in net assets by fund
Table summary
This is an empty data table used by respondents to provide data to Statistics Canada. This table contains no data.
Objects Funds
General operating Special purpose and trust Sponsored research Ancillary Capital Endowment Total funds
Entities consolidated Entities not consolidated Sub-total
(thousands of dollars)
1. Net asset balances, beginning of year                  
2. Income (Table 1, line Total)                  
3. Expenditures (Table 2, line Total)                  
4. Prior year adjustments                  
5. Interfund transfersNote 1                  
6. Add: borrowings                  
7. Deduct: principal portion of debt repayments                  
8. Interfund reallocationsNote 1                  
9. Add: capital expenditures                  
10. Deduct: amortization                  
11. Add or deduct: deferred income                  
12. Add or deduct: pension costs and vacation pay accrual                  
13. Add or deduct: future cost of employee benefits                  
14. Add or deduct: related or affilitated entities                  
15. Add or deduct: other (provide details in space below)                  
16. Net asset balances, end of yearNote 2                  
Net asset balances are comprised of:                  
17. Unrestricted net assets                  
18. Investment in capital assets                  
19. Internally restricted net assets                  
20. Externally restricted net assets                  
21. Net asset balances, end of yearNote 2                  

Observations and comments

  • Description (Fund and object)
  • Comments
Table 4
General operating expenditures by function
Table summary
This is an empty data table used by respondents to provide data to Statistics Canada. This table contains no data.
Types of expenditures Functions
Instruction and non-sponsored research Non-credit instruction Library Computing and communications Administration and academic support Student services Physical plant External Relations Total functionsNote 1
(thousands of dollars)
Academic salaries  
1. Academic ranks                  
2. Other instruction and research                  
3. Other salaries and wages                  
4. Benefits                  
5. Travel                  
6. Library acquisitions                  
7. Printing and duplicating                  
8. Materials and supplies                  
9. Communications                  
10. Other operational expenditures                  
11. Utilities                  
12. Renovations and alterations                  
13. Scholarships, bursaries and prizes                  
14. Externally contracted services                  
15. Professional fees                  
16. Cost of goods sold                  
17. Interest                  
18. Furniture and equipment purchase                  
19. Equipment rental and maintenance                  
20. Internal sales and cost recoveries                  
21. Sub-total                  
22. Buildings, land and land improvements                  
23. Lump sum payments                  
24. Total                  

Observations and comments

  • Description (Function and type of expenditure)
  • Comments

Extracting Public Value from Administrative Data: A method to enhance analysis with linked data

By: Sarry Zheng and Howard Swerdfeger, Canada School of Public Service

The daily lives of Canadians are increasingly shaped by data-driven technologies and services. By using these technologies and services, the Government of Canada can access data from multiple sources to better serve the needs of citizens and inform decision-making.

One of the places to enhance analysis is Statistics Canada's Linkable File Environment (LFE), which helps unlock insights from administrative data to information on businesses and individuals across Canada. It ensures all confidentiality and disclosure rules are respected before releasing aggregated and vetted data. This creates an opportunity to access more accurate information and conduct comprehensive analyses. It also reduces the survey and reporting burden on departments and private industries.

What is linked data?

Linked data is the process in which records from different data sources are joined together into a single file using identifiers, such as names, date of birth, addresses, and other characteristics. It is also known as record linkage, data matching, and entity resolution, to name a few. The initial idea of linked data goes back to the 1950s. This technique is used in a wide range of fields such as data warehousing, business intelligence, and medical research.

Types of Linkage

There are two types of linkage – exact matching and statistical matching.

  1. Statistical matching creates a file to reflect the underlying population distribution. Records that are combined do not necessarily correspond to the same entity, such as a person or a business. It is assumed that the relationship of the variables in the population will be like the relationship on the file. This method is commonly used in market research.
  2. Exact matching links information about a particular record in one file to information in another file to create a single file with the correct information for each record. They can be divided into two subtypes – deterministic record linkage and probabilistic record linkage.Footnote 1
    • Deterministic record linkage – link records based on common identifiers between data sources
    • Probabilistic record linkage – link records where not all columns from the records are identical, based on a probability that the records match.

Probabilistic Record Linkage

When a dataset doesn't contain a unique identifier, is incomplete, or contains errors, probabilistic record linkage is a method that can be used to link data files and build a set of potential pairs. As in Figure 1, we can see that the first records are identical while the second and third records are a match, but not identical. The goal of any probabilistic record linking algorithm is to replicate a human's ability to see that these entities are the same with high confidence.

Figure 1: Sample datasets to be joined for probabilistic matching
Description - Figure 1: Sample datasets to be joined for probabilistic matching
Sample dataset 1
Company Name Address City Prov Postal Code Licence # Product Count
ABC Inc. 1072 Booth Street Saskatoon SK S5P 1E4 1111 50
XYZ Ltd. 118 Hammer Way Richmond BC V7A 5E5 1112 3
613 Canada Inc. 210 Glasgow Street Ottawa ON K1A 0E4 1113 500

Like to Like match, Threshold 97%

Sample dataset 2
Comp_nm Addr City Prov PC
ABC Inc. 1072 Booth Street Saskatoon SK S5P 1E4
XYZ Limited 118 Hammer Way Richmond BC V7A 5E5
613 Canada Incorporated 10200 - 210 Glassgow Street Ottawa ON K1A 0E4

Standard Practices

One of the tools Statistics Canada uses is SAS software called G-Link to perform probabilistic record linkages. G-Link represents a direct implementation of the Fellegi-Sunter record linkage algorithm, packaged in a Windows-based application.

As computational power continues to grow, allowing larger datasets to be linked in a shorter period and accessible on desktop computers, the development of new theoretical models and refinements of existing methodologies and software are becoming more prevalent. For instance, the record linkage toolkit in Python, and reclin in R are two easy-to-use examples that integrate well with the Fellegi-Sunter method of record linkage using open-source software.

Fellegi-Sunter

Since its publication, Fellegi-Sunter (1969)Footnote 2 has become the de facto approach for probabilistic record linkage. This model estimates match weights for each individual column and combines these match weights into an overall match probability. By assuming variables must be independent given the match status, it can be combined with Bayes Theorem and quantified using two key parameters for each column – the m and u probabilities, where:

  • m is the probability that a given column does not match but the records are the same.
  • u is the probability that a given column is the same, but the records are not.

Bayes Theorem is

PR|D=PD|R*PRPD

Where:

  • PR is the probability of a record match
  • PD is the probability of some data element matching

Expanding the denominator,

PR|D=PD|R*PRPD|R*PD+PD|R¯*PR¯

Where:

  • PR¯ is the probability that two records don't match or 1-PR

Since we have multiple columns or multiple lines of evidence, one could use mi, and ui for the m and u probabilities of the ith column.

PR|D=i=1Ncolmi*PRi=1Ncolmi*PR+i=1Ncolui*1-PR

Dr. Yvan P. Fellegi

Dr. Yvan P. Fellegi served as Statistics Canada's Chief Statistician from 1985 to 2008. In this role, he introduced new methods for collecting and compiling national statistics. In 1992, Fellegi became a member of the Order of Canada and upon his retirement in June 2008, the Canadian government appointed him Chief Statistician Emeritus.

String comparisons

Fellegi-Sunter has at least one disadvantage that is typically fixed in practical applications. In practice, for many columns the m and u probabilities are often not based on the probability that two columns are identical, but rather some appropriate distance function is used to measure the similarity between two columns and then calculate the threshold. The m and u probabilities would then be based on these thresholds.

For strings, several common distance functions exist - each one may be useful for the combination of data and expected differences (misspellings) in your dataset. Some of these are briefly summarized below:

Sample dataset 3
Distance Functions Company Name Comp_nm
Jaro-Winkler homers odyssey Incorporated homers odyssey Incorporation
Longest Common Substring Rumpelstiltskin Incorporated The Rumpelstiltskin Incorporation
Levenshtein distance Quasimodo and Esmeralda Inc. Quazimodo and Ezmeralda Inc.
Cosine William "Bill" S. Preston and Ted "Theodore" Logan enterprises Ted "Theodore" Logan and William "Bill" S. Preston enterprises
Token Link Legal Eagle attorney at law Legal Eagle (2017) attorney

Token Link

While Fellegi-Sunter in combination with traditional string distance metrics is highly useful, it has several possible deficiencies:

  • For columns that have categorical levels and are not evenly distributed, only the average match rate is considered for the u parameter. Consider matching the city column with the value "Williamstown", it carries much more information than matching the "Toronto" value.
  • Most string distance algorithms work on the character level. They assume that semantic distances are some functions of the characters composing a string, while in both English and French, the information conveyed to the readers is at the word level.

The Token Link algorithm and R package fix the above issues. It can help with the identification of records where multiple categorical levels are present. It can also identify where columns exist with multiple words in the same column such as company name or address.

The basic algorithm involves:

  1. Tokenize the words in the column, count the occurrences of each token in the dataset.
    Figure 2: Tokenized words in each column
    Description - Figure 2: Tokenized words in each column
    Tokenized words in each column - Original sample dataset
    id Address
    1 742 Evergreen Terrace Springfield
    2 19 Plympton St, Springfield
    3 744 Evergreen Terr, Springfield
    4 100 Industrial Way Springfield

    Clean and Tokenize

    Tokenized words in each column - Sample dataset with counted tokens

    id

    Token

    1

    742

    1

    Evergreen

    1

    Terrace

    1

    Springfield

    2

    19

    2

    Pympton

    2

    Street

    2

    Springfield

    3

    744

    3

    Evergreen

    3

    Terrace

    Count Tokens

    Tokenized words in each column - Sample dataset with counted tokens

    Token

    N

    Springfield

    24

    Evergreen

    12

    Terrace

    12

    Plympton

    6

    Industrial

    4

  2. Repeat tokenization and counting procedure for alternate dataset
  3. Create a full outer join on the tokens of the two-word counts
    Sample dataset 4
    Token N_a N_b U_prob
    Springfield 24 7500 3.7%
    Evergreen 12 2 0.0005%
    Terrace 12 500 0.12%
    Plympton 6 1 0.00013%
    Industrial 4 8 0.00067%
  4. Use this to estimate the U probability for each token. Where nta and ntb are the number of occurrences of the token t in dataset a or b, and Na and Nb are the number of records in dataset a and b.
    Ut=nta*ntbNa*Nb
  5. Estimate the m probability either as a whole or independently for each token.
  6. Join the merged token count file with the original two datasets, calculating PR|Ti-1Nt the probability that any two records are the same given that they have a token in common.
    PR|Ti-1Nt=t=1Ntmt*PRt=1Ntmt*PR+t=1Ntut*1-PR

The technique outlined here can be extended to multiple columns without much difficulty. It can also be integrated with traditional record matching algorithms by using their posterior output as the prior.

Some of the limitations to the Token Link technique:

  • Like all methods related to the Fellegi-Sunter algorithm, it assumes the independence of each piece of information. Token link assumes the independence of words. For example, "research and development" commonly occur together and should not be treated as independent, but this algorithm would treat these words as independent and distinctive units.
  • This algorithm does not consider word order. So "Bill and Ted" would be seen as identical to "Ted and Bill".
  • It has a difficult time finding matches if a simple misspelling occurred in an important identifying word. For instance, the pair "Starbucks coffee" and "Starbacks Coffee" records might be harder for this algorithm to find while "Starbucks coffee" and "Starbucks Caffee" would be easier to find.

To learn more about this technique, more information can be found at TokenLink on GitHub.

How to get started

Statistics Canada's LFE offers support to users and partners for their research and reporting on a cost recovery basis. For more information on this service, connect with the LFE team.

Departments wanting to extract value using linked data about their regulated parties should keep three things in mind.

Unique Identifiers

Consider collecting unique identifiers such as business number from your regulated parties. While it is possible to link data without unique identifiers through attributes like company name or address, these can lead to errors in the linking process. The error rate is often linked to the data quality and the data collection mechanism.

Summary Statistics

Consider which summary metric to request. If there is a chance of error in the linking process, some summary metrics are more robust than others to outliers. Consider requesting the median and interquartile range as measures of central tendency and variation rather than the arithmetic means and standard deviation as the former is more robust to outliers than the latter.

Granularity and Data Size

Consider the potential for data suppression. If a department requests the data be summarized at a very granular level and they do not have a large number of regulated parties, cells in a summary table could be suppressed to protect the privacy of the entities and comply with the Statistics Act. In general, the larger the datasets, the finer the aggregation of the data can be.

Acknowledgments

Entrepreneurship and Linkable File Environment team at Statistics Canada; Zhuo (Sarah) Zhang, Robert Dorling, Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada

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Date modified:

Notice of release of the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Canada 2021 Version 1.0

Structural Revision

The Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Canada 2021 Version 1.0 is released. CIP Canada 2021 Version 1.0 replaces CIP Canada 2016. This version represents the ten-year structural revision to this standard classification, which is used to classify instructional programs according to field of study.

The Generic Statistical Information Model (GSIM) has been used for this revision to identify the types of changes made to the classification: real changes and virtual changes. Real changes are those affecting the scope of the existing classification items or categories, whether or not accompanied by changes in the title, definition and/or the coding. Virtual changes are those made in coding, titles and/or definitions, while the meaning or scope of the classification item remains the same.

The classification revision includes structural changes, clarifications of titles and definitions, changes to examples and exclusions, and the creation of new classification items.

CIP Canada 2021 Version 1.0 reflects various changes and improvements, such as the move of Veterinary instructional programs to Series 01 - Agriculture and veterinary sciences/services/operations and related fields from Series 51 - Health professionals and related programs, as well as the move of medical doctor residencies/fellowships from Series 60 - Health professions residency/fellowship programs to a new Series of their own, Series 61 - Medical residency/fellowship programs. There has also been a significant addition of 73 subseries and 438 instructional program classes in emerging fields of study.

For more information on the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Canada, please visit: Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Canada 2021 Version 1.0.

For questions related to the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Canada, please send an email to: statcan.csds-standards-education-cnsd-normes-education.statcan@statcan.gc.ca.

Date modified:

Statistics Canada is seeking input on the new Census of Environment program

Opened: November 2022
Updated: March 2025

Consultative engagement objectives

Canadians are increasingly concerned about the economic, social and health risks and impacts posed by climate change and other environmental issues. These changes are reflected in Canada's ecosystems— like our coastal areas, wetlands, forests, lakes and prairies —where all living things (plants, animals) and non-living things (rocks, water) function together as a unit to make up a community of life.

Statistics Canada has been asked by the Government of Canada to develop a Census of Environment that will provide a robust picture of Canada's ecosystems and their benefit to our well-being and the economy. It will catalogue ecosystems in Canada, tracking their size and condition over time and measuring the ecosystem services provided such as clean air, food and recreation. This important program will inform decisions that will help protect, rehabilitate, enhance and sustain our environment and provide the information needed to understand the benefits of Canada's ecosystems.

How to get involved

Statistics Canada will be further engaging with Canadians in 2025-2026.

Individuals who wish to obtain more information on this engagement initiative may contact us by email at consultativeengagement-mobilisationconsultative@statcan.gc.ca.

Statistics Canada is committed to respecting the privacy of participants. All personal information created, held or collected by the agency is protected by the Privacy Act. For more information on Statistics Canada's privacy policies, please consult the privacy notice.

Results

Summary results of the engagement initiatives will be published online when available.

Table of contents

Introduction

The Privacy Act gives Canadian citizens and people living in Canada the right to access their personal information being held by federal government institutions. The Act also protects against unauthorized disclosure of that personal information and it strictly controls how the government collects, uses, stores, discloses, and disposes of any personal information.

The Annual Report on the Administration of the Privacy Act is prepared and submitted, in accordance with section 72 of the Act, and it covers the period from April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022. The report is tabled in Parliament.

Administration of the Privacy Act

The Privacy Act, which concerns itself with personal information, stipulates that government institutions can collect personal information only if it relates to the operation of programs or activities of these institutions. In the case of Statistics Canada, the Statistics Act provides the authority to collect personal information. In addition, institutions are required to protect the collected information from disclosure.

The Director of the Office of Privacy Management and Information Coordination administers the Access to Information and Privacy legislations within Statistics Canada, and is also the Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Coordinator and Chief Privacy Officer for the Agency.

Organization and mandate of Statistics Canada

Statistics Canada's mandate derives primarily from the Statistics Act. The Act requires that the Agency collect, compile, analyze and publish statistical information on the economic, social, and general conditions of the country and its citizens. The Act also requires that Statistics Canada coordinate the national statistical system, in particular, to avoid duplication in the information collected by government. To this end, the Chief Statistician may enter into joint data collection or sharing agreements with provincial and territorial statistical agencies, as well as with federal, provincial and territorial government departments, pursuant to provisions of the Act.

The Statistics Act specifically requires Statistics Canada to conduct a Census of Population and a Census of Agriculture every five years as it did in 2021. The Act also gives the Agency substantial powers to request information through surveys of Canadian businesses and households. Under the Act, the Chief Statistician determines whether a survey will be mandatory or voluntary. Statistics Canada has generally made voluntary household data collection other than the Census of Population and the Labour Force Survey, as the latter produces key economic data. The Census of Agriculture and most other business surveys are mandatory. Refusal to participate in a mandatory survey is subject to legal penalties.

By law, Statistics Canada can also access administrative records, including personal and business tax data, credit information, customs declarations, and birth and death records. Such records are critical sources of statistical information that enable the Agency to reduce the reporting burden on businesses and individual respondents. Statistics Canada is considered a leader among the world's statistical agencies in reducing reporting burden by using administrative data.

Statistics Canada is ensuring that privacy protection methods and protocols continue to evolve as new data sources with varying levels of sensitivity emerge. The Necessity and Proportionality framework was implemented to ensure increasing transparency in the data acquisition process, to provide stronger justification (necessity) for data acquisition, and to be more explicit about the efforts used to gather data in a manner that is both efficient and proportional to its necessity and sensitivity. This includes ensuring that necessity (requirement for data or information) is well-defined; applying the scientific approach and a series of checkpoints on sensitivity, ethics and proportionality (quality, sample size, content and risk mitigation); considering alternative methods; and requiring a privacy impact assessment and communication throughout the process to ensure transparency.

Statistics Canada adopted a Responsible Privacy approach to honour the commitment made to Canadians to protect their personal information. These mechanisms help Statistics Canada to fulfill this commitment while ensuring that Canadians have all the key information on Canada's economy, society and environment that they require to function effectively as citizens and decision-makers in a rapidly evolving world.

Delegation instrument

The delegation instrument exercises the powers and functions of the Minister as the head of a government institution, pursuant to section 73 of the Privacy Act. The current detailed list of authorities under the Privacy Act has been formally delegated by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development as of May 18, 2021, (Appendix A) and provides full delegated authority to the Director and Assistant Director of the Office of Privacy Management and Information Coordination.

Resources

The Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Office operates within an allocation of 4.5 persons/year. One ATIP Manager, two Senior ATIP analysts, and two ATIP analysts work full time on the processing of requests.

Statistical report

The statistical report provides aggregate data on the application of the Privacy Act. This information is made public annually and is included with the annual report (Appendix B).

Implementation: Privacy

The Privacy Act has a substantial impact on Statistics Canada, but the impact cannot be measured only by the number of requests processed. Although society seeks a broader range of detailed information, it also demands more accountability on the part of government about the collection of personal information and the purposes served by the information.

The Agency has a strong track record of respecting the privacy of Canadians and has taken a number of initiatives to address the privacy challenges this dichotomy raises.

Statistics Canada has internal directives that reflect the basic principles found in the Privacy Act. The Agency's Directive on Informing Survey Respondents requires that all respondents be informed of the expected use of the statistics produced from the survey results, the authority under which the survey is taken, their obligation to respond, the confidentiality protection given to all information collected under the Statistics Act, and any data-sharing arrangements pursuant to provisions of the Statistics Act.

Statistics Canada also developed the Directive on Microdata Linkage to respond to concerns of both respondents and privacy advocates on the potential of matching an individual's information gathered from a variety of sources.

These two directives not only support compliance with the letter and the spirit of the Privacy Act, but also demonstrate the Agency's commitment to the protection and appropriate use of the personal information under its control, while still meeting its mandate.

The Agency has also developed and implemented a Necessity and Proportionality framework that ensures that any collection of personal information for its statistical programs is duly justified.

As we chart new paths and methods of collecting data, respecting and protecting the rightful privacy of Canadians sit at the heart of everything we do. Statistics Canada's Trust Centre underlines how we meet Canadians' information needs while keeping their data safe and private.

Recent unexpected events such as the pandemic and current societal changes (political, legislative, social and technological) are challenging Statistics Canada to adapt and lead as we continue our modernization journey and as we strive to meet the demands of a digital world in the 21st century.

Statistics Canada continues to work diligently to ensure that the confidentiality it has committed to in law and in principle, is upheld. This includes ensuring that privacy remains at the forefront of all our activities.

In the new reality of instant information over social media, meeting legal requirements is no longer sufficient. Institutions must pro-actively engage with Canadians regarding what is socially acceptable under a social contract.

Statistics Canada's very mandate requires that it produce information that helps Canadians better understand their country – its population, resources, economy, environment, society and culture. To achieve this, the Agency must collect a considerable amount of personal information directly from Canadians through surveys, or indirectly from private and public organizations. Parliament has given Statistics Canada this mandate to better serve Canadians, but with such authority comes great responsibility. Statistics Canada continually adjusts to new realities and adapts existing mechanisms, or develops new ones to protect Canadians' privacy and ensure that their data will not be misused. The Agency must demonstrate and provide assurances to Canadians that it can be trusted with their information.

As Statistics Canada continues to modernize, it is committing to Responsible Privacy. Responsible Privacy is instrumental in honouring our promise to diligently collect, use, disclose and protect Canadians' personal information. It ensures that we indefatigably strive to go beyond what is required, and encompasses innovative privacy checks and balances that ensure due diligence when handling personal information. It requires that privacy be imprinted in all our activities.

To foster the Responsible Privacy approach and meet the demands of a digital world in the 21st century, senior management at Statistics Canada has committed to a formalized Privacy Management Program (PMP).

Privacy Management Program

Image
Privacy Management Program
Description - Privacy Management Program

Statistics Canada

Privacy Management Program 

Oversight & Review

Assess & Revise

Program Controls as neccessary

Program Controls

Personal information inventory

Easy access by Canadians to their personal information

Directives, Policies & Procedures

Streamline governance to align with responsible privacy

Risk Assessments & Other Supporting Tools

Modernize Privacy Toolbox & streamline PIAs

Training, Education & Awareness

Educating Canadians on privacy in the statistical context

Breach & Incident Management Response Protocols

Simplified self-help kit/resources for staff; Active Monitoring

Client, Partner & Data Provider Management

Early intervention logic model & privacy triggers

External Communication

Modernized Privacy Portal

Organizational Commitment

Buy-in from the Top

Chief Privacy Officer

Office of Privacy Management (experts)

Reporting

While many of its components were already part of the Agency's regular activities, the PMP instils a systematic and strategic approach that reinforces our commitment to Canadians regarding their personal information.

Privacy requests

Disposition of requests completed

  • All disclosed: 9
  • Disclosed in part: 5
  • Nothing disclosed (exempt): 0
  • Does not exist: 15
  • Abandoned: 36
  • Total: 65

The Agency received 161 new requests in 2021-2022 and 36 requests were carried over from the previous reporting period. During this period, 65 requests were completed and 132 requests were carried forward to the next reporting period.

For 9 requests, information was disclosed completely and for 5 requests, information was partially disclosed, having redactions applied to protect personal information pertaining to other individuals. For 15 requests, the information did not exist, and 36 requests were abandoned as applicants did not respond to requests for additional information or chose to withdraw them entirely. The public is the largest privacy client group for Statistics Canada.

In addition to requests from the general public, the Agency receives requests from current and former federal public servants regarding personal or staff relations issues. Statistics Canada responds to a number of requests for personal information through its pension search program. This program provides members of the public with information from their own census records, and from the 1940 National Registration records, to support their applications for pensions, citizenship, passports and other services when other administrative records, such as birth certificates, are required but no longer exist or were never issued. Regulations permit duly authorized representatives to act on behalf of a minor or an incompetent person to administer their affairs or estate. To do so, the trustees and estate administrators seek personal information from the census or from 1940 national registration records of deceased individuals, minors, or dependent adults. In the case of the deceased, the administrator of the estate may exercise these rights, but only for the purposes of estate administration.

For the 2021-22 fiscal year, and in relation to the 2021 Census of Population, of the 161 new Privacy requests received, 81 were related to individuals requesting copies of their completed census questionnaires. It should be noted as well that, of the 132 requests carried over to the next fiscal year, 81 of those are due to the fact that extracts of the 2021 Census of Population information, are not yet available for distribution.

Responding to privacy requests involved reviewing more than 1,744 pages, of which 1,416 pages were released. Fourteen (14) requestors received information electronically by email or e-post and zero (0) requestors received the information in paper format.

Privacy requests
Fiscal Year Requests Received Requests Completed Number of Pages Processed Number of Pages Released
2021/2022 161 65 1,744 1,416
2020/2021 86 138 4,076 2,983
2019/2020 283 210 5,586 3,364
2018/2019 1,012 1,007 15,244 13,595
2017/2018 157 148 20,216 10,886

Other requests

During this period, Statistics Canada did not receive any Privacy Act consultation requests from other departments.

Disposition of completed requests

The disposition of the 65 requests completed in 2021-2022 was as follows:

  • 9 were fully disclosed (19%)
  • 5 were disclosed in part (3%)
  • 15 information did not exist (12%)
  • 36 were abandoned by applicants (66%)

Completion time and extensions

In 2021-2022 the number of privacy requests completed was 65 for an average of 313 over the last five years. Over half of all completed requests in 2021-22 (35 requests or 54%) processed in 2021-2022 were within the time period and as prescribed by the Act. Several factors contributed to the timely response; information and training sessions with senior leaders and sector contacts, and a streamlined delegation order. There were no extensions taken.

The 65 requests completed in 2021-2022 were processed in the following time frames:

  • 20 within 1 to 15 days (31%)
  • 15 within 16 to 30 days (23%)
  • 6 within 31 to 60 days (9%)
  • 2 within 61 to 120 days (3%)
  • 6 within 121 to 180 days (9%)
  • 11 within 181 to 365 days (17%)
  • 5 more than 365 days (8%)

Due to the exceptional measures taken to curb the spread of COVID-19 and to protect federal employees, Statistics Canada employees have been operating with significantly-reduced on-site workforces since April 2020. This impact brought forward new electronic changes to procedures that were implemented in order to facilitate the processing of requests remotely.

Exemptions invoked

In 2021-2022, one exemption was invoked as per the Privacy Act, which was as follows:

  • Section 26: Exempting personal information about individuals other than the requestor (5).

Costs

During 2021-2022, the ATIP Office incurred an estimated $79,421 in salary costs and 0$ in administrative costs to administer the Privacy Act. With the introduction of Statistics Canada's return to work place plan entitled "virtual-by-design environment" the ATIP division has been able to reduce administrative costs for the fiscal year 2021-22 by reducing the use of paper, completing virtual training courses, lowering the cost of travel and reducing the costs of office supplies.

Training initiatives for privacy

In 2021-2022, the Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Office began developing a formal training program for all staff across the Agency, which began in April 2020. Informal one-on-one training was made available, until such time as the formal training was implemented. The informal training assists staff in understanding their obligations under the Act, as well as informs them about policies and directives related to personal information at Statistics Canada.

Statistics Canada's Office of Privacy Management and Information Coordination offers courses on a variety of subjects related to the Statistics Act and the Privacy Act as well as supporting policies and directives. These include sessions on "Privacy Impact Assessment" and "Privacy and Confidentiality", with a focus on personal information collected about employees of Statistics Canada, clients or the public, and appropriate use of such personal information.

Statistics Canada also requires employees to complete computer-based courses on confidentiality. A mandatory course for new employees offers a brief overview of confidentiality, illustrating its importance at the Agency.

Policies, guidelines and procedures

The ATIP Office has a variety of tools in place to ensure that ATIP sector contacts are well informed about their roles and responsibilities for coordinating privacy requests. These tools include a concise checklist outlining steps to follow when providing responsive records for privacy requests, and a responsible contact from the ATIP team throughout the process. There are also a variety of directives and policies provided by the Treasury Board Secretariat, about the protection of personal information. Personal and confidential information is protected by the Privacy Act and the Statistics Act and will only be disclosed as permitted by these Acts.

Statistics Canada developed and published a privacy framework that identifies the full scope of privacy controls within the operations of Statistics Canada as a collection of approved practices, procedures and governance related to privacy. This includes the identification of the Director, Office of Privacy Management and Information Coordination, as the Chief Privacy Officer (CPO) for Statistics Canada, as designated by the Chief Statistician. The CPO provides leadership on matters related to privacy, develops business strategies and processes that ensure that privacy is considered and accounted for in business decision, and ensures the safeguarding of the information through administrative policy instruments and best practices.

Given its unique position in the federal government in collecting personal information solely for statistical and research purposes, Statistics Canada has determined that the privacy issues associated with its statistical activities undertaken under the authority of the Statistics Act could be addressed by means of a Generic Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA).

Although the Generic PIA is comprehensive and reflects the vast majority of Statistics Canada's operations, in the instance of extraordinary activities, specific PIAs are conducted with input from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC). Statistics Canada prepares supplements to the Generic PIA for all new and significantly redesigned surveys and statistical programs involving the collection, use or disclosure of personal information that raise unique or additional privacy, confidentiality or security risks that have not been addressed in the Generic PIA.

Complaints and investigations

There was one (1) time delay complaint made against Statistics Canada lodged with the OPC. The ATIP Office has responded to the complaint as identification was missing at the time from the complainant, and while the investigation has not yet been finalized, review of the records is on-going.

Monitoring of the requests

At Statistics Canada, the ATIP Office processes and monitors requests by registering them in a comprehensive system known as Privasoft – Access Pro Case Management. An acknowledgement of the request is sent to the client and a retrieval form is forwarded to the relevant program area, Office of Primary Interest (OPI), for responsive records. If the OPI and/or the ATIP Office need to clarify the request, the ATIP Office contacts the client.

The retrieval form was created by the ATIP Office at Statistics Canada and is based on the Policy on Privacy Protection and the Directive on Privacy Practices from the Treasury Board Secretariat. The form includes the text of the request, the name and phone number of the ATIP Officer, and the date by which records are required (normally 5 to 10 days). The form states that the ATIP Office is obligated to report annually on the administrative costs related to requests and thus information is needed on the group(s) and level(s) of those involved in the retrieval process, and the amount of time spent working on the request (including time for search, retrieval, internal review (relevant or not to the request) and photocopying). The individuals providing the records are asked to identify any areas which may be sensitive in nature (e.g., personal information, legal issues), and the Director General or responsible delegate of the program area signs the form.

The ATIP Office assists the program areas with the retrieval of records from day one. As 5 to 10 days are allowed for the retrieval, a follow-up is made on the fifth day. If additional time is required for the retrieval, this is when the program area is to notify the ATIP Office. An additional 1 to 5 days may be granted depending on the amount of work remaining. Once the documents are received from the OPI, the ATIP Office ensures the form is duly completed and that it has been signed by the appropriate manager. The ATIP Office takes 5 to 10 days to review and process the records. Once the work from the ATIP Office is completed, the final version is released to the client. The OPI and management are very aware of the importance of ATIP requests.

Privacy breaches

The Privacy and Information Breach Protocol provides clear identification of the various roles and responsibilities in the event of a breach. It includes the requirement to complete a standard template which incorporates the elements suggested in the Treasury Board Secretariat's guidelines on how to respond to a privacy breach. The template has been approved by the Agency's senior management. At a minimum, the incident report will contain the following information:

  • a description of the incident (who, what, when, where, why, how)
  • the actions already taken and planned for the future
  • a description of the risks/impacts
  • any other information that might be helpful in locating any lost item(s) or in assessing the consequences of loss or compromise
  • recommendations for reducing or eliminating the risk of the event reoccurring in future
  • information on whether the individuals or organizations whose information was breached were informed of the incident
  • indication if the individuals, Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) and Treasury Board Secretariat will be informed of the incident and if not, rationale for not informing them.

Best practices to eliminate or reduce future recurrences that are identified during an investigation must be communicated to other employees to prevent a recurrence of the breach.

Breaches are coordinated by a centralized group to ensure that all programs impacted by the breach provide input.

There were 18 privacy breaches at Statistics Canada during the reporting period, of which 3 were material in nature. A total of 410 people were affected by these 18 breaches. Amongst the 410 people affected, 200 were a result of 1 incident related to employment candidates email information that was not material in nature.

Three material breaches were reported to the OPC, affecting a total of 5 individuals:

  • A Census Enumerator's vehicle was stolen including two completed Census long-form questionnaires.
  • Two completed Census long-form questionnaires were stolen from a Census Enumerator's home during a break-in.
  • A minor's name was erroneously disclosed through an invitation letter to participate in a Statistics Canada survey.

Additional measures, specific to the areas which experienced a breach were implemented, including the following:

  • retraining of Census Enumerators on proper storage of Census materials;
  • exploring and updating methodologies for the creation of survey frames for all surveys involving children.

Privacy impact assessments

The Statistics Canada Directive on Conducting Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs) specifies the roles and responsibilities of its senior managers and privacy specialists with regard to the collection, use and dissemination of personal information. This directive applies to all statistical and non-statistical programs that engage in the collection, use or disclosure of personal information.

Statistics Canada's Generic PIA covers all aspects of the Agency's statistical programs that collect, use and disseminate information in support of the mandate under the Statistics Act. The Generic PIA addresses the ten privacy principles, and includes a threat and risk assessment for various collection and access modes.

Supplements to the Generic PIA are produced for new and significantly redesigned collections, uses or disclosures of personal information that raise unique or additional privacy, confidentiality or security risks. The Generic PIA and its supplements are posted on the Statistics Canada website: Generic privacy impact assessment.

Specific PIAs are also conducted for new or redesigned administrative programs and services that involve the collection, use and disclosure of personal information that are not addressed in the Generic PIA. Summaries of completed privacy impact assessments can be found on the Statistics Canada website: Privacy impact assessments.

In the current reporting period, 6 PIAs and 10 supplements were approved and submitted to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner and the Treasury Board Secretariat. The following are brief descriptions:

Client Relationship Management System

A PIA was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality or security issues associated with updates to Statistics Canada's Client Relationship Management (CRM) system. Statistics Canada has been leveraging a Client Relationship Management (CRM) solution to help support the provision of client service delivery, business respondent relations, microdata access and Census respondent relations. The CRM system was updated to adapt to new realities and to support a strategic, holistic and consistent approach to the collection of quality client business intelligence data that can help to strategically respond to clients' needs and better serve Canadians. The assessment did not identify any privacy risks that cannot be managed using existing safeguards.

Employee Wellness Surveys and Pulse Check Surveys

A PIA was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality or security issues associated with the Employee Wellness Surveys and associated Pulse Check Surveys. These internal surveys are administered only to Statistics Canada and Statistical Survey Operations employees and seek to offer up-to-date and representative measurement of the state of Statistics Canada's psychological health and safety. The results help the organization better understand where challenges to psychological health and safety reside, where resources to help bolster psychological health and safety exist, and how to best improve overall psychological health and safety, and ultimately, performance. The assessment did not identify any privacy risks that cannot be managed using existing safeguards.

Engaging Disability Innovation Study

A PIA was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality or security issues associated with the Engaging Disability Innovation Study which consists of the quantitative Employment and Accessibility Survey and associated qualitative asynchronous online engagement. This internal study is conducted only with Statistics Canada and Statistical Survey Operations employees. It aims to help Statistics Canada's Accessibility Secretariat understand where challenges of accessibility and safety reside, where resources to help bolster accessibility exist, and how to best improve overall accessibility of Statistics Canada's recruitment, retention and promotion process, operational practices, and ultimately, employee performance. The assessment did not identify any privacy risks that cannot be managed using existing safeguards.

Meltwater: Social Media Communications Tool

A PIA was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality or security issues associated with Statistics Canada's use of the Meltwater Social Media Communications Tool. The tool serves to search, monitor and analyze social media and traditional media traffic on issues and topics relevant to Statistics Canada. Using Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), Meltwater performs searches of social and traditional media content based on specific search query keywords relevant to the agency's mandate, indexes the related information found and then presents the results to the agency. The use of Meltwater allows the Agency to better understand current opinion, sentiment and overall conversation on specific Statistics Canada issues to create communications products that resonate with target audiences. While information publicly posted by social media users could include information such as profile picture, comments or opinions, personal preferences or interests, only information pertinent to public relations and communications are retained and used, and are never disseminated in identifiable format. The reports generated through Meltwater only include information in aggregate non-identifiable form. The assessment did not identify any privacy risks that cannot be managed using existing safeguards.

Microsoft 365

A PIA was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality or security issues associated with the implementation of Microsoft 365. Microsoft 365 is an enterprise-level, cloud-based version of the Microsoft office productivity tools for creating documents, presentations, and spreadsheets, for internal communications, for managing emails, for work planning, and for other common administrative tasks. This integrated suite of tools supports the daily activities of Statistics Canada's employees, including collaboration within the organization. The assessment did not identify any privacy risks that cannot be managed using existing safeguards.

Vitali-T-Stat Mobile Application

A PIA was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality or security issues associated with the Vitali-T-Stat Mobile Application. Statistics Canada developed and implemented a mobile application as a new means of inviting respondents to access the agency's secure survey collection infrastructure and complete a survey. The application itself does not collect any personal information; it simply prompts respondents and points them to the secure collection environment housed at Statistics Canada where they complete the survey questionnaire. The application does not utilise geo-location tracking, camera or microphone access, calendar integration, barcode scanning or beacon technology. It will first be used in the context of the longitudinal Pilot Study on Everyday Well-being which will collect data on the well-being of Canadians, and for which a separate supplement to Statistics Canada's Generic PIA supplement was developed. The assessment did not identify any privacy risks that cannot be managed using existing safeguards.

2021 Census of Population

A supplement to the Generic PIA was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality or security issues associated with new content for the 2021 Census of Population. The Census of Population's purpose is to provide statistical information, analyses and services that measure changes in the Canadian population and demographic characteristics. It serves as a basis for public and private decision making, research and analysis in areas of concern to the people of Canada. Under the Statistics Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. S-19), Statistics Canada is responsible for conducting the Census of Population every five years. As in past censuses, extensive consultations on the questions to include in the 2021 Census of Population were held with Canadians. New and modified questions, developed to reflect new needs identified in the consultations, were qualitatively tested by Statistics Canada in 2018. The assessment concluded that, with the existing Statistics Canada safeguards, any remaining risks are such that Statistics Canada is prepared to accept and manage the risk.

Canadian Child Welfare Information System

A supplement to the Generic PIA was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality or security issues associated with the Canadian Child Welfare Information System. The CCWIS is a national public health information system on child welfare, and its purpose is to support nationally standardized analyses and reporting on child maltreatment; investigations and outcomes; the number of children in need of protection; and passage through the child welfare system, including referral to services, placement in foster care, connections to family, reunification, and other requests for family services. Data on these issues inform regional and national child welfare prevention and protection policies and practices. Data-informed child welfare is crucial to protect and improve the lives of many Canadian children and their families. The assessment concluded that, with the existing Statistics Canada safeguards, any remaining risks are such that Statistics Canada is prepared to accept and manage the risk.

Supplement to the Canadian COVID-19 Antibody and Health Survey for Cycle 2

A supplement to the Canadian COVID-19 Antibody and Health Survey was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality or security issues associated with Cycle 2 of the survey. The content of the Cycle 2 questionnaire is slightly different, and includes, in addition to gathering information on COVID-19 status and related health concerns, questions on use of the health care system, prescribed medications, active infections (nucleic acid-based testing) and previous infections (antibody testing). Participants may also be asked to participate in a self-administered collection of microbial nucleic acids from saliva. The collected specimen would be used to assess current SARS-CoV-2 infection status via a polymerase chain-reaction (PCR) test. Only with informed consent from respondents, results from the PCR test are sent to the respondents and local health authorities may be notified when results are positive. All other personal information collected is the same as in the previous cycle of the survey. The assessment concluded that, with the existing Statistics Canada safeguards, any remaining risks are such that Statistics Canada is prepared to accept and manage the risk.

Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline Feasibility Study Data Acquisition Project

A supplement to the Generic PIA was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality or security issues associated with the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline Feasibility Study Data Acquisition Project. In response to the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking's call for enhanced data to help inform policy and programs that help victims and survivors, Statistics Canada is working with the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking to acquire and examine administrative data related to their operation of the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline. The hotline has specific procedures in place to seek consent from callers and to inform why and how their information will be used. No information that directly identifies a victim or caller will be provided to Statistics Canada, and the agency will not publish any information that could potentially identify an individual based on the characteristics of victims or location of incidents. The assessment concluded that, with the existing Statistics Canada safeguards, any remaining risks are such that Statistics Canada is prepared to accept and manage the risk.

Childhood National Immunization Coverage Survey

A supplement to the Generic PIA was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality or security issues associated with the Childhood National Immunization Coverage Survey. The main objectives of this survey are to determine if children are being vaccinated in accordance with the recommended immunization schedules for publicly-funded vaccines and to measure to what degree recent public health recommendations are being adopted to increase vaccination against the flu and pertussis during pregnancy. Results help health authorities focus vaccination campaigns for the under-vaccinated and vulnerable populations. Results also allow Canada to meet its commitment to provide the World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organization with estimates of national coverage for childhood vaccines such as measles, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus and polio. For the 2021 cycle, questions were added to help understand the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on immunization and vaccine coverage for children and pregnant women. The assessment concluded that with the existing Statistics Canada safeguards, any remaining risks are such that Statistics Canada is prepared to accept and manage the risk.

Update to the Longitudinal Immigration Database

A supplement to the Generic PIA was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality or security issues associated with updates to the Longitudinal Immigration Database. The Database was implemented in 1997, and integrates immigration and citizenship data provided by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada with tax information provided by the Canada Revenue Agency. It is used for statistical research on the socioeconomic performance of non-permanent residents and immigrants in Canada, and supports public policy development on population migration, cultural diversity and the challenges of immigrant integration. The Database originally only included permanent resident data for immigrants admitted since 1980, and did not include information on non-permanent residents. With this update to the Database, coverage has been expanded to include immigrants admitted since 1952, and non-permanent residents. Statistics Canada only releases anonymized, aggregated statistical information on immigrants and non-permanent residents. Individuals will not be identifiable in any product disseminated to the public. The assessment concluded that with the existing Statistics Canada safeguards, any remaining risks are such that Statistics Canada is prepared to accept and manage the risk.

Mental Health and Access to Care Survey

A supplement to the Generic PIA was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality or security issues associated with the Mental Health and Access to Care Survey. This voluntary survey collects information about the mental health status of Canadians, as well as their access to and need for services and support, whether formal or informal. It also assesses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on population health as well as evaluate changes in patterns of mental health, service use and functioning in the last ten years. Results help inform government decision‐making and policy development in order to support vulnerable Canadians and their families dealing with mental health issues. Survey results regarding the unmet need for mental-health services also help guide decisions about which parts of the mental-health services system need to be improved, where awareness and treatment programs are most needed, and how such targeted treatment programs should be developed. The assessment concluded that with the existing Statistics Canada safeguards, any remaining risks are such that Statistics Canada is prepared to accept and manage the risk.

Pilot Study on Everyday Well-Being

A supplement to the Generic PIA was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality or security issues associated with the Pilot Study on Everyday Well-Being. Canadians who opt to participate in this voluntary pilot study are asked to download Statistics Canada's mobile application (Vitali-T-Stat) and customize their setting to receive up to a maximum of five prompts a day over a thirty day period. Upon receiving and accepting a prompt, respondents are redirected to Statistics Canada's secure collection infrastructure and the Pilot Study on Everyday Well-being questionnaire that asks in-the-moment questions about their activities and feelings. The app itself, for which a PIA was conducted, does not collect any personal information. The results are used to fill key gaps in national-level subjective well-being and can inform governments' decisions regarding publicly-funded cultural and other programs that contribute to Canadians' well-being. The assessment concluded that with the existing Statistics Canada safeguards, any remaining risks are such that Statistics Canada is prepared to accept and manage the risk.

Survey of Employees under Federal Jurisdiction

A supplement to the Generic PIA was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality or security issues associated with the Survey of Employees under Federal Jurisdiction. This voluntary targeted survey collects information on the quality of employees' work conditions, access to benefits and flexible work arrangements, labour relations, work-related well-being and workplace health and safety including harassment and discrimination. The information from this survey guides research and analysis to update the Canada Labour Code. The assessment concluded that with the existing Statistics Canada safeguards, any remaining risks are such that Statistics Canada is prepared to accept and manage the risk.

Survey on Health Care Workers' Experiences During the Pandemic

A supplement to the Generic PIA was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality or security issues associated with the Survey on Health Care Workers' Experiences During the Pandemic. The purpose of this voluntary survey is to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care workers in Canada. It covers topics such as job type and setting, personal protective equipment and infection prevention and control practices and protocols, COVID-19 vaccination and diagnosis, and the impacts of the pandemic on personal health and work life. It also includes general demographic questions. The results of this survey help inform health care workforce planning, the delivery of health care services, and to better understand what health care workers need in terms of equipment, training and support. The assessment concluded that with the existing Statistics Canada safeguards, any remaining risks are such that Statistics Canada is prepared to accept and manage the risk.

Microdata linkage

As outlined in Statistics Canada's Directive on Microdata Linkage, linkages of different records pertaining to the same individual are carried out only for statistical purposes and only in cases where the public good is clearly evident. One of the primary objectives of these linkages is to produce statistical information that facilitates a better understanding of Canadian society, the economy and the environment.

All microdata linkage proposals must satisfy a prescribed review process as outlined in the directive. In addition to demonstrating the public benefit, each submission must provide details of the output. The public dissemination of any information resulting from microdata linkage, like all other statistical information, is only at an aggregate level which protects the confidentiality of the information of individuals.

In 2021-2022, there were 27 approved microdata linkages that involved personal information. A summary of these record linkages is found in Appendix C.

8(2)(m) of the Privacy Act

No disclosures were made under paragraph 8(2)(m) of the Privacy Act during the reporting period.

Appendix A: Delegation Order

Access to Information and Privacy Acts Delegation Order

The Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, pursuant to section 73 of the Access to Information Act and section 73 of the Privacy Act, hereby designates the persons holding the positions set out in the schedule hereto, or the persons occupying on an acting basis those positions, to exercise the powers and functions of the Minister as the head of Statistics Canada, under the section of the Act set out in the schedule opposite each position. This Delegation Order supersedes all previous Delegation Orders.

Schedule

Schedule
Position Access to Information Act and Regulations Privacy Act and Regulations
Chief Statistician of Canada Full authority Full authority
Chief of Staff, Office of the Chief Statistician Full authority Full authority
Director, Office of Privacy Management and Information Coordination Full authority Full authority
Assistant Director, Office of Privacy Management and Information Coordination Full authority Full authority
Senior Access to Information and Privacy Project Manager Sections: 7(a), 8(1), 9, 11(2), 11(3), 11(4), 11(5), 11(6), 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27(1), 27(4), 28(1)(b), 28(2), 28(4), 68, 69, 71(1)
Regulations:
Sections: 6(1), 7(1), 7(2), 7(3), 8, 8.1
Sections: 8(2)(j), 8(2)(m), 10, 14, 15, 17(2)(b), 17(3)(b), 18(2), 19(1), 19(2), 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 70
Regulations:
Sections: 9, 11(2), 11(4), 13(1), 14
Senior Access to Information and Privacy Project Manager Sections: 7(a), 8(1), 9, 11(2), 11(3), 11(4), 11(5), 11(6), 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27(1), 27(4), 28(1)(b), 28(2), 28(4), 68, 69, 71(1)
Regulations:
Sections: 6(1), 7(1), 7(2), 7(3), 8, 8.1
Sections: 8(2)(j), 8(2)(m), 10, 14, 15, 17(2)(b), 17(3)(b), 18(2), 19(1), 19(2), 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 70
Regulations:
Sections: 9, 11(2), 11(4), 13(1), 14
Analyst, Access to Information and Privacy Sections: 7(a), 8(1), 9, 11(2), 11(3), 11(4), 11(5), 11(6), 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27(1), 27(4), 28(1)(b), 28(2), 28(4), 68, 69, 71(1)
Regulations:
Sections: 6(1), 7(1), 7(2), 7(3), 8, 8.1
Sections: 8(2)(j), 8(2)(m), 10, 14, 15, 17(2)(b), 17(3)(b), 18(2), 19(1), 19(2), 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 70
Regulations:
Sections: 9, 11(2), 11(4), 13(1), 14
Intake Officer, Access to Information and Privacy Sections 7(a), 8(1), 9, 11(2), 11(3), 11(4), 11(5), 11(6), 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27(1), 27(4), 28(1)(b), 28(2), 28(4), 68, 69, 71(1)
Regulations:
Sections: 6(1), 7(1), 7(2), 7(3), 8, 8.1
Sections: 8(2)(j), 8(2)(m), 10, 14, 15, 17(2)(b), 17(3)(b), 18(2), 19(1), 19(2), 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 70
Regulations:
Sections: 9, 11(2), 11(4), 13(1), 14

The original version was signed by
The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne
Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
Dated, at the City of Ottawa
May 18, 2021

Appendix B: Statistical Report on the Privacy Act

Name of institution: Statistics Canada

Reporting period: 2021-04-01 to 2022-03-31

Section 1: Requests Under the Privacy Act

1.1 Number of requests recevied

Number of requests recevied
  Number of Requests
Received during reporting period   161
Outstanding from previous reporting periods   36
Outstanding from previous reporting period 35  
Outstanding from more than one reporting period 1  
Total   197
Closed during reporting period   65
Carried over to next reporting period   132
Carried over within legislated timeline 1  
Carried over beyond legislated timeline 131  

1.2 Channels of requests

Channels of requests
Source Number of Requests
Online 109
E-mail 0
Mail 52
In person 0
Phone 0
Fax 0
Total 161

Section 2: Informal requests

2.1 Number of requests received

Number of requests recevied
  Number of Requests
Received during reporting period   0
Outstanding from previous reporting periods   0
Outstanding from previous reporting period 0  
Outstanding from more than one reporting period 0  
Total   0
Closed during reporting period   0
Carried over to next reporting period   0

2.2 Channels of informal requests

Channels of informal requests
Source Number of Requests
Online 0
E-mail 0
Mail 0
In person 0
Phone 0
Fax 0
Total 0

2.3 Completion time of informal requests

Completion time of informal requests
1 to 15 Days 16 to 30 Days 31 to 60 Days 61 to 120 Days 121 to 180 Days 181 to 365 Days More Than 365 Days Total
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

2.4 Pages released informally

Pages released informally
Less Than 100 Pages Released 101-500 Pages Released 501-1000 Pages Released 1001-5000 Pages Released More Than 5000 Pages Released
Number of Requests Pages Released Number of Requests Pages Released Number of Requests Pages Released Number of Requests Pages Released Number of Requests Pages Released
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Section 3: Requests Closed During the Reporting Period

3.1 Disposition and completion time

Disposition and completion time
Disposition of Requests Completion Time
1 to 15 Days 16 to 30 Days 31 to 60 Days 61 to 120 Days 121 to 180 Days 181 to 365 Days More Than 365 Days Total
All Disclosed 4 3 0 1 0 1 0 9
Disclosed in part 0 1 2 0 1 0 1 5
All exempted 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
No records exist 5 6 3 0 1 0 0 15
Request abandoned 11 5 1 1 4 10 4 36
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 20 15 6 2 6 11 5 65

3.2 Exemptions

Exemptions
Section Number of Requests
18(2) 0
19(1)(a) 0
19(1)(b) 0
19(1)(c) 0
19(1)(d) 0
19(1)(e) 0
19(1)(f) 0
20 0
21 0
22(1)(a)(i) 0
22(1)(a)(ii) 0
22(1)(a)(iii) 0
22(1)(b) 0
22(1)(c) 0
22(2) 0
22.1 0
22.2 0
22.3 0
22.4 0
23(a) 0
23(b) 0
24(a) 0
24(b) 0
25 0
26 0
27 0
27.1 0
28 0

3.3 Exclusions

Exclusions
Section Number of Requests
69(1)(a) 0
69(1)(b) 0
69.1 0
70(1) 0
70(1)(a) 0
70(1)(b) 0
70(1)(c) 0
70(1)(d) 0
70(1)(e) 0
70(1)(f) 0
70.1 0

3.4 Format of information released

Format of information released
Paper Electronic Other
E-record Data set Video Audio
0 14 0 0 0 0

3.5 Complexity

3.5.1 Relevant pages processed and disclosed for paper and e-record formats

Relevant pages processed and disclosed
Number of Pages Processed Number of Pages Disclosed Number of Requests
1744 1416 50

3.5.2 Relevant pages processed by request disposition for paper and e-record formats by size of requests

Relevant pages processed and disclosed by size of requests
Disposition Less Than 100 Pages Processed 101-500 Pages Processed 501-1000 Pages Processed 1001-5000 Pages Processed More Than 5000 Pages Processed
Number of Requests Pages Processed Number of Requests Pages Processed Number of Requests Pages Processed Number of Requests Pages Processed Number of Requests Pages Processed
All disclosed 9 76 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Disclosed in part 4 65 0 0 0 0 0 1603 0 0
All exempted 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Request abandoned 36 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 49 141 0 0 0 0 1 1603 0 0

3.5.3 Relevant minutes processed and disclosed for audio formats

Relevant minutes processed and disclosed for audio formats
Number of Minutes Processed Number of Minutes Disclosed Number of Requests
0 0 0

3.5.4 Relevant minutes processed per request disposition for audio formats by size of requests

Relevant minutes processed per request disposition for audio formats by size of requests
Disposition Less than 60 Minutes processed 60-120 Minutes processed More than 120 Minutes processed
Number of requests Minutes Processed Number of requests Minutes Processed Number of requests Minutes Processed
All disclosed 0 0 0 0 0 0
Disclosed in part 0 0 0 0 0 0
All exempted 0 0 0 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0 0 0 0
Request abandoned 0 0 0 0 0 0
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0

3.5.5 Relevant minutes processed and disclosed for video formats

Relevant minutes processed and disclosed for video formats
Number of Minutes Processed Number of Minutes Disclosed Number of Requests
0 0 0

3.5.6 Relevant minutes processed per request disposition for video formats by size of requests

Relevant minutes processed per request disposition for audio formats by size of requests
Disposition Less than 60 Minutes processed 60-120 Minutes processed More than 120 Minutes processed
Number of requests Minutes Processed Number of requests Minutes Processed Number of requests Minutes Processed
All disclosed 0 0 0 0 0 0
Disclosed in part 0 0 0 0 0 0
All exempted 0 0 0 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0 0 0 0
Request abandoned 0 0 0 0 0 0
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0

3.5.7 Other complexities

Other complexities
Disposition Consultation Required Legal Advice Sought Interwoven Information Other Total
All disclosed 0 0 0 0 0
Disclosed in part 0 0 0 0 0
All exempted 0 0 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0 0 0
Request abandoned 0 0 0 0 0
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0

3.6 Closed requests

3.6.1 Number of requests closed within legislated timelines

Number of requests closed within legislated timelines
Number of requests closed within legislated timelines 35
Percentage of requests closed within legislated timelines (%) 53.84615385

3.7 Deemed refusals

3.7.1 Reasons for not meeting legislated timelines

Reasons for not meeting legislated timelines
Number of requests closed past the legislated timelines Principal Reason
Interference with operations / Workload External Consultation Internal Consultation Other
30 30 0 0 0

3.7.2 Request closed beyond legislated timelines (including any extension taken)

Number of requests closed within legislated timelines
Number of days past legislated timelines Number of requests past legislated timeline where no extension was taken Number of requests past legislated timeline where an extension was taken Total
1 to 15 days 6 0 6
16 to 30 days 2 0 2
31 to 60 days 3 0 3
61 to 120 days 3 0 3
121 to 180 days 5 0 5
181 to 365 days 6 0 6
More than 365 days 5 0 5
Total 30 0 30

3.8 Requests for translation

Number of requests closed within legislated timelines
Translation Requests Accepted Refused Total
English to French  0 0 0
French to English  0 0 0
Total 0 0 0

Section 4: Disclosures Under Subsections 8(2) and 8(5)

Number of requests closed within legislated timelines
Paragraph 8(2)(e) Paragraph 8(2)(m) Subsection 8(5) Total
0 0 0 0

Section 5: Requests for Correction of Personal Information and Notations

Number of requests closed within legislated timelines
Disposition for Correction Requests Received Number
Notations attached 0
Requests for correction accepted 0
Total 0

Section 6: Extensions

6.1 Reasons for extensions

Reasons for extensions
Number of requests where an extension was taken 15(a)(i) Interference with operations 15 (a)(ii) Consultation  15(b)
Translation purposes or conversion
Further review required to determine exemptions Large volume of pages Large volume of requests Documents are difficult to obtain Cabinet ConfidenceSection (Section 70) External Internal
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

6.2 Length of extensions

Reasons for extensions
Number of requests where an extension was taken 15(a)(i) Interference with operations 15 (a)(ii) Consultation  15(b)
Translation purposes or conversion
Further review required to determine exemptions Large volume of pages Large volume of requests Documents are difficult to obtain Cabinet ConfidenceSection (Section 70) External Internal
1 to 15 days 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
16 to 30 days 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
31 days or greater  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Section 7: Consultations Received From Other Institutions and Organizations

7.1 Consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions and other organizations

Other complexities
Consultations Other Government of Canada Institutions Number of Pages to Review Other Organizations Number of Pages to Review
Received during the reporting period 0 0 0 0
Outstanding from the previous reporting period 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0
Closed during the reporting period 0 0 0 0
Carried over within negotiated timelines 0 0 0 0
Carried over beyond negotiated timelines 0 0 0 0

7.2 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions

Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions
Recommendation Number of days required to complete consultation requests
1 to 15 Days 16 to 30 Days 31 to 60 Days 61 to 120 Days 121 to 180 Days 181 to 365 Days More Than 365 Days Total
Disclose entirely 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Disclose in part 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Exempt entirely 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Exclude entirely 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Consult other institution 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

7.3 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other organizations outside the Government of Canada

Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other organizations outside the Government of Canada
Recommendation Number of days required to complete consultation requests
1 to 15 Days 16 to 30 Days 31 to 60 Days 61 to 120 Days 121 to 180 Days 181 to 365 Days More Than 365 Days Total
Disclose entirely 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Disclose in part 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Exempt entirely 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Exclude entirely 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Consult other institution 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Section 8: Completion Time of Consultations on Cabinet Confidences

8.1 Requests with Legal Services

Requests with Legal Services
Number of Days Fewer Than 100 Pages Processed 101-500 Pages Processed 501-1000 Pages Processed 1001-5000 Pages Processed More Than 5000 Pages Processed
Number of Requests Pages Disclosed Number of Requests Pages Disclosed Number of Requests Pages Disclosed Number of Requests Pages Disclosed Number of Requests Pages Disclosed
1 to 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
16 to 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
31 to 60 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
61 to 120 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
121 to 180 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
181 to 365 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
More than 365 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

8.2 Requests with Privy Council Office

Requests with Privy Council Office
Relevant pages processed and disclosed by size of requests Fewer Than 100 Pages Processed 101-500 Pages Processed 501-1000 Pages Processed 1001-5000 Pages Processed More Than 5000 Pages Processed
Number of Requests Pages Disclosed Number of Requests Pages Disclosed Number of Requests Pages Disclosed Number of Requests Pages Disclosed Number of Requests Pages Disclosed
1 to 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
16 to 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
31 to 60 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
61 to 120 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
121 to 180 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
181 to 365 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
More than 365 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Section 9: Complaints and Investigations Notices Received

Complaints and Investigations Notices Received
Section 31 Section 33 Section 35 Court action Total
0 0 0 0 0

Section 10: Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs) and Personal Information Banks (PIBs)

10.1 Privacy Impact Assessments

Privacy Impact Assessments
Number of PIAs completed 16
Number of PIAs modified 0

10.2 Institution-specific and Central Personal Information Banks

Complaints and Investigations Notices Received
Personal Information Banks Active Created Terminated Modified
Institution-specific 54 0 0 0
Central 0 0 0 0
Total 54 0 0 0

Section 11: Privacy Breaches

11.1 Material Privacy Breaches reported

Material Privacy Breaches reported
Number of material privacy breaches reported to TBS 3
Number of material privacy breaches reported to OPC 3

11.2 Non-Material Privacy Breaches

Non-Material Privacy Breaches
Number of non-material privacy breaches 15

Section 12: Resources Related to the Privacy Act

12.1 Allocated Costs

Non-Material Privacy Breaches
Expenditures Amount
Salaries $79,421
Overtime $0
Goods and Services $0
Professional services contracts $0  
Other $0
Total $79,421

12.2 Human Resources

Human Resources
Resources Person Years Dedicated to Privacy Activities
Full-time employees 1.135
Part-time and casual employees 0.000
Regional staff 0.000
Consultants and agency personnel 0.000
Students 0.000
Total 1.135
Note: Enter values to three decimal places.

Appendix C: Microdata linkages 2021-2022

Approved record linkages containing personal information

Canadian Forces Cancer and Mortality Study II (CF CAMS II) and the Veteran Suicide Mortality Study (VSMS) (005-2021)

Purpose: Canadian Forces (CF) are tasked with protecting Canada and its citizens from threats to security. CF members may be involved in combat, peace-keeping and observer missions, post-conflict peace building and humanitarian assistance. The very nature of these operations can pose unusual and uncommon exposures with known and unknown risks. Adverse outcomes, including death, may be immediate or delayed. In order to identify risks, Department of National Defence (DND) and Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) must be able to conduct on-going analysis and interpretation of health information for CF personnel during and after their active military service period.

DND and VAC do not currently have access to complete information on mortality and cancer outcomes of serving and retired CF personnel.

The Canadian Forces Cancer and Mortality Study II, and the Veteran Suicide Mortality Study address major gaps in the health surveillance of CF personnel (serving and released). The general objectives of the studies are to describe the mortality and cancer experience in order to inform:

  • Health promotion and health protection policies and programs for serving personnel
  • Programs that deliver care for veterans (released), and their families.

Output: Only aggregate tabular statistics that conform to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act and any applicable requirements of the Privacy Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada.

Findings from the Canadian Forces Cancer and Mortality Study, and the Veterans Suicide Mortality Study will be disseminated through DND and VAC publications, in peer-reviewed journals, through Veterans Associations publications and in scientific meetings/conferences. All information and reports will contain non-confidential aggregate statistics that will not result in the identification of individual members. If required, additional presentations of study results will be provided by the Canadian Forces Health Services Group at DND to CF leadership and employees; and by VAC's Research Directorate to the Department of Veterans Affairs' leadership and employees.

Record linkages for the 2021 Census of Population (007-2021)

Purpose: The purpose of this linkage project is to obtain specific detailed information to supplement or replace the data collected through the 2021 Census questionnaires and to improve overall the data quality of the Census Program. This use of record linkage provides better-quality, detailed information for small communities and populations, saves time and money, and ensures that the census remains accurate, relevant and efficient. By expanding the use of administrative data in the 2021 Census through record linkage, the burden of response is also reduced as Canadians are spared from supplying the same information they have already provided elsewhere.

Output: The data from these linkages are integrated with collected census data and used to produce estimates for dissemination as part of the standard census product line. Outputs for the census include a wide range of analysis and standard data tables, as well as custom tabulations. Only aggregate statistical estimates and analyses conforming to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act and any applicable requirements of the Privacy Act are released outside of Statistics Canada.

Linkage of emergency and recovery programs and other administrative files with individual and family characteristics from the 2016 Census and selected household surveys (008-2021)

Purpose: This linkage project will help to measure the extent of income support provided during the pandemic. This project will benefit all Canadians on various levels.

Canadians will be better informed to discuss the context surrounding the measures. Furthermore, it will inform discussions about diversity and equity. In addition, it will provide relevant information to the academic community and policy-makers to better serve Canadians.

It will be possible to obtain the level of participation in the programs compared with all workers in the previous year. The integration of selected sociocultural characteristics, level of education and labour market activities that are not available in the administrative databases will enable the analysis to focus on vulnerable or discriminated populations as well as persons with a disability.

Output: To ensure compliance with the provisions of the Statistics Act and the Privacy Act, any data that will be published outside Statistics Canada and its network of Research Data Centres will first be assessed against pre-established confidentiality rules and will be censored to comply with these suppression criteria.

Once these statistical products are certified as compliant with the suppression rules, they will be verified with partner agencies and, where appropriate, published on the Statistics Canada's website.

The products will include a series of characteristic tables in spring 2021. Written analyses will follow.

Ontario Social Assistance Data Linkage Project (009-2021)

Purpose: The Ontario Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services has elaborated a research plan focusing on a better understanding of the characteristics of social assistance recipients, the recipients' interactions with the social assistance and income security systems and the impact of social assistance across a range of recipient outcomes. The project focuses in particular on the earnings, income, and health trajectories of social assistance recipients and their dependents before, during, and after their time in Ontario's caseload. As part of this project, a linkage between the Ontario Social Assistance Member Information File to multiple administrative sources held by Statistics Canada will be performed. The development of analytical research projects are also expected to help researchers, the general public and government to understand and to improve assistance policies or programs.

Output: The analysis file, once identifiers are removed, and the linkage keys will be placed in the Research Data Centre (RDC) network where deemed employees will be able to conduct specific analyses.

All access to the linked microdata file will be restricted to Statistics Canada personnel (including Statistics Canada deemed employees) whose work activities require access. Research reports and presentations to various groups will be generated from the analysis files. Only non-confidential aggregate data or tables conforming to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act and any applicable requirements of the Privacy Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada.

The impact of preterm birth on socioeconomic and educational outcomes of children and families (010-2021)

Purpose: To account for the complex nature of the data and outcomes, we will employ longitudinal methods, multistate models and parametric survival models. We will answer the following questions:

  1. What is the impact of preterm birth on short-term outcomes such as family income, maternal labor market participation, and maternal educational attainment?
  2. What is the impact of preterm birth on long-term outcomes such as the preterm-birth survivor's educational attainment and income?

Output: Only aggregate data that conform to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada. Analytical datasets will be placed in the Research Data Centres (RDCs) and access will be granted following the standard RDC approval process. The source datasets will be anonymized and will respect variable restrictions in effect for the source datasets (e.g., hospital, vital statistics, and tax files). Major findings will be used to create research papers for publication in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at workshops and conferences.

Linkage of the 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD) to select T1FF data and Disability Tax Certificate (DTC) holders. (011-2021)

Purpose: The federal personal income tax system recognizes the additional costs borne by persons with disabilities and provides tax relief to this population through several tax expenditures (e.g., the Disability Tax Credit (DTC)). However, due to the specific eligibility criteria of these measures, using them as proxies for identifying persons with disabilities in tax data may underestimate this population in Canada. On the other hand, while the Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD) may allow a better identification of persons with disabilities, it contains few details on the disability benefit programs such as the DTC. Using these two data sources separately limits the ability to study the impacts of federal income tax expenditures on persons with disabilities.

Output: Results from this data linkage will inform around the current economic context for persons with disabilities in Canada and be instrumental in the development of the Government of Canada's Disability Inclusion Action Plan.

Addition of the Diversity and Skills Database (DSD) to the Linkable File Environment (LFE) of Statistics Canada (012-2021)

Purpose: The purpose of the project is to better understand the ownership and employee characteristics of Canadian enterprises, particularly those supported by the federal government. In the initial usage of this linkage, to be conducted by Statistics Canada's Economic Analysis Division in conjunction with the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) of Canada at Statistics Canada's Business Data Access Centre, ownership and employee characteristics of government-supported enterprises in the Business Innovation and Growth Support (BIGS) program will be analysed. This will allow TBS and federal policy makers to determine if the demographic distribution of federal business funding is equitable, reasonable and fair, and how it should be adjusted to maximize the common good of all sectors of Canadian society.

Output: Only non-confidential aggregate statistical outputs and analysis that conform to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside Statistics Canada.

These outputs will include aggregate statistical tabulations showing diversity and skills characteristics of owners and employees of enterprises in government support programs such as those included in the Business Innovation and Growth Support program conducted by Statistics Canada on behalf of TBS. The characteristics currently in the DSD are gender, age, immigration status, and business experience.

Military Veteran Status File (013-2021)

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to establish, for the first time, a longitudinal status file that captures all Veterans who have served in the Canadian Armed Forces. This information will be used to expand the research and analysis on the socio-economic status of the entire Veteran population and their families.

Output: Only non-confidential data and analytical products, conforming to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act and any applicable requirements of the Privacy Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada.

Integration of parent and child records from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY) to data from the T1 Family File (T1FF). (014-2021)

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to answer numerous questions related to parents and children and their outcomes over time, including those that require a long period of observation. These answers can help to improve government program design (for example, parental leave programs) and identify where intervention or solutions could be beneficial (for example, in relation to acceptable levels of air pollution). The NLSCY is Canada's best source of information on children. Linking the NLSCY to the T1FF information of the children and youth and their parents will make it possible to better understand what helps and does not help children over the life course which can benefit the society. Children that are born now will not enter the labour market for another 15 to 30 years, while those of the NLSCY are entering the labour market as we speak.

Output: Dissemination plans may include research papers, data tables, workshops or conferences, media (various forms). Only non-confidential statistical aggregates will be disseminated outside of Statistics Canada.

Alberta Interprovincial Talent Mobility (015-2021)

Purpose: The Alberta Interprovincial Talent Mobility project objective is to understand the current landscape of talent supply and retention in Alberta. In particular, the project will help quantify the talent exodus, if any, from Alberta and help inform interventions that are targeted towards retaining talented high school graduates in the Alberta post-secondary education system and the labour force. It will also inform the adequacy of current post-secondary education programming available to Albertans.

Output: The linked outcome file, with all identifiers removed, will be made available to the Alberta Ministry of Advanced Education in the Statistics Canada, Alberta Secure room, located in the Alberta Office of Statistics and information (OSI).

Linkage of APEX-AMI clinical cohort to hospitalization and socioeconomic data (016-2021)

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to create a series of outcome files resulting from the APEX-AMI files being linked to DAD, CVSD, and T1FF data.

The specific aims of this project are to study the:

  • Differences in characteristics of patients from Canada enrolled in a clinical trial known as the Assessment of Pexelizumab in Acute Myocardial Infarction (APEX AMI) and not enrolled in the trial during the same time period (e.g. age, sex, urban/rural residence, marital status, socio-economic status (SES));
  • Differences in health care resource (e.g. number of hospitalizations, days in hospital, cardiovascular procedures) and long-term mortality among patients enrolled in the trial compared to those not enrolled in the trial;
  • Impact of marital status on long-term mortality in patients with a ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI); and
  • Impact of SES on long-term mortality in patients with a STEMI.

The integrated dataset will fill an existing data gap by examining enrollment in clinical trials through an equity, diversity, and inclusiveness (EDI) lens. For example, if we find the ratio of men to women enrolled in the trial is significantly different from the proportion of men to women who could have been enrolled in the trial, it would inform the design and conduct of future clinical trials. The integrated data will also be able to shed light on the long-term health outcomes of patients enrolled in the trial and compare them to those who were not enrolled in the trial. The linkage will allow for the examination of how social determinants of health (such as urban/rural residence, marital status, and socio-economic status) which were not captured as part of the trial, affect long-term outcomes in patients hospitalized with a STEMI.

Output: Only aggregate data that conform to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada. Analytical datasets will be placed in the Research Data Centres (RDCs) and access will be granted following the Microdata Access Portal application process. Patient identifiers resulting from the linkage will be removed from the linked datasets and the datasets will respect variable restrictions in effect for the source datasets (e.g. Discharge Abstract Database, Vital Statistics – Death Database, and T1 Family File). All linked datasets that will be produced will have their identifiers removed before they are placed in the RDCs. Major findings will be used to create research papers for publication in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at workshops and conferences.

The Impact of Surgery on Work and Earnings for those with Degenerative Conditions of the Spine, Hip and Knee (017-2021)

Purpose: The specific aim of this project is to study the impact of surgery on employment and earnings for patients with osteoarthritis of the spine, hip and knee.

Our central hypothesis is that surgical intervention for end-stage osteoarthritis of the spine, hip and knee will result in elevated workforce participation and increased earnings. We will evaluate this using linked longitudinal health and earnings data. Healthcare data will be derived from the Canadian Institute for Health Information Discharge Abstract Database (DAD), the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System (NACRS), and the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS). Earnings data will be obtained from the T1 Family File, which contains yearly tax returns for all Canadians.

Output: Only aggregate data that conform to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada. Analytical datasets will be placed in the Research Data Centres (RDCs) and access will be granted following the standard RDC approval process. The source datasets will be anonymized and will respect variable restrictions in effect for the source datasets (e.g., hospital, vital statistics, and tax files). All linked file(s) that will be produced will have their identifiers removed before they are placed in the RDC. Major findings will be used to create research papers for publication in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at workshops and conferences.

Atlantic Student Tracking System (ASTS) project (019-2021)

Purpose: The objective of the Atlantic Student Tracking System project is to understand the pathways of current and prospective students in the Atlantic provinces, from Kindergarten to Grade 12 through to postsecondary education.

In particular, the project will provide policy-relevant statistical information by identifying the pathways Atlantic K-12 students follow as they enter, move through and complete their postsecondary education as well as to the labour market. The project builds upon what is currently available in the Atlantic provinces by including postsecondary and apprenticeship enrolment of students in all Canadian provinces, so that movement of high school graduates outside the Atlantic provinces can be fully understood. It also allows study of graduate outcomes related to earnings and employment.

Output: The regional linked outcome file, with all identifiers removed, will be made available to the clients in the New Brunswick University Research Data Centre.

Graduate Outcome Indicators, Project (020-2021)

Purpose: The Graduate Outcome Indicators aims to provide policy-relevant statistical aggregates on students and graduates of Alberta's universities and colleges. In particular, the project will focus on the outcomes and pathways of students and graduates. The expected result is that Alberta will have a greater understanding of student pathways, transitions to the labour market and outcomes over time.

Output: The linked outcome file, with all identifiers removed, will be made available to the Alberta Ministry of Advanced Education in the Statistics Canada, Alberta Secure room, located in the Alberta Office of Statistics and information (OSI).

Linkage of the 2020 Canadian Internet Use Survey (CIUS) data to the 2019 T1 Family File, and Longitudinal Immigration database (IMDB) (021-2021)

Purpose: The purpose of the linkage is to respond to the data needs of the Government of Canada to measure the digital economy, including informing the Universal Broadband Fund. As the barriers to accessing digital technologies and their impacts can vary by different socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, it is important to include this perspective when producing statistics where possible in order to inform relevant policies and programs. Income and Immigration statistics are very important when looking at differences in Internet access and use to determine barriers and to address issues specific to the digital divide. These data are not collected in the questionnaire and can only be obtained through microdata linkage.

The CIUS collects information on internet access and use amongst Canadians 15 years of age or older in the 10 provinces. Historically, data on household income and other sociodemographic characteristics have been collected through self-report. Linkage through the SDLE offers the opportunity to link to administrative data sources to reduce respondent burden and increase data quality, following a well-proven method used by many other social surveys.

Variables from the T1FF file and the IMDB database will be linked to the CIUS data to provide a more comprehensive dataset.

Output: Only aggregate data that conform to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada. Findings are expected to be used to inform policy, for research papers, internal and external reporting documents, presentations at workshops and conferences, and external publications.

Data will be released in the following products:

  1. Microdata file in the Research Data Centres (RDC)
  2. Public Use Microdata File (PUMF)
  3. Aggregates in client tables

Developing a Socio-Demographic Profile of Recipients of the Wage Earner Protection Program to Support Program Evaluation (023-2021)

Purpose: The main objective of this study is to develop a profile of key socio-demographic characteristics for recipients of the Wage Earner Protection Program (WEPP). The linkage will provide information about income, employment, disability and ethnicity. The socio-demographic profile will be used to evaluate the demographics of individuals benefitting from the Wage Earner Protection Program in order to inform future policy decisions. The evaluation will be presented to ESDC's Performance Measurement and Evaluation Committee in 2022. Based on the analysis of the linked files, observations about the program will be made that could result in changes to how the program operates.

Output: All access to the linked microdata file will be restricted to Statistics Canada personnel (including Statistics Canada deemed employees) whose work activities require access. Only aggregate data that conform to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada. The linked outcome files will be made available in Statistics Canada's Research Data Centre. Findings will be used in research papers and in presentations at workshops and conferences. Statistics Canada will also explore opportunities to collaborate with the client, as well as other partners, on data releases on this topic.

Evaluation of Federally-Funded Drug Treatment Courts (2015-2018 Cohort) (024-2021)

Purpose: Drug Treatment Courts (DTCs) are specialized problem-solving courts that provide individuals involved in non-violent crime related to substance use with an alternative to the conventional justice system by offering them the opportunity to complete a judicially-supervised substance use treatment program. The objective of this study is to estimate the extent to which federally funded DTCs are associated with reductions in re-contact with the criminal justice system compared to the conventional criminal justice process. The results will inform future criminal justice policy and program decisions aimed at improving public safety.

Output: Only non-confidential aggregate statistics and analyses that will not result in the identification of an individual person, business or organization will be released outside of Statistics Canada. Findings will be reported in the form of an analytical report, which may be published by the Department of Justice Canada.

A profile of the Canadian quantum sector (028-2021)

Purpose: The goal of this project is to produce the first profile of the quantum computing sector in Canada. This first profile will serve as a baseline to assess the impact of the Government of Canada's National Quantum Strategy.

A list of businesses in the quantum sector in 2021 from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada will be linked to the Canadian Employer–Employee Dynamics Database to create a profile of the sector, specifically, on aspects pertaining to the business, such as revenue and employment, and on aspects of the workers, such as gender and age.

Output: Statistics Canada will provide the following output to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada:

  1. A methodology report explaining the file matching processes, constraints and key issues related to the quality of the data;
  2. A document containing non-confidential statistics for the quantum sector, such as: the total revenue; sales; net income; average number of years in business; total employment; as well as the number of workers by sex, age, income-level and geography.

Only non-confidential aggregate statistical outputs and analyses that conform to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada.

Improving residence information on Canadian Vital Statistics – Deaths Database (029-2021)

Purpose: The specific near-term aim of this project is to address the gaps in the understanding of COVID-19 mortality related to the characteristics of the decedent's residence and, in particular, better identify deaths occurring to residents of nursing and residential care facilities in the COVID-19 pandemic.

This will be performed by linking the decedent in the Canadian Vital Statistics – Deaths (CVSD) database to the Address Register (AR)/Statistical Building Register (SBgR), Business Register (BR), Canadian Housing Statistics Program (CHSP) data, and Nursing and Residential Care Facilities Survey (NRCFS) through the decedent's address of residence.

The demand for such information is high and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and other stakeholders have explicitly communicated this data need to Statistics Canada to help support their responses to the pandemic.

Additionally, in the longer term, the purpose of the linkage is to fill data gaps and improve knowledge related to:

  • The influence of collective or structural characteristics of the dwelling on broader mortality outcomes.
  • The influence of neighbourhood characteristics on mortality outcomes.

Output: -

  • A derived categorical variable that describes, at a high level, the characteristics of the dwelling of the decedent will be added to the master file of the Canadian Vital Statistics – Deaths database.
  • Non-confidential aggregate statistics and analyses that conform to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act intended for release outside of Statistics Canada.
  • Analytical datasets may also be placed in the Research Data Centres (RDCs) and access will be granted following the standard RDC approval process. The source datasets will be anonymized and will respect variable restrictions in effect for the source datasets (e.g., vital statistics).

A Comprehensive Analysis of the Pathways to Education Program on Health and Crime Outcomes of Eligible Participants (033-2021)

Purpose: The study will examine the average outcomes of the Pathways to Education Canada (Pathways) program on its participants. It builds upon the previous studies focusing on the economic and academic outcomes of Pathways, and extends to other non-pecuniary outcomes, such as health and crime. Specifically, it will examine the channels through which Pathways improves the health and mitigates crime outcomes of its participants. This study will contribute to the academic literature on identifying the channels through which comprehensive interventions delivered at the high school level improve outcomes. The findings from the study will be used by ESDC to more accurately evaluate the Pathways program. More generally, they will enable the Department to better design and deliver the program in helping students in disadvantaged communities in Canada. In addition, the project will contribute to building the Department's capacity – as part of the departmental evaluation plan in 2022 – monitoring and evaluating early intervention and social partnership initiatives.

Output: Only non-confidential aggregate statistical outputs and analyses that conform to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada. The information will be presented in the form of tables of regression results and summary statistics related to the project's goal of evaluating the Pathways program.

Access to the analytical file by researchers who have become deemed employees of Statistics Canada, will be by following the approved standard procedures for access via Statistics Canada's Federal Research Data Centre or Research Data Centre.

Linkage of the 2020 General Social Survey (cycle 35), T1FF, Emergency and Recovery Benefits (ERB) file, and Longitudinal Immigrant Database (IMDB) (037-2021)

Purpose: This integrated analytical dataset will allow researchers to provide new insights into the impacts of the pandemic on diverse population groups. The linked dataset will be used to examine the role government transfer payments play in reducing inequality and the societal impacts of long-term economic exclusion (e.g., lack of social cohesion).

Output: The integrated data, which will not contain any direct personal identifiers, will be available to deemed employees to use in a Research Data Centre (RDC). Access will be granted following the standard RDC process. All data and analytical products to be released outside of Statistics Canada will conform to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act.

Linkage of the Canadian Correctional Services Survey to the Census of Population and the National Household Survey for Disaggregated Data Evaluation (038-2021)

Purpose: The Canadian Correctional Service Survey (CCSS) collects comprehensive microdata from correctional service programs in Canada, including whether persons supervised self-report as Indigenous or to a racialized group. Over-representation of Indigenous persons and other racialized groups, in particular Black Canadians, is one of the most important issues facing the criminal justice system. To better understand Indigenous and Racialized group information being collected by correctional service programs, and whether or not there may be under-reporting in the correctional data, CCJCSS proposes a record linkage between the CCSS and the Census of Population. The project will identify individuals responding to both the corrections survey and the Census, to compare how consistently Indigenous and racialized group information is being reported overall between the two data collection mechanisms.

Output: Only non-confidential aggregated tables, conforming to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act, will be released outside of Statistics Canada. Confidentiality rules for the Census would be applied to all products before release.

Canadian Perinatal Health Surveillance (001-2022)

Purpose: The report on Canadian maternal and infant health indicators and their determinants, with a focus on the social determinants of health. Specific research questions include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • What are the rates of infant/fetal outcomes such as stillbirth, preterm birth and neonatal mortality for various sociodemographic subgroups (e.g., income quintiles, maternal educational attainment, immigrant status) and by birthweight.
  • What are the rates and causes of death among women who have given birth (live or stillbirth) in the 12 months prior to their death? How do these rates compare to conventional maternal mortality statistics?
  • How do the underlying cause of death in vital statistics compare to the diagnoses and interventions recorded in hospital discharge data for pregnancy-related deaths?
  • What are the underlying cause(s) of death for infants in the neonatal and post-neonatal periods, and how do these compare over time?

Output: Only aggregate data that conform to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada. Analytical datasets will be placed in the Research Data Centres (RDCs) and access will be granted following the standard RDC approval process. The source datasets will be anonymized and will respect variable restrictions in effect for the source datasets (e.g., hospital, vital statistics, and tax files). Major findings will be used to create research papers for publication in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at workshops and conferences.

Microdata Linkage for the Canadian Fishing Fleet Cost and Earnings Study (Phase 3) (003-2022)

Purpose: This study is carried out on a cost-recovery basis by Statistics Canada for Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Its purpose is to develop a methodological framework that will allow Fisheries and Oceans Canada to evaluate the financial performance of a subset of fishing fleets across Canada in a more efficient and cost-effective manner and to test it by preparing aggregate-level statistical tables.

Output: Statistical tables will be prepared at the aggregate level while meeting the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act. Only statistics such as averages, standard deviations, etc., will be provided to the client. The linkage will be performed at Statistics Canada by Statistics Canada staff, and the linked files will be kept on a secure, password-protected server.

Analysis of the profile of recipients of a Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) mail-out and the determinants of their response through record linkage with Census and T1FF data. (004-2022)

Purpose: The main objective of this study is to develop a profile of key socio-demographic characteristics of respondents and non-respondents to the GIS mail-out. The proposed study will link the records of mailing recipient list to their background and survey information from the 2016 Census and income data from the T1 Family File (T1FF). The linkage results will allow us to conduct a comparative analysis of the profiles of the two groups and uncover relevant differences between them. It will also allow us to assess the importance of recipients' personal characteristics and attributes for response to the mail-out and the determinants of response probability.

Output: All access to the linked microdata file will be restricted to Statistics Canada employees (including Statistics Canada deemed employees) whose work activities require access. Only aggregate data that conform to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada. The linked outcome files will be made available in Statistics Canada's Research Data Centre, with access limited to authorized analysts from ESDC Chief Data Office. The results of linked data analyses will be used to inform ESDC senior management, relevant program areas and internal stakeholders on the topic, as well as to advise on outreach activities related to the Reaching All Canadians initiative. Key highlights, high-level findings, and aggregate summary statistics of the data may also be shared with the Office of the Auditor General of Canada upon request.

Exploring the Demographic and Socio-Economic Characteristics Associated with Repeated Convictions among Individuals who have been Supervised by a Correctional Program (005-2022)

Purpose: The purpose of this microdata linkage project is to explore the extent and nature of new criminal convictions among individuals who have been supervised by a correctional program. This project will also explore the demographic and socio-economic factors associated with repeated convictions, including employment, education, household composition, health, and use of social services. Previous research has shown that a small group of individuals is responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime, and that these individuals are more likely to be economically marginalized, have higher mortality rates, and be hospitalized more frequently. Therefore, understanding the characteristics associated with repeated convictions is important for criminal justice policy, programs, and initiatives aimed at preventing and reducing crime. Furthermore, the current project will inform the development of integrated, multi-agency interventions to improve socio-economic outcomes for at-risk populations.

Output: Analytical files will be used by Statistics Canada to produce non-confidential aggregate statistical tables and analytical reports, such as reports for Statistics Canada's flagship justice and public safety publication, Juristat. Anonymous justice data will also be placed in Statistics Canada's Research Data Centres, along with key files allowing integration with other Statistics Canada files, to facilitate research on the demographic and socioeconomic factors associated with repeated convictions within a secure research environment. Researchers must become deemed employees of Statistics Canada in order to access the files in the Research Data Centres. Additionally, access will only be granted once a research proposal has been approved.

Microdata linkage for community-level analysis of fishing incomes and communities (006-2022)

Purpose: This study is being carried out on a cost-recovery basis by Statistics Canada for Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). Its purpose is to improve the geographic accuracy of tax files by combining them with census location data at the municipal level to allow DFO to better assess the situation of fishing communities in Canada in order to support policy development and decision making. The outputs will be aggregate-level statistical tables that will allow DFO to evaluate the fishing reliance of communities in British Columbia as a pilot to see if this type of linkage can improve the geographic accuracy of tax data by appending census geographic information.

Output: Statistical tables will be prepared in conjunction with the International Cooperation and Methodology Innovation Centre at the aggregate level while meeting the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act. Only aggregate statistics such as counts, percentages and sums will be provided to the client and only after appropriate suppression has been applied. A total of three tables will be provided to the client, one for each tax year of interest, giving information at the community level for all communities in British Columbia for which data can be published. A short report on the methodology and results will also be delivered to the client.

Table of contents

Introduction

The Access to Information Act establishes the principle that the general public has the right to access information controlled by federal government institutions, and that exceptions should be limited and specific.

The Annual Report on the Administration of the Access to Information Act is prepared and submitted, in accordance with section 94(1) of this Act and covers the period from April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022. The report is tabled in Parliament.

Administration of the Access to Information Act

By virtue of section 24 of the Access to Information Act, which is a mandatory provision, information collected under the Statistics Act, and protected by section 17 of that Act, cannot be made available to anyone attempting to obtain it using the Access to Information Act. This exception enables the Agency to continue giving a clear and unqualified assurance to its respondents that the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act are preserved by the Access to Information Act.

The administration of the access to information legislation within Statistics Canada is the responsibility of the Director of the Office of Privacy Management and Information Coordination, who is also the ATIP Coordinator and the Chief Privacy Officer for the Agency.

Administration of the Service Fees Act

The Statistics Canada Annual Report is prepared and tabled in Parliament in accordance with section 20 of the Service Fees Act, as listed in Schedules I, I.1 and II of the Financial Administration Act (FAA).

Organizational Structure and Mandate

Statistics Canada's mandate derives primarily from the Statistics Act. The Act requires that the Agency collect, compile, analyze and publish statistical information on the economic, social, and general conditions of the country and its citizens. The Act also requires that Statistics Canada co-ordinate the national statistical system, specifically to avoid duplication in the information collected by government. To this end, the Chief Statistician may enter into joint data-collection or data-sharing agreements with provincial and territorial statistical agencies, as well as with federal, provincial, and territorial government departments pursuant to provisions of the Act.

Statistics Canada is also working with Canadians to help educate the population on the differences between requests for datasets, data tables and custom data tabulations and requests for Access to Information for existing records under the control of the institution. Data requests are handled by the Statistics Canada InfoStats program specifically.

The Statistics Act specifically requires Statistics Canada to conduct a Census of Population and a Census of Agriculture every five years as it did in 2021. The Act also gives the Agency substantial powers to request information for statistical purposes through surveys of Canadian businesses and households. Under the Act, the Chief Statistician determines whether a survey will be mandatory or voluntary. Statistics Canada has generally made voluntary household data collection other than the Census of Population and the Labour Force Survey, as the latter produces key economic data. The Census of Agriculture and most other business surveys are mandatory. Refusal to participate in a mandatory survey is subject to legal penalties.

By law, Statistics Canada can also access administrative records, including personal and business tax data, credit information, customs declarations, and birth and death records. Such records are critical sources of statistical information that enable the Agency to reduce reporting burden on businesses and individual respondents. Statistics Canada is considered a leader among the world's statistical agencies in reducing reporting burden by using administrative data

These mechanisms help Statistics Canada fulfill its commitment to ensuring that Canadians have all of the key information on Canada's economy, society, and environment that they require to function effectively as citizens and decision makers in a rapidly evolving world. Information is important to Canadians and the Statistics Canada's Trust Centre is committed to protecting it. For more than 100 years, Statistics Canada has collected, analyzed and reported the data obtained from the public, respecting and protecting the rightful privacy of Canadians.

Delegation Order

The delegation order exercises the powers and functions of the Minister as the head of a government institution, pursuant to section 95(1) of the Access to Information Act. The current detailed list of authorities under the Access to Information Act was formally delegated by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development as of May 2021 (Appendix A), provides full delegated authority to the Director and Assistant Director of the Office of Privacy Management and Information Coordination.

Resources

The Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Office operates within an allocation of 4.5 persons/year. One ATIP Manager, two Senior ATIP analysts, and two ATIP analysts work full time on the processing of requests. There were no service agreements under section 73.1 of the Privacy Act to which Statistics Canada was party during the reporting period

Statistical report

The statistical report provides aggregate data on the application of the Access to Information Act (Appendix B). This information is made public annually and is included with the annual report.

Implementation: Access to Information

Disposition of requests completed during reporting period

  • Fully disclosed: 26
  • Partially disclosed: 16
  • Nothing disclosed: 2
  • No records exist: 33
  • Abandoned: 18
  • Transferred: 2
  • Total: 97

Access to Information requests

During the reporting period, from April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022, Statistics Canada received 79 new access to information requests. In addition, 56 requests were carried forward from the previous reporting period, for a total of 135 requests. Of the total, 97 requests were completed; leaving 38 to be carried forward to the next reporting period.

Business and the public were the largest client groups, as they represented 54 of the 79 requests that were received during the reporting period.

For the completed requests, all records were either disclosed in full or in part for 42 requests, the information was fully exempted/excluded for 2 requests, no records existed for 33 requests, 18 requests were abandoned by the requestors and 2 requests were transferred to another federal institution.

In responding to the formal access to information requests, 25,550 pages were reviewed and 4,849 pages were released. A total of 41 requestors received information electronically via e-post, and 1 was provided in paper format.

The following table shows the latest five-year trend of the Agency's processing of access to information requests.

Statistics Canada processing of access to information requests, 2012/2013 - 2018/2018
Fiscal Year Requests Received Requests Completed Number of Pages Processed Number of Pages Released
2021/2022 79 97 25,550 4,849
2020/2021 98 84 5,888 4,480
2019/2020 141 134 5,031 3,748
2018/2019 154 128 6,020 5,467
2017/2018 115 116 10,254 7,222

Types of records requested

The substance of the requests covered the entire range of matters pertaining to Statistics Canada's role and included the following types of records relating to:

  • Census and various other statistical information;
  • the administration and communications of the Agency;
  • data breaches;
  • professional service contracts;
  • Briefing notes to the Chief Statistician.

Other requests

From April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022, Statistics Canada also received 75 Access to Information Act consultation requests from other departments and organizations. The Agency was asked to review 6,900 pages of information. The Access to Information and Privacy Office processed 75 consultations, including some reported from the previous year. Forty-six (46) consultations were completed within 1-15 days, twenty-three (23) consultations were completed within 16-30 days, four (4) consultations were completed within 31-60 days, one (1) was completed within 61-120 days, and one (1) was completed within 181-365 days.

Summaries of completed Access to Information Act requests are available on the "Open Government Portal". Requests for copies of these completed requests, as well as requests not processed under the Act, are classified as informal requests. This fiscal year, forty-one (41) requests were processed informally. Zero (0) requests were carried over to the next fiscal year.

The ATIP Office acted as a resource for Statistics Canada officials, offering advice and guidance on the provisions under the legislation. The office was consulted on the disclosure and collection of data on a wide range of matters, including:

  • proactive publications to be posted on the open government portal;
  • proactive disclosures on travel and hospitality;
  • Management Accountability Framework assessments;
  • security of information;
  • reviews of audits to be posted on the internet;
  • reviews of parliamentary questions and responses;
  • updates to the ATIP internet and intranet sites;
  • reviews of and updates to ATIP business practices and procedures.
  • support to raise awareness on information management

Trends in the disposition of completed requests

The disposition of the 97 requests completed in 2021-2022 was as follows:

  • 26 were fully disclosed (27%)
  • 16 were partially disclosed (16%)
  • 2 were exempt/excluded in entirety (2%)
  • 18 were abandoned by applicants (19%)
  • 33 information did not exist (34%)
  • 2 were transferred to another department (2%)
Access to Information Requests (Fiscal Year) 2021-22
Requests Received 79
Requests Completed 97
Requests Completed On-Time 54.6%

Due to the exceptional measures taken to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and to protect the health and safety of federal employees, Statistics Canada maximized telework granting only limited employee access on-site. As a result, the lockdown restrictions further prevented employees from entering the building for lengthy periods of time which resulted in additional delays of being able to process requests. Staff also experienced connectivity and ATIP software accessibility issues that impeded the ATIP process. To address some of these challenges, new electronic procedures were created and implemented in order to accommodate remote work. On November 15, 2021, the ATIP office reached full processing capacity with the introduction of Statistics Canada's return to work place plan entitled "virtual-by-design environment".

Public Interest Disclosure

No disclosures were made under paragraph 8(2)(m) of the Privacy Act during the reporting period.

Completion time and extensions

Over half of all completed requests in 2021-22 (53 requests or 54%) were processed as prescribed by the Act and within the time required for all of them. Factors that contributed to Statistics Canada's timely response rate over the past year are the training and information sessions held with senior leaders, and a new delegation order.

The compliancy rate for completed requests is as follows:

  • 26 within 1 to 15 days (27%)
  • 23 within 16 to 30 days (24%)
  • 7 within 31 to 60 days (7%)
  • 7 within 61 to 120 days (7%)
  • 7 within 121 to 180 days (7%)
  • 12 within 181 to 365 days (12%)
  • 15 more than 365 days (16%)

Out of the 97 requests processed, an extension was taken in 34 cases for interference with operations of the department, and to consult with other federal institutions and third parties.

Exemptions and exclusions invoked

The Access to Information Act allows and in some case requires that certain data not be released. In 2021-2022 the following sections of the Act were invoked:

  • Section 13(1) – Information obtained in confidence (2)
  • Section 16(2) – Law enforcement and investigations (7)
  • Section 18 – Economic interest of Canada (2)
  • Section 19(1) – Personal information (10)
  • Section 20(1) – Third party information (7)
  • Section 21(1) – Operations of government, advice, etc. (7)
  • Section 24(1) – Statutory prohibition against disclosure (6)

Fees

The Service Fees Act requires a responsible authority to report annually to Parliament on the fees collected by Statistics Canada.

With respect to fees collected under the Access to Information Act, the information below is reported in accordance with the requirements of section 20 of the Service Fees Act.

In accordance with the Interim Directive on the Administration of the Access to Information Act, issued on May 5, 2016, and the changes to the Access to Information Act that came into force on June 21, 2019, Statistics Canada waives all fees prescribed by the Act and Regulations, other than the $5 application fee set out in paragraph 7(1)(a) of the Regulations. During the reporting period, $395 was collected in application fees.

Costs

During 2021-2022, the ATIP Office incurred an estimated $238,263 in salary costs and $0 administrative costs to administer the Access to Information Act. With the introduction of Statistics Canada's return to work place plan entitled "virtual-by-design environment", coupled with a remote workplace, the ATIP division has been able to reduce administrative costs for the fiscal year 2021-22.

Training initiatives for Access to Information

In 2021-2022, the ATIP Office began developing a formal training program for all staff across the Agency, which began in April 2020. This included training to senior executives on ATIP processes and procedures in order to streamline records retrieval and approvals. ATIP also provided advice and expertise to senior leaders on their responsibilities under the Act and the related delegated authorities for proper records management, document retrieval and approval procedures. Information management awareness was also at the forefront of these discussions at the senior management tables, focusing heavily on best practices and the differences between transitory and information of business value. We also had targeted discussions and training towards the proper use of safe guarding of sensitive information in GCDOCS, including limited access rights, types of information and security classifications. Informal one-on-one and formal group training was made available to all staff within the Agency. The informal training assists staff in understanding their obligations under the Act, as well as informing them about policies and directives related to information at Statistics Canada. ATIP training, both formal and informal, was provided to approximately 12 employees. Approximately 600 employees were trained in the previous fiscal year (20-21), which reduced the amount of training needed this year (21-22), however ATIP training through the Canada School of Public Service was widely recommended.

Policies, guidelines and procedures

The ATIP Office has a variety of tools in place to ensure that ATIP contacts are well informed about their roles and responsibilities for coordinating ATIP requests. These tools include a checklist outlining proper protocol when providing responsive records to the ATIP office for access to information requests, and the appropriate contact from the ATIP team to seek clarification and guidance from throughout the process.

In 2021-2022, more concise and streamlined procedures were implemented in order to improve efficiencies with the retrieval of information and protocol for the overall ATIP process. This included modifying, updating and creating new templates, procedures, weekly workplans and achievable targets with key metrics that increased overall pages reviewed and processed as time went on.

Complaints and investigations

There were five (5) complaints lodged against Statistics Canada with the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada (OIC) during the reporting period. Four (4) complaints pertained to a time delay when providing records, and one (1) complaint related to the improper application of exemptions. The OIC deemed one (1) complaint pertaining to a time delay as resolved and no further investigation was to be conducted. Three (3) complaints regarding time delays and one (1) complaints regarding exemptions invoked are still ongoing. In order to address some of these issues, training and awareness has been offered both to employees within Statistics Canada, as well as those in the ATIP Office.

Monitoring of the requests

At Statistics Canada, the ATIP Office processes and monitors requests by registering them in a comprehensive system known as Privasoft – Access Pro Case Management. An acknowledgment of the request and of the application fee of $5.00 is sent to the client and a retrieval form is forwarded to the relevant program area (Office of Primary Interest (OPI)). If the OPI and/or the ATIP Office need to clarify the request, only the ATIP Office contacts the client, unless prior approval is provided by the client. Client names are always kept confidential.

The retrieval form provided to the OPI was created by the ATIP Office at Statistics Canada and is based upon the Policy on Access to Information and the Directive on the Administration of Access to Information from the Treasury Board Secretariat of Canada. The form includes the text of the request, the name and phone number of the ATIP Officer, and the date by which records are required (normally 5 to 10 days). It is noted on the form that the ATIP Office is required to report annually on the administrative costs related to requests and thus information is needed on the group(s) and level(s) of those involved in the retrieval, the amount of time spent working on the request (this includes time for search, retrieval, internal review (relevant or not to the request) and photocopying). The individuals providing the records are asked to identify any records which may be sensitive in nature (e.g., legal issues, Cabinet confidences, personal information, company information, advice to the Minister), which may require consultations, and/or which may generate media interest. The Director General, or appropriate delegate, of the program area sign-off the form.

The ATIP Office assists the program areas with the retrieval of records from day one. As 5 to 10 days are allowed for the retrieval, a follow-up is made on the fifth day. If additional time is required for the retrieval, this is when the program area is to notify the ATIP Office. An additional 1 to 5 days may be granted depending on the amount of work remaining. Once the documents are received from the OPI, the ATIP Office ensures the form is duly completed and that it has been signed by the appropriate manager. The ATIP Office then takes 5 to 10 days to review and process the records. If sensitive issues are identified in the submitted materials, 1-3 days prior to the release of the final version to the client, an e-mail is sent to Strategic Communications and Outreach Branch and to any other relevant programs to inform them of the release. The OPI and management are continually reminded of the importance of responding to ATIP requests in a timely and comprehensive manner.

Appendix A: Delegation order

Access to Information and Privacy Acts Delegation Order

The Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, pursuant to section 73 of the Access to Information Act and section 73 of the Privacy Act, hereby designates the persons holding the positions set out in the schedule hereto, or the persons occupying on an acting basis those positions, to exercise the powers and functions of the Minister as the head of Statistics Canada, under the section of the Act set out in the schedule opposite each position. This Delegation Order supersedes all previous Delegation Orders.

Schedule

Schedule
Position Access to Information Act and Regulations Privacy Act and Regulations
Chief Statistician of Canada Full authority Full authority
Chief of Staff, Office of the Chief Statistician Full authority Full authority
Director, Office of Privacy Management and Information Coordination Full authority Full authority
Assistant Director, Office of Privacy Management and Information Coordination Full authority Full authority
Senior Access to Information and Privacy Project Manager Sections: 7(a), 8(1), 9, 11(2), 11(3), 11(4), 11(5), 11(6), 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27(1), 27(4), 28(1)(b), 28(2), 28(4), 68, 69, 71(1)
Regulations:
Sections: 6(1), 7(1), 7(2), 7(3), 8, 8.1
Sections: 8(2)(j), 8(2)(m), 10, 14, 15, 17(2)(b), 17(3)(b), 18(2), 19(1), 19(2), 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 70
Regulations:
Sections: 9, 11(2), 11(4), 13(1), 14
Senior Access to Information and Privacy Project Manager Sections: 7(a), 8(1), 9, 11(2), 11(3), 11(4), 11(5), 11(6), 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27(1), 27(4), 28(1)(b), 28(2), 28(4), 68, 69, 71(1)
Regulations:
Sections: 6(1), 7(1), 7(2), 7(3), 8, 8.1
Sections: 8(2)(j), 8(2)(m), 10, 14, 15, 17(2)(b), 17(3)(b), 18(2), 19(1), 19(2), 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 70
Regulations:
Sections: 9, 11(2), 11(4), 13(1), 14
Analyst, Access to Information and Privacy Sections: 7(a), 8(1), 9, 11(2), 11(3), 11(4), 11(5), 11(6), 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27(1), 27(4), 28(1)(b), 28(2), 28(4), 68, 69, 71(1)
Regulations:
Sections: 6(1), 7(1), 7(2), 7(3), 8, 8.1
Sections: 8(2)(j), 8(2)(m), 10, 14, 15, 17(2)(b), 17(3)(b), 18(2), 19(1), 19(2), 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 70
Regulations:
Sections: 9, 11(2), 11(4), 13(1), 14
Intake Officer, Access to Information and Privacy Sections 7(a), 8(1), 9, 11(2), 11(3), 11(4), 11(5), 11(6), 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27(1), 27(4), 28(1)(b), 28(2), 28(4), 68, 69, 71(1)
Regulations:
Sections: 6(1), 7(1), 7(2), 7(3), 8, 8.1
Sections: 8(2)(j), 8(2)(m), 10, 14, 15, 17(2)(b), 17(3)(b), 18(2), 19(1), 19(2), 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 70
Regulations:
Sections: 9, 11(2), 11(4), 13(1), 14

The original version was signed by
The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne
Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
Dated, at the City of Ottawa
May 18, 2021

Appendix B: Statistical Report on the Access to Information Act

Name of institution: Statistics Canada

Reporting period: 2021-04-01 to 2022-03-31

Section 1: Requests Under the Access to Information Act

1.1 Number of requests

Number of requests recevied
  Number of Requests
Received during reporting period   79
Outstanding from previous reporting periods   56
Outstanding from previous reporting period 48  
Outstanding from more than one reporting period 8  
Total   135
Closed during reporting period   97
Carried over to next reporting period   38
Carried over within legislated timeline 4  
Carried over beyond legislated timeline 34  

1.2 Sources of requests

Sources of requests
Source Number of Requests
Media 14
Academia 9
Business (private sector) 15
Organization 2
Public 39
Decline to Identify 0
Total 79

1.3 Channels of requests

Channels of requests
Source Number of Requests
Online 79
E-mail 0
Mail 0
In person 0
Phone 0
Fax 0
Total 79

Section 2: Informal requests

2.1 Number of requests received

Number of requests recevied
  Number of Requests
Received during reporting period   33
Outstanding from previous reporting periods   8
Outstanding from previous reporting period 6  
Outstanding from more than one reporting period 2  
Total   41
Closed during reporting period   41
Carried over to next reporting period   0

2.2 Channels of informal requests

Channels of informal requests
Source Number of Requests
Online 33
E-mail 0
Mail 0
In person 0
Phone 0
Fax 0
Total 33

2.3 Completion time of informal requests

Completion time of informal requests
1 to 15 Days 16 to 30 Days 31 to 60 Days 61 to 120 Days 121 to 180 Days 181 to 365 Days More Than 365 Days Total
17 2 3 5 2 5 7 41

2.4 Pages released informally

Pages released informally
Less Than 100 Pages Released 101-500 Pages Released 501-1000 Pages Released 1001-5000 Pages Released More Than 5000 Pages Released
Number of Requests Pages Released Number of Requests Pages Released Number of Requests Pages Released Number of Requests Pages Released Number of Requests Pages Released
28 582 12 2296 0 0 1 1197 0 0

2.5 Pages re-released informally

Pages released informally
Less Than 100 Pages Released 101-500 Pages Released 501-1000 Pages Released 1001-5000 Pages Released More Than 5000 Pages Released
Number of Requests Pages Released Number of Requests Pages Released Number of Requests Pages Released Number of Requests Pages Released Number of Requests Pages Released
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Section 3: Applications to the Information Commissioner on Declining to Act on Requests

Applications to the Information Commissioner on Declining to Act on Requests
  Number of Requests
Outstanding from previous reporting period 0
Sent during reporting period 0
Total 0
Approved by the Information Commissioner during reporting period 0
Declined by the Information Commissioner during reporting period 0
Withdrawn during reporting period 0
Carried over to next reporting period 0

Section 4: Requests Closed During the Reporting Period

4.1 Disposition and completion time

Disposition and completion time
Disposition of Requests Completion Time
1 to 15 Days 16 to 30 Days 31 to 60 Days 61 to 120 Days 121 to 180 Days 181 to 365 Days More Than 365 Days Total
All Disclosed 0 7 5 5 6 3 0 26
Disclosed in part 0 1 0 1 1 9 4 16
All exempted 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2
All excluded 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
No records exist 21 10 2 0 0 0 0 33
Request transferred 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
Request abandoned 3 4 0 0 0 0 11 18
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Declined to act with the approval of the Information Commissioner 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 26 23 7 7 7 12 15 97

4.2 Exemptions

Exemptions
Section Number of Requests
13(1)(a) 1
13(1)(b) 1
13(1)(c) 0
13(1)(d) 0
13(1)(e) 0
14 0
14(a) 0
14(b) 0
15(1) 1
15(1) - I.A. 0
15(1) - Def. 0
15(1) - S.A. 0
16(1)(a)(i) 0
16(1)(a)(ii) 0
16(1)(a)(iii) 0
16(1)(b) 0
16(1)(c) 1
16(1)(d) 0
16(2) 4
16(2)(a) 0
16(2)(b) 0
16(2)(c) 3
16(3) 0
16.1(1)(a) 0
16.1(1)(b) 0
16.1(1)(c) 0
16.1(1)(d) 0
16.2(1) 0
16.3 0
16.31 0
16.4(1)(a) 0
16.4(1)(b) 0
16.5 0
16.6 0
17 0
18(a) 1
18(b) 0
18(c) 0
18(d) 1
18.1(1)(a) 0
18.1(1)(b) 0
18.1(1)(c) 0
18.1(1)(d) 0
19(1) 10
20(1)(a) 0
20(1)(b) 3
20(1)(b.1) 0
20(1)(c) 4
20(1)(d) 0
20.1 0
20.2 0
20.4 0
21(1)(a) 3
21(1)(b) 4
21(1)(c) 0
21(1)(d) 0
22 0
22.1(1) 0
23 0
23.1 0
24(1) 6
26 0
I.A.: International Affairs
Def.: Defence of Canada
S.A.: Subversive Activities

4.3 Exclusions

Exclusions
Section Number of Requests
68(a) 0
68(b) 0
68(c) 0
68.1 0
68.2(a) 0
68.2(b) 0
69(1) 0
69(1)(a) 0
69(1)(b) 0
69(1)(c) 0
69(1)(d) 0
69(1)(e) 0
69(1)(f) 0
69(1)(g) re (a) 0
69(1)(g) re (b) 0
69(1)(g) re (c) 0
69(1)(g) re (d) 0
69(1)(g) re (e) 0
69(1)(g) re (f) 0
69.1(1) 0

4.4 Format of information released

Format of information released
Paper Electronic Other
E-record Data set Video Audio
1 41 0 0 0 0

4.5 Complexity

4.5.1 Relevant pages processed and disclosed for paper and e-record formats

Relevant pages processed and disclosed
Number of Pages Processed Number of Pages Disclosed Number of Requests
25550 4849 62

4.5.2 Relevant pages processed by request disposition for paper and e-record formats by size of requests

Relevant pages processed and disclosed by size of requests
Disposition Less Than 100 Pages Processed 101-500 Pages Processed 501-1000 Pages Processed 1001-5000 Pages Processed More Than 5000 Pages Processed
Number of Requests Pages Processed Number of Requests Pages Processed Number of Requests Pages Processed Number of Requests Pages Processed Number of Requests Pages Processed
All disclosed 22 227 3 966 1 863 0 0 0 0
Disclosed in part 9 326 5 1096 1 922 0 0 1 21042
All exempted 1 1 1 117 0 0 0 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Request abandoned 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Declined to act with the approval of the Information Commissioner 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 50 544 9 2179 2 1785 1 21042 0 0

4.5.3 Relevant minutes processed and disclosed for audio formats

Relevant minutes processed and disclosed for audio formats
Number of Minutes Processed Number of Minutes Disclosed Number of Requests
0 0 0

4.5.4 Relevant minutes processed per request disposition for audio formats by size of requests

Relevant minutes processed per request disposition for audio formats by size of requests
Disposition Less than 60 Minutes processed 60-120 Minutes processed More than 120 Minutes processed
Number of requests Minutes Processed Number of requests Minutes Processed Number of requests Minutes Processed
All disclosed 0 0 0 0 0 0
Disclosed in part 0 0 0 0 0 0
All exempted 0 0 0 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0 0 0 0
Request abandoned 0 0 0 0 0 0
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0 0
Declined to act with the approval of the Information Commissioner 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0

4.5.5 Relevant minutes processed and disclosed for video formats

Relevant minutes processed and disclosed for video formats
Number of Minutes Processed Number of Minutes Disclosed Number of Requests
0 0 0

4.5.6 Relevant minutes processed per request disposition for video formats by size of requests

Relevant minutes processed per request disposition for audio formats by size of requests
Disposition Less than 60 Minutes processed 60-120 Minutes processed More than 120 Minutes processed
Number of requests Minutes Processed Number of requests Minutes Processed Number of requests Minutes Processed
All disclosed 0 0 0 0 0 0
Disclosed in part 0 0 0 0 0 0
All exempted 0 0 0 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0 0 0 0
Request abandoned 0 0 0 0 0 0
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0 0
Declined to act with the approval of the Information Commissioner 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0

4.5.7 Other complexities

Other complexities
Disposition Consultation Required Legal Advice Sought Interwoven Information Other Total
All disclosed 24 0 0 0 24
Disclosed in part 16 0 0 0 16
All exempted 2 0 0 0 2
All excluded 0 0 0 0 0
Request abandoned 13 0 0 0 13
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0
Declined to act with the approval of the Information Commissioner 0 0 0 0 0
Total 55 0 0 0 55

4.6 Closed requests

4.6.1 Number of requests closed within legislated timelines

Number of requests closed within legislated timelines
Number of requests closed within legislated timelines 53
Percentage of requests closed within legislated timelines (%) 54.63917526

4.7 Deemed refusals

4.7.1 Reasons for not meeting legislated timelines

Reasons for not meeting legislated timelines
Number of requests closed past the legislated timelines Principal Reason
Interference with operations / Workload External Consultation Internal Consultation Other
44 44 0 0 0

4.7.2 Request closed beyond legislated timelines (including any extension taken)

Number of requests closed within legislated timelines
Number of days past legislated timelines Number of requests past legislated timeline where no extension was taken Number of requests past legislated timeline where an extension was taken Total
1 to 15 days 3 1 4
16 to 30 days 2 1 3
31 to 60 days 4 6 10
61 to 120 days 1 3 4
121 to 180 days 3 1 4
181 to 365 days 4 1 5
More than 365 days 4 10 14
Total 21 23 44

4.8 Requests for translation

Number of requests closed within legislated timelines
Translation Requests Accepted Refused Total
English to French  0 0 0
French to English  0 0 0
Total 0 0 0

Section 5: Extensions

5.1 Reasons for extensions and disposition of requests

Reasons for extensions and disposition of requests
Disposition of Requests Where an Extension Was Taken 9(1)(a) Interference With Operations 9(1)(b) Consultation 9(1)(c) Third-Party Notice
Section 69 Other
All disclosed 0 0 11 3
Disclosed in part 2 0 4 1
All exempted 0 0 1 1
All excluded 0 0 0 0
No records exist 6 0 5 0
Request abandoned 0 0 0 0
Decline to act with the approval of the Information Commisioner 0 0 0 0
Total 8 0 21 5

5.2 Length of extensions

Length of extensions
Length of Extensions 9(1)(a) Interference With Operations 9(1)(b) Consultation 9(1)(c) Third-Party Notice
Section 69 Other
30 days or less 3 0 3 0
31 to 60 days 0 0 5 2
61 to 120 days 4 0 13 3
121 to 180 days

1

0 0 0
181 to 365 days 0 0 0 0
365 days or more 0 0 0 0
Total 8 0 21 5

Section 6: Fees

Fees
Fee Type Fee Collected Fee Waived Fee Refunded
Number of Requests Amount Number of Requests Amount Number of Requests Amount
Application 79 $395.00 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Other fees 0 $0.00 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Total 79 $395.00 0 $0.00 0 $0.00

Section 7: Consultations Received From Other Institutions and Organizations

7.1 Consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions and organizations

Consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions and organizations
Consultations Other Government of Canada Institutions Number of Pages to Review Other Organizations Number of Pages to Review
Received during reporting period 75 6900 0 0
Outstanding from the previous reporting period 4 35 0 0
Total 79 6935 0 0
Closed during the reporting period 78 6919 0 0
Pending at the end of the reporting period 1 16 0 0
Carried over beyond negotiated timelines 0 0 0 0

7.2 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions

Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions
Recommendation Number of Days Required to Complete Consultation Requests
1 to 15 Days 16 to 30 Days 31 to 60 Days 61 to 120 Days 121 to 180 Days 181 to 365 Days More Than 365 Days Total
Disclose entirely 46 21 5 1 0 0 0 73
Disclose in part 2 2 0 0 0 1 0 5
Exempt entirely 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Exclude entirely 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Consult other institution 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 48 23 5 1 0 1 0 78

7.3 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other organizations

Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other organizations
Recommendation Number of Days Required to Complete Consultation Requests
1 to 15 Days 16 to 30 Days 31 to 60 Days 61 to 120 Days 121 to 180 Days 181 to 365 Days More Than 365 Days Total
Disclose entirely 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Disclose in part 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Exempt entirely 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Exclude entirely 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Consult other institution 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Section 8: Requests with Legal Services

8.1 Requests with Legal Services

Requests with Legal Services
Number of Days Fewer Than 100 Pages Processed 101-500 Pages Processed 501-1000 Pages Processed 1001-5000 Pages Processed More Than 5000 Pages Processed
Number of Requests Pages Disclosed Number of Requests Pages Disclosed Number of Requests Pages Disclosed Number of Requests Pages Disclosed Number of Requests Pages Disclosed
1 to 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
16 to 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
31 to 60 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
61 to 120 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
121 to 180 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
181 to 365 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
More than 365 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

8.2 Requests with Privy Council Office

Requests with Privy Council Office
Number of Days Fewer Than 100 Pages Processed 101‒500 Pages Processed 501-1000 Pages Processed 1001-5000 Pages Processed More Than 5000 Pages Processed
Number of Requests Pages Disclosed Number of Requests Pages Disclosed Number of Requests Pages Disclosed Number of Requests Pages Disclosed Number of Requests Pages Disclosed
1 to 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
16 to 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
31 to 60 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
61 to 120 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
121 to 180 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
181 to 365 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
More than 365 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0


Section 9: Investigations and Reports of finding

9.1 Investigations

Investigations
Section 32 Notice of intentions to investigate Subsection 30(5) Ceased to investigate Section 35 Formal Representations
4 0 0

9.2 Investigations and Reports of finding

Investigations
Section 37(1) Initial Reports Section 37(1) Final Reports
Received Containing recommendations issued by the information Commissioner Containing orders issued by the information Commissioner Received Containing recommendations issued by the information Commissioner Containing orders issued by the information Commissioner
0 0 0 0 0 0

Section 10: Court Action

10.1 Court actions on complaints

Investigations
Section 41
Complainant (1) Institution (2) Third Party (3) Privacy Commissioner (4) Total
0 0 0 0 0

10.2 Court actions on third party notifications under paragraph 28(1)(b)

Court actions on third party notifications under paragraph 28(1)(b)
Section 44 - under paragraph 28(1)(b)
0

Section 11: Resources Related to the Access to Information Act

11.1 Allocated Costs

Number of requests recevied
  Number of Requests
Salaries   $238,263
Overtime   $3,328
Goods and Services   $0
Professional services contracts $0  
Other $0  
Total   $241,591

11.2 Human Resources

Human Resources
Resources Person Years Dedicated to Access to Information Activities
Full-time employees 3.404
Part-time and casual employees 1.000
Regional staff 0.00
Consultants and agency personnel 0.00
Students 0.00
Total 4.404
Note: Enter values to two decimal places.

Introduction to the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Canada 2021 Version 1.0

Preface

The Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Canada 2021 is the fourth Canadian version of the CIP. The CIP Canada 2021 revision was accomplished through the joint efforts of Statistics Canada and the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the United States Department of Education. NCES is the primary entity in the United States for collecting, analysing, and reporting data related to education.

This revision is based on research and consultation conducted separately by Statistics Canada and NCES in their respective countries. The information thus gathered informed the joint decision-making process during which Statistics Canada and NCES agreed on the revisions to be adopted for the common structure, as well as on various additional classes for distinctly Canadian content. Comparability between educational data from the two countries was thus maintained, while continuing to address Canada's distinct needs and circumstances. CIP 2020 and CIP Canada 2021 are respectively the American and Canadian versions of the same CIP revision.

The collaborative relationship between Statistics Canada and NCES, as well as the significant contribution of CIP users who provided input through the consultation process, have made the development of this revised classification possible.

Acknowledgements

This CIP 2021 revision was accomplished through the time, effort, and co-operation of numerous people in Canada and the United States.

In Canada, CIP 2021 was revised and published by Statistics Canada. The revision was developed by Sandra Mialkowski of the Centre for Statistical and Data Standards (CSDS), working closely with Jennifer Flack of the Canadian Centre for Education Statistics (CCES), and supported by Milena Lopez of CCES and Lauren Gomes of CSDS.

Purpose of CIP

The Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Canada is a classification of instructional programs used to classify postsecondary educational programs according to field of study. It is Statistics Canada's official standard for the organizing, collection, processing, dissemination, and analysis of field of study statistics in its education statistics programs.

Background

The Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) was developed in 1980 by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in the United States. NCES released updates in 1985, 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2020. CIP Canada 2021 is the fourth Canadian version of this classification; the others being CIP Canada 2000, 2011 and 2016.

CIP is designed to classify 'instructional programs', which are defined as:

A combination of courses and experiences that is designed to accomplish a predetermined objective or set of allied objectives such as preparation for advanced study, qualification for an occupation or range of occupations or simply the increase of knowledge and understanding (Chismore and Hill, A Classification of Educational Subject Matter, 1978, NCES, p. 165).

Although CIP was specifically designed for the classification of instructional programs, it has been used to classify instructional courses as well. CIP can also be used to classify and understand other units. For example, CIP could be used to classify institutions by programs offered, students and graduates by programs studied, or faculty by programs taught.

The organizing principle behind CIP is 'field of study'. At Statistics Canada, a field of study is defined as a "discipline or area of learning or training associated with a particular course or program of study." (Statistics Canada. (2021). Field of study of person).

Prior to adopting CIP, Statistics Canada had several field of study classifications. CIP was chosen to replace them because it was a detailed and proven classification with a 20-year history, was up to date, had an established mechanism for updates and a track record of regular updates, and a proper hierarchical coding structure. As an added advantage, it provides comparability with the United States. CIP has been Statistics Canada's standard for classifying field of study since 2005.

The classification structure and coding system

Classification levels

CIP Canada 2021 is a three-level hierarchical arrangement of classification items or categories with successive levels of disaggregation.

  1. The first level is made up of 'series', which are identified using two-digit codes. The series are the most general groupings of related programs. CIP Canada 2021 contains 50 series.
  2. The second level is made up of 'subseries', which are identified using four-digit codes. The subseries provides an intermediate grouping of programs that have comparable content and objectives. CIP Canada 2021 contains 454 subseries.
  3. The third level is made up of 'instructional program classes', which are identified using six-digit codes. Instructional program classes represent the specific instructional programs and are the most detailed level within CIP. They are the basic unit of analysis used in reporting instructional programs. CIP Canada 2021 contains 2119 instructional program classes.

Coding system

CIP Canada 2021 has a numeric coding system.

  • The code format at the series level consists of a two-digit code followed by a period. For example, 01.
  • The code format at the subseries level consists of the two-digit series code, followed by a period, then by a further two digits. There is at least one subseries within each series. For example, 01.01
  • The code format at the instructional program class (class) level consists of the four-digit subseries code, followed by a further two digits. There is at least one class within each subseries. For example, 01.0102.

Occasional gaps may occur in the numerical sequence of categories. They result either from deletions of categories that appeared in previous editions of CIP or from moves of categories to new locations in the classification.

Within each series, subseries are listed in numerical order.

Within each subseries, instructional program classes are listed in numerical order. Classes with a general focus are listed first. Residual classes are listed last and include instructional programs that belong in the subseries but are not covered in a specific instructional program class. For example, within subseries 01.01, Agricultural business and management, class 01.0101 Agricultural business and management, general, appears first and class 01.0199 Agricultural business and management, other, appears last.

Titles

Titles are generally one word or phrase, such as 'Psychology' or 'Civil engineering', that conveys the most commonly used or accepted name describing a program.

Use of the slash (/) in titles

In some cases, more than one title may be used for the same instructional program. To reflect this, the title of the corresponding category uses words or phrases separated by slashes. This is done in the following situations:

  • two or more commonly accepted names exist for the same program, or
  • the same program has different names at different educational levels, or
  • the program has undergone a recent name change but many institutions still use the older name for the program.

For example:

  • series 30. Multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary studies, includes multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary programs
  • subseries 26.07 Zoology/animal biology, includes programs that focus on the study of zoology and/or animal biology
  • class 12.0510 Wine steward/sommelier, includes programs that prepare individuals to become wine stewards and/or sommeliers.

Descriptions

  • The series descriptions broadly identify the objectives and content of the two-digit series.
  • The subseries descriptions identify the six-digit classes included in the four-digit subseries.
  • The instructional program class descriptions identify the objectives and content of the six-digit classes.

Program descriptions using the phrase "any program that focuses on" describes academic and general programs. Program descriptions using phrases such as "program that prepares individuals to" or "program that generally prepares individuals to" describe programs designed to prepare individuals for specific occupations.

Class descriptions are intended to be general categories, not exact duplicates of majors or programs offered at individual postsecondary educational institutions. In most cases, classes may be used for postsecondary educational programs at various levels and are not intended to correspond exclusively to a specific credential.

Example descriptions
Level Code Title Description
Series 01. Agricultural and veterinary sciences/services/operations and related fields This series comprises instructional programs that focus on agriculture, animal, plant, veterinary and related sciences and that prepare individuals to apply specific knowledge, methods, and techniques to the management and performance of agricultural and veterinary operations.
Subseries 01.01 Agricultural business and management This subseries comprises instructional program classes 01.0101 to 01.0199.
Class 01.0102 Agribusiness/agricultural business operations This instructional program class comprises any program that prepares individuals to manage agricultural businesses and agriculturally related operations within diversified corporations. These programs include courses in agriculture, agricultural specialization, business management, accounting, finance, marketing, planning, human resources management, and other managerial responsibilities.

Illustrative examples

Illustrative examples accompany the CIP Canada 2021 instructional program classes and appear under the heading "Illustrative example(s)". When a class has more than ten illustrative examples a list of all the illustrative examples for the class can be found by clicking the "All examples" link when using the CIP HTML format on the Statistics Canada web site, or in the alphabetical index when using the CIP PDF format.

Some of the examples are based on program names provided in response to the Census of Population of Canada and reflect the way respondents typically describe programs, and some are based on the program titles used at Canadian postsecondary educational institutions.

The examples are intended to illustrate the contents and scope of the instructional program class. The list of illustrative examples is not meant to be exhaustive.

Inclusions

Inclusions are borderline examples where it might not be clear from reading both the class title and description that the example belongs in the class. They appear under the heading "Inclusion(s)".

CIP Canada 2021 has only four inclusions:

  • victimology, in 45.0401
  • art restoration, in 50.0703
  • fundraising, in 52.0206
  • fundraising management, in 52.0206

Exclusions

Many instructional program classes also have exclusions. Exclusions clarify the boundaries of the instructional program class by identifying related instructional program classes and similar programs that are classified elsewhere. They appear under the heading "Exclusion(s)".

The instructional programs cited in the Exclusions were selected from among the examples of related instructional program classes.

The list of exclusions is not meant to be exhaustive.

CIP Canada 2021 revision methodology

Background research

To determine the need for new CIP instructional program classes for CIP 2021, the first phase of background research was guided by analyzing data for graduates from the Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS). Using the five most recent years of PSIS data, all programs of study coded to residual codes (ending in '99', or '9999') were reviewed and compared against existing CIP classes to determine if a mapping could be found. Programs of study which did not clearly map into an existing CIP class were identified as possible additions to the new 2021 version of CIP.

The second phase of background research was conducted by analyzing write-in responses to the 2016 Census for the question on major field of study. The Census write-ins on major field of study are a rich data source for the development of the classification. Each of the write-in suggestions was mapped against the 2016 CIP, and high frequency write-ins which did not map into an existing CIP class were identified as possible additions to the new 2021 version of CIP.

The third phase of background research was to conduct internet research through a scan of postsecondary educational institution web sites for each of the potential additions that had been identified. After reviewing the results, the CIP Revision Working Group decided on a list of new classes to include for bilateral discussion at the CIP Technical Review Panel (TRP) in Washington, DC.

Bilateral development

Statistics Canada and the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in the United States worked jointly on this revision of CIP from the TRP forward. Separate consultations with users of the classification in the two countries had identified areas where updates were required to clarify class boundaries, update information, or include new programs. Agreement was reached between the two countries on all revisions at the TRP: on new classes, on the placement of specific examples and on the restructuring of some series. All new and revised class descriptions were developed jointly, except those for classes appearing only in CIP Canada. This collaboration allowed the two national versions of CIP to be revised in a way that maintains the high degree of commonality between them and continues to permit close comparability between Canadian and U.S. educational data and to facilitate a common approach to future classification revisions.

Canadian version development

With the revised structure agreed to, Statistics Canada then proceeded to fully develop CIP Canada by researching appropriate examples and exclusions for all new and revised instructional program classes, ensuring new class descriptions reflected Canadian terminology and adding the classes that had been agreed would be specific to CIP Canada.

Even where no current Canadian programs are known to exist for new NCES-proposed CIP classes, these classes were included in CIP Canada 2021. This was done to support the coding of responses received by social surveys and the Census which ask respondents to report the field of study of their highest certificate, degree, or diploma. As this qualification may have been obtained outside of Canada, retaining all CIP classes is necessary to support coding.

Summary of changes from CIP 2016 Version 1.0 to CIP 2021 Version 1.0

In CIP Canada 2021 Version 1.0, the Generic Statistical Information Model (GSIM) is used to identify the types of changes made to the classification. In GSIM:

  • Real Changes - are those affecting the scope of the existing classification items or categories, whether or not accompanied by changes in the title, description and/or the coding
  • Virtual Changes - are those made in coding, titles and/or descriptions, while the meaning or scope of the classification item remains the same

The "real changes" are the most important ones for analysis.

Changes can occur at all levels of the classification. A complete list of all changes at all levels between CIP 2016 and CIP 2021 is released as a separate correspondence table and made available on Statistics Canada's website, and can also be obtained upon request.

Creation of new classification items or categories

One new series has been added. All new and existing residency and fellowship programs for physicians have been moved to a new series 61:

  • 61. Medical residency/fellowship programs

A total of 73 new subseries have been added to incorporate additional instructional programs and to restructure certain series and subseries, including:

  • 16.18 Armenian languages, literatures, and linguistics
  • 30.52 Digital humanities and textual studies
  • 43.04 Security science and technology

A total of 438 new instructional program classes have been added to incorporate the new programs and specializations now being offered in postsecondary educational institutions, including:

  • 01.0610 Urban and community horticulture
  • 11.0902 Cloud computing
  • 45.0205 Forensic anthropology

New Canada-only classes

Among the new classes are ten new six-digit classes for Canadian-only programs, which are found only in CIP Canada:

Code Class
01.0480 Cannabis product processing and inspectionCAN
01.0680 Cannabis production operations and managementCAN
01.1180 Cannabis product development and plant breedingCAN
12.0580 Cannabis ediblesCAN
44.0580 Cannabis-related public policy analysisCAN
51.1580 Cannabis abuse/cannabis addiction counsellingCAN
51.2280 Cannabis-related public healthCAN
51.9980 Cannabis-related health professions and clinical sciences, otherCAN
52.1880 Cannabis-related selling skills and sales operationsCAN
52.1980 Cannabis-related marketing and marketing operationsCAN

Transfer / Restructuring

Three series were restructured:

  • 01. Agricultural and veterinary sciences/services/operations and related fields
  • 51. Health professions and related programs
  • 60. Health professions residency/fellowship programs

To bring CIP 2021 in line with the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) and international coding practice, veterinary medicine, science, technology and veterinary-related services and support were transferred from series 51. Health professions and related programs, to series 01. Agricultural and veterinary sciences/services/operations and related fields.

Physician residency and fellowship programs were transferred from series 60. Health professions residency/fellowship programs, to a new series of their own, series 61. Medical residency/fellowship programs. And the new nurse practitioner, pharmacy, and physician assistant residency and fellowship programs have been added in series 60. Health professions residency/fellowship programs.

Changes to titles and descriptions

The titles and the descriptions of several classes were changed for clarity, accuracy or to reflect terminology changes. For a complete list of title and description changes, see the correspondence table which is released as a separate document on Statistics Canada's website, and can also be obtained upon request.

Additions and changes to examples

Over 5,000 new examples were added to CIP 2021, based on research of new and emerging instructional programs and suggestions from subject matter experts, and the existing illustrative examples were reviewed for usefulness and accuracy. The new additions and review included both English and French examples, and care was taken to ensure that all content illustrated by the examples in one language was also conveyed by the examples in the other language. The examples used are illustrative of possible survey responses and actual program names and are not an exhaustive list of examples.

Changes in CIP Canada 2021 Version 1.0 relative to CIP Canada 2016 Version 1.0

Net count of classification items by level
Level CIP Canada 2021 Version 1.0 CIP Canada 2016 Version 1.0 Added Eliminated Net difference
2-digit series 50 49 1 0 + 1
4-digit subseries 454 387 73 6 + 67
6-digit classes 2,119 1,689 438 8 + 430
Total 2,623 2,125 512 14 + 498

Variants of CIP

CIP Canada 2021 contains the standard classification structure and three standard variants of that structure. The standard classification is intended for broad use, whereas each variant is designed to meet a specific user need. Variants are released as separate documents on Statistics Canada's website, and can also be obtained upon request.

The three variants of CIP Canada 2021 are all regrouping variants. Regrouping variants reorganize the categories of the standard classification in a different, subject-specific way. The variants are not meant to replace the standard classification, but rather to complement it by enhancing the analytical usefulness of the classification by changing its organization (regrouping).

Variant of CIP Canada 2021 Version 1.0 - Primary groupings

The Variant of the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Canada 2021 Version 1.0 for Primary groupings is used for the presentation, summary, analysis, and dissemination of highly aggregated data, and is an update of the Variant of CIP 2016 - Primary groupings.

The primary groupings variant is comprised of 13 'primary groupings' at the first level, and each primary grouping is made up of one or more of the 50 two-digit series.

The second level is comprised of the 50 CIP 2021 series. Each series belongs in only one primary grouping, except for series 30. Multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary studies. Series 30. has been split into its constituent four-digit subseries, and each of the subseries has been grouped with its closest equivalent series by field of study.

The primary groupings are based on field of study and are independent of the level of postsecondary education at which they were taken. The two secondary education level series in CIP are the exception. These two series, 21. Pre-technology education/pre-industrial arts programsCAN, and 53. High school/secondary diploma and certificate programs, are included in the "Other" primary grouping category.

Variant of CIP Canada 2021 Version 1.0 - Alternative primary groupings

The Variant of the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Canada 2021 Version 1.0 for Alternative primary groupings is used for the presentation, summary, analysis, and dissemination of highly aggregated data when the Primary groupings variant is too detailed at the second level for smaller geographic areas and is an update of the Variant of CIP 2016 – Alternative primary groupings.

The variant has the same 13 'primary groupings' as the Primary groupings variant at the first level which are a convenient and useful basis for summarizing and analyzing more detailed classes.

The second level is comprised of the 50 CIP 2021 series. Each series belongs in only one primary grouping, except for series 30. Multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary studies. Series 30. has been split into its constituent four-digit subseries, and each of the subseries has been grouped with its closest equivalent series by field of study.

In order to facilitate the dissemination of information at smaller geographies, the variant collapses the 100 subgroupings of the Primary groupings variant at the second level into 59 subgroupings. Each of the collapsed categories at the second level in the Alternative primary groupings variant has an explanatory footnote stating which of the CIP 2021 series 30. Multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary subseries it includes.

Variant of CIP Canada 2021 Version 1.0 - Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and Business, humanities, health, arts, social science and education (BHASE) groupings

The Variant of the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Canada 2021 Version 1.0 for Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and Business, humanities, health, arts, social science and education (BHASE) groupings is used for the analysis, comparison, presentation, summary, and dissemination of STEM and BHASE data, and to compare education and labour market outcomes between STEM and BHASE fields of study. The variant is an update of the Variant of CIP 2016 – STEM and BHASE groupings.

The groupings in the variant are based on field of study and are independent of level of study.

The first level of the variant consists of two groupings, STEM and BHASE fields of study. At the second level, the STEM grouping is disaggregated into 3 sub-groupings, and the BHASE grouping is disaggregated into 7 sub-groupings. At the third level, the STEM grouping is further broken out into 7 categories, and the BHASE grouping is further broken out into 21 categories. The fourth level of the variant consists of the CIP 2021 instructional program classes.

Changes for 2021:

  • The acronym in the French title for this variant was changed from "Science, technologie, génie et mathématiques (STGM)" to "Science, technologie, ingénierie et mathématiques (STIM)" to bring it in line with current standards of practice
  • The BHASE sub-grouping b.3 Social and behavioural sciences, was subdivided into four categories to improve analysis.

Relationship between CIP and ISCED-F 2013

The International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) is the classification used for organizing education programmes and related qualifications by level and field of education within the United Nations International Family of Economic and Social Classifications.

CIP is comparable to the International Standard Classification of Education - Fields of Education and Training (ISCED-F) 2013, the classification from the ISCED family of classifications that is used to classify educational programs and related qualifications according to field of study.

ISCED-F 2013 has a hierarchy of 3 levels. The top level is comprised of 11 broad fields, which are divided into 29 narrow fields at the middle level, and which are further subdivided into about 80 detailed fields at the lowest level.

Correspondence tables showing the CIP to ISCED-F relationship between CIP 2016 and ISCED-F 2013 and between CIP 2021 V1.0 and ISCED-F 2013 are released as separate documents on Statistics Canada's website, and can also be obtained upon request.

Assigning CIP codes to instructional programs

To ensure consistency at the national level, Statistics Canada codes instructional program data submitted from household survey responses and from educational institution administrative data files. This coding is done with the help of software that has been developed to provide a combination of auto-coding and computer-assisted manual coding. The basic approach to CIP coding is described below for institutions or organizations that do their own coding.

The main coding tool is the classification manual available in HTML, CSV and PDF formats.

In addition to the manual, those who are coding instructional programs using CIP should have enough information about the program to be able to code accurately, including:

  • program title
  • program description
  • type of institution
  • duration of study
  • nature of the academic award.

With this information, the coding of a single-discipline instructional program is relatively straightforward. The coder selects all likely series and from among those chooses the most applicable. The process is then repeated at the subseries level, and again at the instructional program class level. This top-down process is facilitated by referring to the illustrative examples and exclusions in the manual. An electronic search of the illustrative examples can also be done.

Several examples are presented to show the coding process.

Suppose the coder has the following information:

  • program title: Hair styling
  • program description: Combining hands-on training and theory, the Hairstyling program prepares you for a career as a licensed professional hairstylist
  • type of institution: college
  • duration of study: two years
  • academic award: college diploma

The coder first tries to identify the appropriate two-digit series. In this case, from the title and description, series 12. Personal and culinary services is likely the best series to look in for a match. Within series 12., subseries 12.04 Cosmetology and related personal grooming services, gets us closer to the sort of program we are looking for. Within 12.04, the program is coded to instructional program class 12.0407 Hair styling/stylist and hair design. By referring to the description and illustrative examples, the coder can see that "hairstyling" is part of this class. The institution type and duration of study were not used.

In a second case, the coder has the following information:

  • program title: Mathematics Teacher Education
  • program description: This integrated program provides students with the learning opportunities needed to become proficient Mathematics teachers and consists of courses in Education (including field experiences) and courses in the subject area of the teaching specialization
  • type of institution: university
  • duration of study: three years
  • academic award: Bachelor of Education (BEd)

The coder first tries to identify the appropriate two-digit series based on the program title and description, in this case, series 13. Education. Within series 13, subseries 13.13 Teacher education and professional development, specific subject areas, is the most applicable. Within subseries 13.13, instructional program class 13.1311 Mathematics teacher education, is selected. By referring to the description and illustrative examples, the coder will find that "mathematics teacher education" is part of this class.

In a third case, the coder has the following information:

  • program title: LL.M. in Taxation
  • program description: The LL.M. in Taxation will provide graduates with a depth of knowledge and level of technical expertise in tax law beyond that which can be acquired in a basic law degree or other relevant disciplines
  • type of institution: university
  • duration of study: one year
  • academic award: Master of Laws (LLM)

The coder first tries to identify the appropriate two-digit series based on the program title and description. In this case, series 22. Legal professions and studies, is the clear choice. As this is a master's degree it belongs in subseries 22.02 Legal research and advanced professional studies (Post-LLB/JD), which can only be used for law degrees and legal research above the bachelor's degree level. Within subseries 22.02, instructional program class 22.0211 Tax law/taxation (LLM, LLD, JSD/SJD) is selected. By referring to the description and illustrative examples, the coder can confirm that "tax law (graduate level)" is part of this class.

In a fourth case, the coder has the following information:

  • program title: Pre-Service Firefighter Education and Training
  • program description: the Pre-Service Firefighter Education and Training program will help prepare you for a career as a firefighter with highly realistic firefighting, rescue and emergency care training. Graduates of the program are eligible to write the firefighter certification exams.
  • type of institution: college
  • duration of study: one year
  • academic award: college certificate

The coder first tries to identify the appropriate two-digit series based on the program title and description. In this case, series 43. Security and protective services. Within series 43, subseries 43.02 Fire protection, is the most applicable. Within subseries 43.02, instructional program class 43.0203 Fire science/firefighting, is selected. By referring to the description and illustrative examples, the coder will find that "preservice firefighter" is part of this class.

Coding of combined majors and multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary programs

The coding of instructional programs which combine content from two or more disciplines, referred to as combined majors (also 'double majors' or 'joint majors'), and as multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary programs, follows the same top-down approach. Using the same method described for single-discipline programs, the coder tries to find an instructional program class that specifically covers the combined program. If such a class is found, the program can normally be coded directly to that class. When no specific class can be found, the program is coded to the appropriate residual class (code ending in '99', or '9999').

In general, a program that combines content from two or more two-digit series is coded to a class in series 30. Multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary studies, and a program that combines the content from two or more subcategories within one two-digit series can be coded to a class in that two-digit series. An electronic search of the illustrative examples can also be done.

The approach for coding combined majors and multidisciplinary programs is as follows:

  1. When a specific class exists for a combined program with content from two different two-digit series, code to the appropriate specific class in series 30:
    • "Computer science and mathematics" combines content from 11.0701 Computer science and 27.0101 Mathematics, general, and should be coded to 30.0801 Mathematics and computer science, the appropriate specific class in series 30. Multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary studies
  2. When a specific class does not exist for a combined program with content from two different two-digit series, code to 30.9999 Multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary studies, other, the residual class in series 30:
    • "Computer science and music" combines content from 11.0701 Computer science and 50.0901 Music, general, and should be coded to 30.9999 Multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary studies, other, the residual class in series 30. Multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary studies
  3. When a specific class exists for a combined program with content from two different four-digit subseries of the same two-digit series, code to the appropriate specific class for that combination:
    • "Political science and economics" combines content from 45.1001 Political science and government, general and 45.0601 Economics, general, and should be coded to 45.1004 Political economy, the appropriate specific class in series 45. Social sciences
  4. When a specific class does not exist for a combined program with content from two different four-digit subseries of the same two-digit series, code to the residual class for that series (code ending in '9999'):
    • "Mass communication and journalism" combines content from 09.0102 Mass communication/media studies and 09.0401 Journalism, general, and should be coded to 09.9999 Communication, journalism and related programs, other, the residual class in series 09. Communication, journalism and related programs
  5. When a specific class exists for a combined program with content from two different six-digit classes of the same four-digit subseries, code to the appropriate specific class for that combination:
    • "Pharmacology and toxicology" combines content from 26.1001 Pharmacology and  26.1004 Toxicology, and should be coded to 26.1007 Pharmacology and toxicology, integrated, the appropriate specific class in subseries 26.10 Pharmacology and toxicology
  6. When a specific class does not exist for a combined program with content from two different six-digit classes of the same four-digit series, code to the residual class for that subseries (code ending in '99'):
    • "Hotel and casino management" combines content from 52.0904 Hotel/motel administration/management and 52.0908 Casino management, and should be coded to 52.0999 Hospitality administration/management, other, the residual class in subseries 52.09 Hospitality administration/management.

Coding of combined language majors

  1. There is an exception regarding the use of 30.9999 Multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary studies, other, the residual class in series 30. to code programs that combine content from two or more two-digit series. 30.9999 is not used to code combined and double language majors and combined language programs which combine content from two or more of these two-digit series for languages:
    • Series 16. Indigenous and foreign languages, literatures, and linguistics
    • Series 23. English language and literature/letters
    • Series 55. French language and literature/letters

    For programs combining content from two or three of these two-digit series, the combined programs are coded to 16.9999, the residual instructional program class for series 16. Indigenous and foreign languages, literatures, and linguistics. For example:

    1. a combined French / English major is coded to 16.9999 Indigenous and foreign languages, literatures and linguistics, other
    2. a combined French / German major is coded to 16.9999 Indigenous and foreign languages, literatures and linguistics, other
    3. a combined English / Russian major is coded to 16.9999 Indigenous and foreign languages, literatures and linguistics, other

    However, a major that combines French and another romance language from subseries 16.09 is coded to 16.0999, the residual class for subseries 16.09 Romance languages, literatures and linguistics, because they are both romance languages. For example:

    1. a combined French / Spanish major is coded to 16.0999 Romance languages, literatures and linguistics, other
    2. a combined French / Italian major is coded to 16.0999 Romance languages, literatures and linguistics, other
    3. a combined French / Portuguese major is coded to 16.0999 Romance languages, literatures and linguistics, other

    Likewise, a major that combines two languages from the same four-digit subseries (same language family) is coded to the residual class for that subseries. For example:

    1. a combined Japanese / Korean major is coded to 16.0399 East Asian languages, literatures and linguistics, other
    2. a combined Norwegian / Swedish major is coded to 16.0599 Germanic languages, literatures and linguistics, other
    3. a combined Hindi / Urdu major is coded to 16.0799 South Asian languages, literatures and linguistics, other

    And a major that combines two languages from two different four-digit subseries (different language families) is coded to 16.9999, the residual class for series 16. For example:

    1. a combined Bulgarian (16.0405) / Romanian (16.0906) major is coded to 16.9999 Indigenous and foreign languages, literatures and linguistics, other
    2. a combined Arabic (16.1101) / Persian (16.0801) major is coded to 16.9999 Indigenous and foreign languages, literatures and linguistics, other
    3. a combined Chinese (16.0301) / Vietnamese (16.1408) major is coded to 16.9999 Indigenous and foreign languages, literatures and linguistics, other

Revision cycle

CIP has a 10-year revision cycle. Revising a statistical classification involves a complete review of the conceptual basis of the classification as well as a review of user needs and available tools. Part of that review involves determining whether proposed changes would work better than the current practices and thus warrant a revised version of the classification.

Between revisions, updates can be made to incorporate illustrative examples for new instructional programs being offered.

Date modified:

Why are we conducting this survey?

This survey collects up-to-date information on the production and value of greenhouse plants and vegetables, and on the production of nursery stock and sod in Canada.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, producer associations, and provincial agriculture departments use the data to perform market trend analysis and to study domestic production and imports. The data are also used to calculate farm cash receipts.

Your information may also be used by Statistics Canada for other statistical and research purposes.

Your participation in this survey is required under the authority of the Statistics Act.

Other important information

Authorization to collect this information

Data are collected under the authority of the Statistics Act, Revised Statutes of Canada, 1985, Chapter S-19.

Confidentiality

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

Record linkages

To enhance the data from this survey and to reduce the response burden, Statistics Canada may combine the acquired data with information from other surveys or from administrative sources.

Data sharing agreements

To reduce respondent burden, Statistics Canada has entered into data-sharing agreements with provincial and territorial statistical agencies and other government organizations, which have agreed to keep the data confidential and use them only for statistical purposes. Statistics Canada will only share data from this survey with those organizations that have demonstrated a requirement to use the data.

Section 11 of the Statistics Actprovides for the sharing of information with provincial and territorial statistical agencies that meet certain conditions. These agencies must have the legislative authority to collect the same information, on a mandatory basis, and the legislation must provide substantially the same provisions for confidentiality and penalties for disclosure of confidential information as the Statistics Act. Because these agencies have the legal authority to compel businesses to provide the same information, consent is not requested and businesses may not object to the sharing of the data.

For this survey, there are Section 11 agreements with the provincial and territorial statistical agencies of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. The shared data will be limited to information pertaining to business establishments located within the jurisdiction of the respective province.

Section 12 of the Statistics Act provides for the sharing of information with federal, provincial or territorial government organizations.

Under Section 12, you may refuse to share your information with any of these organizations by writing a letter of objection to the Chief Statistician, specifying the organizations with which you do not want Statistics Canada to share your data and mailing it to the following address:

Chief Statistician of Canada
Statistics Canada
Attention of Director, Enterprise Statistics Division
150 Tunney's Pasture Driveway
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0T6

You may also contact us by email at statcan.esd-helpdesk-dse-bureaudedepannage.statcan@statcan.gc.ca or by fax at 613-951-6583.

For this survey, there are Section 12 agreements with the Prince Edward Island Statistical Agency as well as with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, as well as with the Manitoba Department of Agriculture.

For agreements with provincial and territorial government organizations, the shared data will be limited to information pertaining to business establishments located within the jurisdiction of the respective province or territory.

Business or organization and contact information

1. Verify or provide the business or organization's legal and operating name and correct where needed.

Note: Legal name modifications should only be done to correct a spelling error or typo.

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.

  • Legal name
  • Operating name (if applicable)

2. Verify or provide the contact information of the designated business or organization contact person for this questionnaire and correct where needed.

Note: 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.

  • First name
  • Last name
  • Title
  • Preferred language of communication
    • English
    • French
  • Mailing address (number and street)
  • City
  • Province, territory or state
  • Postal code or ZIP code
  • Country
    • Canada
    • United States
  • Email address
  • Telephone number (including area code)
  • Extension number (if applicable)
    The maximum number of characters is 10.
  • Fax number (including area code)

3. Verify or provide the current operational status of the business or organization identified by the legal and operating name above.

  • Operational
  • Not currently operational
    Why is this business or organization not currently operational?
    • Seasonal operations
      • When did this business or organization close for the season?
        Date
      • When does this business or organization expect to resume operations?
        Date
    • Ceased operations
      • When did this business or organization cease operations?
        Date
      • Why did this business or organization cease operations?
        • Bankruptcy
        • Liquidation
        • Dissolution
        • Other
          Specify the other reasons why the operations ceased
    • Sold operations
      • When was this business or organization sold?
        Date
      • What is the legal name of the buyer?
    • Amalgamated with other businesses or organizations
      • When did this business or organization amalgamate?
        Date
      • What is the legal name of the resulting or continuing business or organization?
      • What are the legal names of the other amalgamated businesses or organizations?
    • Temporarily inactive but will re-open
      • When did this business or organization become temporarily inactive?
        Date
      • When does this business or organization expect to resume operations?
        Date
      • Why is this business or organization temporarily inactive?
    • No longer operating due to other reasons
      • When did this business or organization cease operations?
        Date
      • Why did this business or organization cease operations?

4. Verify or provide the current main activity of the business or organization identified by the legal and operating name above.

Note: The described activity was assigned using the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).

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 units 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.

The following is the detailed description including any applicable examples or exclusions for the classification currently associated with this business or organization.

Description and examples

  • This is the current main activity
  • This is not the current main activity

Provide a brief but precise description of this business or organization's main activity
e.g., breakfast cereal manufacturing, shoe store, software development

Main activity

5. You indicated that is not the current main activity.
Was this business or organization's main activity ever classified as: ?

  • Yes
    When did the main activity change?
    Date
  • No

6. Search and select the industry classification code that best corresponds to this business or organization's main activity.

Select this business or organization's activity sector (optional)

  • Farming or logging operation
  • Construction company or general contractor
  • Manufacturer
  • Wholesaler
  • Retailer
  • Provider of passenger or freight transportation
  • Provider of investment, savings or insurance products
  • Real estate agency, real estate brokerage or leasing company
  • Provider of professional, scientific or technical services
  • Provider of health care or social services
  • Restaurant, bar, hotel, motel or other lodging establishment
  • Other sector

7. You have indicated that the current main activity of this business or organization is: Main activity. Are there any other activities that contribute significantly (at least 10%) to this business or organization's revenue?

  • Yes, there are other activities
    • Provide a brief but precise description of this business or organization's secondary activity
      e.g., breakfast cereal manufacturing, shoe store, software development
  • No, that is the only significant activity

8. Approximately what percentage of this business or organization's revenue is generated by each of the following activities?

When precise figures are not available, provide your best estimates.

Approximately what percentage of this business or organization's revenue is generated by each of the following activities
  Percentage of revenue
Main activity  
Secondary activity  
All other activities  
Total percentage  

Type of production

1. Which of the following products did you grow for sale in 2022?

Please report Canadian production only.

Select all that apply.

Greenhouse products

Seedlings, potted plants, bedding plants, cuttings and other propagating material, vegetables and fruit grown for sale in a permanent, artificially heated enclosed structure made of plastic, plexiglass, poly-film or glass.

Any plants that you start cultivating in a greenhouse but are finished before sales in a nursery should be considered a nursery product.

Nursery products

A diverse range of non-edible, living plant material grown 'in field' or in containers outdoors and sold with their root system intact. Plants range from tree seedlings to full-grown trees.

Include annual and perennial plants.

Exclude field-grown cut flowers from this category.

Field-grown cut flowers should be reported in its own category only, not in the 'nursery products' category. Cut flowers produced in, and sold from, a greenhouse should be reported in the 'greenhouse products' category.

Christmas trees

Include only the Christmas trees that were cut during the year.

Exclude Christmas trees that were grown in a container with their root systems intact.

Sod

Grass or turf, which has its roots intact. Sod is grown 'in field' and sold as a single product.

Greenhouse products

Include vegetables, fruits, flowers and plants grown in heated structures.

Exclude:

  • vegetables and fruit grown outdoors or in non-heated covering tunnels or cold frames
  • all cannabis production.

Christmas trees

Field-grown cut flowers

Nursery products
e.g., , trees, shrubs and plants

Sod

Did not grow any products for sale in 2022.

Greenhouse area - unit of measure

2. What unit of measure will be used to report your greenhouse area?

  • Square feet
  • Square metres
  • Acres
  • Hectares

Greenhouse area

3. What was your greenhouse area under the following materials in 2022?

Exclude non-heated covering tunnels, cold frames or any area surrounding a greenhouse.

What was your greenhouse area under the following materials in 2022?
  Unit of measure
Under glass  
Poly-film  
Rigid plastic, fibreglass or other enclosed area  
Total greenhouse area  

Greenhouse products - number of months in operation

4. How many months was your greenhouse in operation in 2022?

Report the number of months this operation was growing plants in a greenhouse.

Months

Greenhouse products

5. Which of the following greenhouse products were grown for sale in 2022?

Select all that apply.

For this survey, we are only interested in flowers, plants, vegetables, fruits, tree seedlings and bedding plants grown in, and sold from, the greenhouse. Production of vegetables and fruits covered by cold frames or covering tunnels should not be included in the greenhouse section of the survey.

Potted herbs

Plants that will be maintained in a pot by the consumer after purchase should be reported inside the 'potted plants' section. Herb plants sold in a package ready to be consumed should be reported inside the vegetable section.

Cut flowers

Include only cut flowers produced in, and sold from, a greenhouse.

Exclude field-grown cut flowers and dried cut flowers.

Fruit and Vegetables

Include products grown to completion in a greenhouse and sold from the greenhouse.

Exclude greenhouse vegetables and/or fruit that are transplanted for field crops. Bedding plants (transplants) grown in a greenhouse that will be planted in your own fields so that they can be sold as fully grown harvested vegetables at a later date should be excluded; they are reported in Statistics Canada's annual Fruit and Vegetable Survey.

Potted Plants - indoor and outdoor

Any plants grown and sold in a pot from the greenhouse.

Exclude Christmas trees sold in pots. Pots take many forms and sizes, such as baskets (wicker), peat pots, moss pots and plastic pots or ceramic pots.

Cuttings and tree seedlings

Plants (or sections of a plant) capable of developing into a greater number of plants or spreading out and affecting a greater area. Examples include Chrysanthemums, Poinsettias, Begonias, Petunias and shrubs.

Exclude tree seedlings for reforestation.

Bedding plants, also known as transplants

Young plants that are bought and then transplanted into a garden, field, container or basket by the purchaser. These include ornamental bedding plants and vegetable bedding plants. For this survey, the term "ornamental" refers to flowers or plants cultivated for their beauty rather than use.

Fruits and vegetables

Potted plants — indoor or outdoor

Include any prefinished or finished plants grown and sold in a pot.

Cuttings and tree seedlings

Exclude tree seedlings for reforestation.

Bedding plants, transplants or plugs

Include plants sold in cell packs or trays that are ready for transplanting by the purchaser.

Cut flowers

Exclude dried cut flowers.

Greenhouse products

7. What area of your greenhouse was used to produce the following fruits and vegetables in 2022?

For any multiple plantings of the same fruit or vegetable, count the area only once.

Greenhouse vegetables and fruits are edible and ready to eat at the time of sale. They were grown into sellable products in a greenhouse, not in a field; and sold from the greenhouse by the producer. Field vegetable and fruit farmers should report their production in the Fruit and Vegetable Survey.

Exclude tobacco, ginseng, asparagus, mushrooms, ornamental and vegetable bedding plants (young plants that are bought and transplanted into a garden, field, container or basket by the purchaser; also known as transplants).

A number of greenhouses are expanding to the United States. For this survey, report Canadian production only.

If you produced a multiple crop of the same greenhouse vegetable or fruit in the same greenhouse space, report the area only once. For example, if 1,000 square feet were used for the first tomato crop planting and then the same space was later used for the second tomato crop planting, you would report 1,000 square feet (not 2,000 square feet).

If you produced two or more different types of vegetables or fruit in the same greenhouse space, you would count that area for each type of crop produced.

For example, if you used 2,000 square feet to grow tomatoes for your first crop planting, and then switched to growing cucumbers in that same space half-way through the summer, you would report a total area of 4,000 square feet (2,000 square feet for growing tomatoes, plus 2,000 square feet for growing cucumbers).

What area of your greenhouse was used to produce the following fruits and vegetables in 2022?
  Unit of measure
Greenhouse tomatoes  
Beefsteak tomatoes  
Large tomatoes on the vine  
Cherry and grape tomatoes  
Other tomatoes  
Specify other tomatoes  
Total greenhouse tomatoes  
Greenhouse cucumbers  
English cucumbers  
Mini cucumbers  
Other cucumbers  
Specify other cucumbers  
Total greenhouse cucumbers  
Other greenhouse fruits and vegetables  
Greenhouse eggplants  
Greenhouse Chinese vegetables  
Greenhouse herbs
Exclude sprouts and microgreens.
 
Sprouts grown in a controlled environment
Include vegetables, legumes, pulse and herb sprouts.
 
Greenhouse microgreens and shoots
Include all microgreens, vegetables and herbs.
 
Greenhouse peppers  
Greenhouse lettuce  
Greenhouse beans (green and wax)  
Greenhouse strawberry  
Other greenhouse fruit or vegetable 1  
Specify other greenhouse fruit or vegetable 1  
Other greenhouse fruit or vegetable 2  
Specify other greenhouse fruit or vegetable 2  
Other greenhouse fruit or vegetable 3  
Specify other greenhouse fruit or vegetable 3  
Total area of fruits and vegetables  

8. For the following fruits and vegetables, what were the quantity sold ( i.e. , marketed production) and sales in 2022?

For the following fruits and vegetables, what were the quantity sold (i.e., marketed production) and sales in 2022?
  Quantity sold Unit of measure Total Sales
Greenhouse tomatoes      
Beefsteak tomatoes      
Large tomatoes on the vine      
Cherry and grape tomatoes      
Total greenhouse tomatoes      
Greenhouse cucumbers      
English cucumbers      
Mini cucumbers      
Total greenhouse cucumbers      
Other greenhouse fruits and vegetables      
Greenhouse eggplants      
Greenhouse Chinese vegetables      
Greenhouse herbs
Exclude sprouts and microgreens.
     
Sprouts grown in a controlled environment
Include vegetables, legumes, pulse and herb sprouts.
     
Greenhouse microgreens and shoots
Include all microgreens, vegetables and herbs.
     
Greenhouse peppers      
Greenhouse lettuce      
Greenhouse beans (green and wax)      
Greenhouse strawberry      
Other greenhouse fruit or vegetable 1      
Specify other greenhouse fruit or vegetable 1      
Other greenhouse fruit or vegetable 2      
Specify other greenhouse fruit or vegetable 2      
Other greenhouse fruit or vegetable 3      
Specify other greenhouse fruit or vegetable 3      
Total area of fruits and vegetables      
Total gross sales of fruits and vegetables      

9. Of the total gross sales reported at question 8, please provide the percentage breakdown of your greenhouse fruits and vegetables sales across the following distribution channels.

Sales distribution of greenhouse vegetables and fruit (total gross sales)

The sales of greenhouse vegetables and fruit that the operation produced and sold.

Please report the value of greenhouse fruit and vegetable sales in a percentage (%). The sum of different markets should be equal to 100% of the value reported in in question 8.

Wholesaler

The organization primarily engaged as the intermediary in the distribution of merchandise. Meaning that a wholesaler is a reseller of manufactured goods in whole (without transformation, and rendering services incidental to the sale of merchandise).

A wholesaler provides the warehousing and trade abilities the manufacturer does not want to provide. It also prefers to sell batches, truckloads, pallets, etc. of goods. Often offers discounts as quantity increases. As a result, many wholesalers are therefore organized to sell merchandise in large quantities to retailers, and business and institutional clients.

In addition, wholesalers may frequently perform one of the following related functions; breaking bulk, providing delivery services to customers, or operating warehouse facilities for storage of goods they sell, or marketing and support services such as packaging and labelling, inventory management, shipping, handling of warranty claims, in-store or co-op promotions and training.

Of the total gross sales reported at question 8, please provide the percentage breakdown of your greenhouse fruits and vegetables sales across the following distribution channels.
  Percentage of total sales
Sales to domestic wholesalers  
Sales to mass market chain stores  
Sales to other greenhouses  
Sales of exports directly from your operation  
Sales to the public from your greenhouse, roadside stand or other outlets  
Sales through all other distribution channels
e.g., restaurants, food chains, co-operatives
 
Total sales of fruits and vegetables  

Greenhouse products - indoor and outdoor potted plants

10. For the following indoor and outdoor potted plants, how many pots did this greenhouse produce and sell in 2022?

Include only prefinished and finished potted plants grown and sold by this greenhouse operation.

Exclude:

  • bedding plants or plugs sold in cell packs, flats or trays for transplanting
  • nursery-grown stock, such as potted shrubs or fall mums
  • Christmas trees sold in pots
  • plants purchased or imported by this operation for immediate resale.

Include all ornamental potted plants (annuals, biennials and perennials) and all potted vegetable, fruit and herb plants that were produced and sold from your greenhouse in Canada.

Plants grown in containers outdoors should be reported in the 'nursery products' category.

Exclude anything produced outside Canada.

Exclude Christmas trees sold in pots; bedding plants or plugs sold in cell packs, flats or trays; and other nursery stock (non-edible, living plant material grown outdoors 'in field' or in containers outdoors and sold with their root system intact).

Any plant grown in a pot from the greenhouse with the intention of selling to the final consumer can be classified as a finished potted plant (including hanging potted plants, such as baskets (wicker), peat pots, moss pots and plastic pots or ceramic pots). Any plant sold in a pot before it has fully matured or is intended to be grown to maturity at another facility can be classified as a prefinished potted plant.

For the following indoor and outdoor potted plants, how many pots did this greenhouse produce and sell in 2022?
Indoor Potted Plants Number of pots produced and sold
Azaleas  
Lilies  
Poinsettias  
African Violets  
Tropical foilage and green plants
Include ferns.
Exclude hanging pots.
 
Gerberas  
Miniature Roses  
Orchids  
Kalanchoes  
Chrysanthemums or Potted Mums  
Primulas  
Cyclamens  
Tulips  
Indoor hanging pots  
Other indoor potted plants  
Outdoor potted plants  
Begonias  
Chrysanthemums, garden  
Geraniums, in pots only  
New Guinea Impatiens / Hawkeri  
Petunias  
Herbaceous perennials  
Argyranthemums  
Outdoor hanging pots  
Calibrachoas  
Dahlias  
Pansies  
Rudbeckias  
Heliopsis  
Verbenas  
Zinnias  
Potted herb plants  
Potted vegetable plants  
Other outdoor potted plants
e.g., daisies, gardenias.
 
Total number of pots, indoor and outdoor, produced and sold  

11. What were the total gross sales of prefinished and finished potted plants in 2022?

Total gross sales

Greenhouse products - cuttings and tree seedlings

12. For the following cuttings, what was the total number of cuttings produced and sold in 2022?

Include only cuttings produced by this greenhouse operation.

Cuttings are sections of a plant stem capable of developing into a whole plant. Examples of species that may be sold as cuttings include murrayas, grevilleas, fuchsias, and gardenias.

Exclude ornamental and vegetable bedding plants, also known as transplants, which are young plants that are bought and then transplanted into a garden, field, container or basket by the purchaser.

For the following cuttings, what was the total number of cuttings produced and sold in 2022?
  Total number of cuttings produced and sold
Chrysanthemum  
Poinsettia  
Geranium  
Impatien
Include only double and New Guinea.
 
Other cuttings not listed  
Total number of cuttings produced and sold  

13. What were the total gross sales of cuttings in 2022?

Total gross sales

14. What was the total number of tree seedlings produced and sold in 2022?

Include only tree seedlings produced by this greenhouse operation.

Exclude:

  • nursery products grown in a cold-frame or non-heated tunnel
  • tree seedlings for reforestation.

A tree seedling is a young tree grown from a seed in a nursery or greenhouse for transplanting typically at one or two years of age.

Include tree seedlings produced only inside a greenhouse. Do not report tree seedlings produced in cold frames or covering tunnels.

Number of seedlings

15. What were the total gross sales of tree seedlings in 2022?

Total gross sales

Greenhouse products - bedding plants/transplants - vegetable and/or ornamental

16. What were the number and total gross sales of bedding plants, transplants or plugs produced and sold in 2022?

Include plants ready for transplanting by the purchaser into gardens, fields, containers and baskets.

Report the number of individual plants. If the number is unknown, please estimate it by multiplying the number of trays by the average number of plants per tray.

Bedding plants, also known as transplants, are young plants that are bought and then transplanted into a garden, field, container or basket by the purchaser. Ornamental bedding plants are cultivated for their flowers and beauty, rather than their use. Vegetable bedding plants are not yet edible at the time of sale from your greenhouse.

Bedding plants may be sold in various containers, including plugs, cell packs, flats or trays. Report the number of individual plants. If this number is unknown, please estimate it by multiplying the number of trays by the average number of plants per tray.

Exclude vegetable and herb plants not sold directly from the greenhouse (for example, plants being transplanted from the greenhouse to the field by the producer).

What were the number and total gross sales of bedding plants, transplants or plugs produced and sold in 2022?
  Number of plants Total gross sales
Ornamental bedding plants    
Vegetable bedding plants    

Greenhouse products - cut flowers

17. For the following cut flowers, what was the total number of stems produced and sold in 2022?

Exclude:

  • dried cut flowers
  • field-grown flowers (these will be reported in question 23)
  • flowers grown by another operation.

Include only cut flowers that were produced in, and sold from, a greenhouse in Canada.

Exclude cut flowers that were initially cultivated in a greenhouse but then grown into sellable products in a field; these should be reported in the 'field-grown cut flowers' section, which is its own category in this survey. Some operators may start seeds in their greenhouse but transplant the flowers in the field in May or June and cut and dry them in August.

Exclude any cut flowers you purchased from other growers to re-sell from your own operation within a short period of time with minimal maintenance work (watering).

For the following cut flowers, what was the total number of stems produced and sold in 2022?
  Number of stems produced and sold
Alstroemerias  
Chrysanthemums
Include standard and sprays.
 
Daffodils  
Freesias  
Gerberas  
Irises  
Lilies  
Roses  
Snapdragons  
Tulips  
Lisianthus  
Other cut flowers not listed  
Total number of stems produced and sold  

18. What were the total gross sales of cut flowers grown by this greenhouse operation in 2022?

Total gross sales

Greenhouse products - flowers and plants

19. What were your total gross sales of flowers and plants purchased from other greenhouses for immediate resale in 2022?

Total gross sales

Did not purchase and re-sell any flowers or plants

Summary - flowers and plants

20. This is a summary of your total gross sales of greenhouse flowers and plants in 2022?

This is a summary of your total gross sales of greenhouse flowers and plants in 2022?
  Sales
Total gross sales of potted plants  
Total gross sales of cuttings  
Total gross sales of tree seedlings  
Total gross sales of ornamental bedding plants, transplants or plugs  
Total gross sales of vegetable bedding plants, transplants or plugs  
Total gross sales of cut flowers  
Total sales of flowers and plants produced in your greenhouse  
Total gross sales of flowers and plants purchased from other greenhouses for immediate resale  
Total gross sales of greenhouse flowers and plants  

Greenhouse products - flowers and plants

21. Of your total gross sales [amount]$ reported, please provide the percentage breakdown of greenhouse flowers and plants sales across the following distribution channels.

Sales distribution of greenhouse flowers and plants (total gross sales)

The sales of greenhouse flowers and plants that the operation produced and purchased for immediate resales.

Please report the value of greenhouse flower and plant sales in percentage (%). The sum of different markets should be equal to 100%.

Wholesaler: the organization primarily engaged as the intermediary in the distribution of merchandise. Meaning that a wholesaler is a reseller of manufactured goods in whole (without transformation, and rendering services incidental to the sale of merchandise).

A wholesaler provides the warehousing and trade abilities the manufacturer does not want to provide. It also prefers to sell batches, truckloads, pallets, etc. of goods. Often offers discounts as quantity increases. As a result, many wholesalers are therefore organized to sell merchandise in large quantities to retailers, and business and institutional clients.

In addition, wholesalers may frequently perform one of the following related functions; breaking bulk, providing delivery services to customers, or operating warehouse facilities for storage of goods they sell, or marketing and support services such as packaging and labelling, inventory management, shipping, handling of warranty claims, in-store or co-op promotions and training.

Of your total gross sales [amount]$ reported, please provide the percentage breakdown of greenhouse flowers and plants sales across the following distribution channels.
  Percentage of total sales
Sales to retail florists
e.g., flower shops, garden centres
 
Sales to domestic wholesalers
Include Dutch Auction Clock System.
 
Sales to mass market chain stores  
Sales to other greenhouses  
Export sales made directly by your firm  
Sales made directly to the public from your greenhouse or roadside stands  
Sales to the government and other public institutions  
Other methods of sales not listed  
Total sales of flowers and plants  

Christmas trees

22. Please enter the total area used to grow Christmas trees, the number of trees produced and cut, and the total gross sales of trees in 2022?

Include only the Christmas trees that were cut during the year.

Exclude Christmas trees that were grown in a container with their root systems intact.

When reporting the area, include the total area used to grow Christmas trees, regardless of whether the trees were cut or not. Include naturally established or planted areas, regardless of stage of growth, that are pruned or managed with the use of fertilizer or pesticides.

When reporting the number of cut trees, exclude any Christmas trees that were grown in a container with their root systems intact.

Conversions

  • 1 arpent = 0.9986 acres
  • 1 acre = 1.0014 arpent
  • 1 acre = 0.41 hectares
  • 1 hectare = 2.47 acres

Total area

Unit of measure

  • acres
  • hectares
  • arpents

Number of cut trees

Total gross sales

Field-grown cut flowers

23. Please report the total area used to grow field-grown flowers, the number of cut stems produced and sold, and the total gross sales of field-grown cut flowers in 2022?

Include field-grown fresh and dried flowers, and any plant part used for floral or decorative purposes, such as seed heads, stalks and woody cuts.

Exclude cut flowers grown in a greenhouse from start to finish.

Total area

Unit of measure

  • acres
  • hectares
  • arpents

Number of cut stems

Total gross sales

Nursery products - nursery area

24. What was the total nursery area used for growing nursery stock in 2022?

What was the total nursery area used for growing nursery stock in 2022?
  Nursery area Unit of measure (Acres, Hectares or Arpents)
Field area used for growing nursery stock    
Container area used for growing nursery stock    
Total nursery area    

Nursery products - nursery stock

25. How many field-grown and container-grown plants did this operation produce and sell in 2022?

Exclude:

  • stock purchased for immediate resale
  • Christmas trees without the root system intact
  • heated greenhouse production and unsold inventory.

A tree seedling is a young tree grown from a seed in a nursery for transplanting typically at one or two years of age.

Include only tree seedlings produced in a nursery.

Exclude tree seedlings produced in and sold from a greenhouse.

Exclude tree seedlings for reforestation.

Note: tree seedlings may be reported as nursery products if they were conditioned outside for part of the production cycle, after having been cared for inside the greenhouse first.

How many field-grown and container-grown plants did this operation produce and sell in 2022?
  Number of field-grown plants produced and sold Number of container-grown plants produced and sold
Trees — conifer    
Trees — fruit    
Trees — shade or ornamental    
Shrubs — evergreen and conifer    
Shrubs — evergreen and broadleaf    
Shrubs — deciduous
Include roses.
   
Vines    
Perennials and annuals    
Small fruit bushes
e.g., raspberry bush
   
Tree seedlings
Exclude tree seedlings for reforestation.
   
Other type of plants    
Total number of field and container grown nursery stock    

26. What were the total gross sales of field-grown and container-grown nursery stock in 2022?

Exclude sales of stock purchased for immediate resale and revenue from landscaping activities.

Exclude:

  • any nursery stock that was purchased for immediate resale
  • Christmas trees without the root system intact
  • any greenhouse production
  • unsold inventory
  • value received for landscaping services.

Field-grown includes all bailed and burlapped, bare root field potted stock.

Container-grown includes all containers sizes of less than one gallon; one gallon; two gallons; and greater than two gallons.

Balled and burlapped is a method of transplanting that minimizes root disturbance. The tree is dug with a ball of soil around it and wrapped in burlap (method generally used for evergreens and deciduous plants in leaf).

Bare root describes plants dug up, with the soil shaken off (method generally used for deciduous plants in a dormant condition).

Field-potted describes stock which is grown in the field and placed into a pot when dug up for sale. Please report stock that was potted up from the field for a maximum of one full growing season; if potted up for more than one growing season, report under container.

Container-grown is nursery stock grown in a container for a minimum of one growing season before time of sale.

What were the total gross sales of field-grown and container-grown nursery stock in 2022?
  Total Gross Sales
Total gross sales of field-grown stock  
Total gross sales of container-grown stock  
Total gross sales of stock grown by this nursery operation  

27. What were the total gross sales of nursery stock purchased for immediate resale in 2022?

Nursery stock for immediate resale is any nursery stock you purchased from other growers to re-sell from your own operation within a short period of time with minimal maintenance e.g., watering. Please enter your total sales of the nursery stock you purchased from other operations.

Examples of stock that may be ready for immediate resale:
Plants, flowers, bulbs, trees, shrubs, etc.

Total gross sales

Did not purchase and re-sell any nursery stock.

28. This is a summary of your total gross sales of nursery stock in 2022.

This is a summary of your total gross sales of nursery stock in 2022.
  Sales
Total gross sales of stock grown by this nursery operation  
Total gross sales of stock purchased for resale  
Total sales of nursery stock  

29. Of the total gross sales [amount]$ reported, please provide the percentage breakdown of nursery stock sales across the following distribution channels.

Sales distribution of nursery stocks (total gross sales)

The sales of nursery stocks that the operation produced and purchased for immediate resales.

Please report the value of nursery stock sales in percentage (%). The sum of different markets should be equal to 100%.

Of the total gross sales [amount]$ reported, please provide the percentage breakdown of nursery stock sales across the following distribution channels.
  Percentage of total sales
Sales to the public  
Sales to fruit growers  
Sales to landscape contractors  
Sales to garden centres  
Sales to mass merchandisers
e.g., chain stores
 
Sales to other growers  
Export sales made directly by your operation  
Sales to public agencies  
Sales through other channels
e.g., wholesalers, brokers, forestry firms
 
Total sales of nursery products  

Labour

30. How many seasonal and permanent workers, paid or unpaid, were employed by your operation in 2022?

Include all workers involved in growing, maintaining and harvesting on your operation, including the owners, family workers and foreign and seasonal workers. There must be at least one employee reported.

Exclude labour for retail and clerical help, and contract work, e.g., truck driver or landscaper.

How many seasonal and permanent workers, paid or unpaid, were employed by your operation in 2022?
  Greenhouse employees Nursery employees Total employees
Seasonal employees — employed for less than 8 months      
Full-time and part-time permanent employees — employed for 8 months or more      
Total number of employees      

31. Are any of the employees on your payroll?

  • Yes
  • No, only unpaid family labour is involved

Operating expenses

32. In 2022, what were your operating expenses?

Growing on is a term used by operators when stock is cultivated in the greenhouse or the nursery for the purpose of growing it to greater proportions. The operators will plant a seed or seedling in their greenhouse and care for it, by maintaining it (transplanting, fertilizing, etc. ) until it becomes a sellable product.

Exclude any plant materials you may have purchased from other growers for immediate resale from your own operation (please report these purchases in row c).

In 2022, what were your operating expenses?
  Greenhouse expenses Nursery expenses Total expenses
Plant material      
Purchases of plant material for growing on      
Include flowers, cuttings, seedlings, seeds, bulbs, bedding plants, young trees or nursery stock etc.      
Percentage of a. purchased from within your province      
Purchases of plant material for immediate resale      
Total plant material purchases      
Payroll      
Payroll
Include:
  • payroll of employees, owners and family members
  • paid benefits, such as medical insurance, workers' compensation, employment insurance and pension plans.
Exclude wages and benefits paid to employees who provide retail or clerical help, and contract work, e.g., truck driving or landscaping.
     
Fuel expenses      
Natural gas      
Heating oil      
Other types of heating fuel
e.g., coal or wood chips
     
Total fuel expenses      
Other expenses      
Electricity expenses
Include lighting, airflow fans and heating.
     
Other crop expenses
Include fertilizer, pesticides, pollination, irrigation, containers, packaging, bioprograms, and growing mediums such as soil, peat moss, vermiculite, perlite, sand, styrofoam and sawdust.
     
Other operating expenses
e.g., Interest, land taxes, insurance, advertising, repairs to farm buildings, machinery, agricultural equipment and vehicles, contract work, and telephone and telecommunications services.
     
Total operating expenses      

Sod operations - area and sales

33. What was the total sod area grown in 2022.

Conversions

  • 1 arpent = 0.9986 acres
  • 1 acre = 1.0014 arpent
  • 1 acre = 0.41 hectares
  • 1 hectare = 2.47 acres

Sod is grass or turf, which has its roots intact at the time of sale. Sod is grown in field and sold as a single product.

Report all the area of land used for growing and maintaining sod.

Include any sod grown that was not intended for sale within the survey year (the past calendar year).

Area

Unit of measure

  • acres
  • hectares
  • arpents

34. Of the total sod area, how much was grown for sale in 2022?

Report the area of sod intended to be sold within the survey year (the past calendar year).

The area of sod grown for sale may be less than or equal to the total area of sod reported in the previous question.

Area

35. What were the total gross sales of sod grown on your operation in 2022?

Exclude revenue from laying sod or reselling sod purchased from others.

Total gross sales

36. What were the total gross sales of sod purchased for immediate resale?

Total gross sales

Did not purchase and re-sell any sod.

Summary - total sales of sod

37. This is a summary of the total sales of sod in 2022.

This is a summary of the total sales of sod in 2022.
  Sales
Total gross sales of sod grown on your operation  
Total gross sales of sod purchased for immediate resale  
Total sales of sod  

Sod operations - labour

38. How many seasonal and permanent workers, paid or unpaid, were employed by your operation in 2022?

Include all workers in this operation involved in growing, maintaining and harvesting sod on your operation, including the owners, family workers and foreign and seasonal workers. There must be at least one employee reported.

Exclude all labour for retail and clerical help; laying sod; and contract work, e.g., truck driver or landscaper.

How many seasonal and permanent workers, paid or unpaid, were employed by your operation in 2022?
  Number of employees
Seasonal employees — employed for less than 8 months  
Full-time and part-time permanent employees — employed for 8 months or more  
Total number of employees  

39. Are any of the employees reported in question 38 on your payroll?

  • Yes
  • No, only unpaid family labour is involved

Sod operations - expenses

40. Please provide your sod operating expenses in 2022.

Please provide your sod operating expenses in 2022.
  Sod operating expenses
Purchases of sod for immediate resale  
Percentage of a. purchased from within your province  
Payroll
Include:
  • payroll of employees, owners and family members
  • paid benefits, such as medical insurance, workers' compensation, employment insurance and pension plans.
Exclude wages and benefits paid to employees who provide retail or clerical help, and contract work, e.g., truck driving, landscaping or laying sod.
 
Other sod operating expenses
Include fertilizer, pesticides, land taxes, interest, insurance, advertising, repairs, fuel, electricity, irrigation expenses, and telephone and other telecommunication services.
 
Total sod operating expenses in 2022  

Agricultural production

41. Which of the following agricultural products are currently being produced on this operation?

  • Field crops
  • Hay
  • Summerfallow
  • Potatoes
  • Fruit, berries and nuts
  • Vegetables
  • Sod
  • Nursery products
  • Greenhouse products
  • Cattle and calves
  • Include beef or dairy.
  • Pigs
  • Sheep and lambs
  • Mink
  • Fox
  • Hens and chickens
  • Turkeys
  • Maple taps
  • Honey bees
  • Mushrooms
  • Other
    Specify agricultural products
  • Not producing agricultural products

Area in crops

42. What area of this operation is used for the following crops?

Report the areas only once, even if used for more than one crop type.

Exclude land used by others.

What area of this operation is used for the following crops?
  Area Unit of measure
Field crops    
Hay    
Summerfallow    
Potatoes    
Fruit, berries and nuts    
Vegetables    
Sod    
Nursery products    

Greenhouse area

43. What is the total area under glass, plastic or other protection used for growing plants?

Total area

Unit of measure

  • square feet
  • square metres

Livestock (excluding birds)

44. How many of the following animals are on this operation?

Include all animals on this operation, regardless of ownership, including those that are boarded, custom-fed or fed under contract.

Exclude animals owned but kept on a farm, ranch or feedlot operated by someone else.

How many of the following animals are on this operation?
  Number
Cattle and calves  
Pigs  
Sheep and lambs  
Mink  
Fox  

Birds

45. How many of the following birds are on this operation?

Report all poultry on this operation, regardless of ownership, including those grown under contract.

Include poultry for sale and poultry for personal use.

Exclude poultry owned but kept on an operation operated by someone else.

How many of the following birds are on this operation?
  Number
Hens and chickens  
Turkeys  

Maple taps

46. What was the total number of taps made on maple trees last spring?

Total number of taps

Honey bees

47. How many live colonies of honey bees (used for honey production or pollination) are owned by this operation?

Include bees owned, regardless of location.

Number of colonies

Mushrooms

48. What is the total mushroom growing area (standing footage) on this operation?

Include mushrooms grown using beds, trays, tunnels or logs.

Total area

Unit of measure

  • square feet
  • square metres

Changes or events

49. Indicate any changes or events that affected the reported values for this business or organization, compared with the last reporting period.

Select all that apply.

  • Strike or lock-out
  • Exchange rate impact
  • Price changes in goods or services sold
  • Contracting out
  • Organizational change
  • Price changes in labour or raw materials
  • Natural disaster
  • Recession
  • Change in product line
  • Sold business or business units
  • Expansion
  • New or lost contract
  • Plant closures
  • Acquisition of business or business units
  • Other
    Specify the other changes or events:
  • No changes or events

Contact person

50. Statistics Canada may need to contact the person who completed this questionnaire for further information.
Is the provided given names and the provided family name the best person to contact?

  • Yes
  • No

Who is the best person to contact about this questionnaire?

  • First name:
  • Last name:
  • Title:
  • Email address:
  • Telephone number (including area code):
  • Extension number (if applicable):
    The maximum number of characters is 5.
  • Fax number (including area code):

Feedback

51. How long did it take to complete this questionnaire?

Include the time spent gathering the necessary information.

  • Hours:
  • Minutes:

52. Do you have any comments about this questionnaire?