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

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

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

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

Strengthening the statistical system

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

Building an agile workforce and culture

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

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

Delivering user-friendly services

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

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

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

Using leading-edge methods

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

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

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

Collaborating and engaging with more Canadians

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

Building statistical capacity and fostering data literacy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Anil Arora
Chief Statistician of Canada