Annual Report Privacy 2020/2021

Introduction
Implementation: Privacy
Training initiatives for privacy
Policies, guidelines and procedures
Complaints and investigations
Monitoring of the requests
Privacy breaches
Privacy impact assessments
Microdata linkage
Types of disclosure under subsection 8(2) of the Privacy Act
Appendix A: Delegation Order
Appendix B: Statistical Report
Appendix C: Microdata Linkage

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, 2020, to March 31, 2021. 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 for statistical purposes. The privacy legislation demands that government institutions inform those from whom information is collected about the purpose of the collection. 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. 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 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.

These mechanisms help Statistics Canada to fulfill its commitment to 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 Industry 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 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.

Privacy requests

Disposition of requests completed

All disclosed: 26
Disclosed in part: 4
Nothing disclosed (exempt): 0
Does not exist: 17
Abandoned: 91
Total: 138

The Agency received 86 new requests in 2020-2021 and 88 requests were carried over from the previous reporting period. During this period, 138 requests were completed and 36 requests were carried forward to the next reporting period.

For 26 requests, information was disclosed completely and for 4 requests, information was partially disclosed, having redactions applied to protect personal information pertaining to other individuals. For 17 requests, the information did not exist, and 91 requests for credit information were abandoned as applicants did not respond to requests for additional information. 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.

Responding to privacy requests involved reviewing more than 4,076 pages, of which 2,983 pages were released. Twelve (12) requestors received information electronically on CD-ROM and eighteen (18) requestors received the information in paper format.

Privacy requests
Fiscal Year	Requests Received	Requests Completed	Number of Pages Processed	Number of Pages Released
2020/2021	83	138	4,076	3,983
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
2016/2017	112	115	24,628	17,320

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 138 requests completed in 2020-2021 was as follows:

26 were fully disclosed (19%)
4 were disclosed in part (3%)
17 information did not exist (12%)
91 were abandoned by applicants (66%)

Completion time and extensions

In 2020-2021 the number of privacy requests completed was 138 for an average of 324 over the last five years. 117 requests processed in 2020-2021 were within the time period and as prescribed by the Act. Several factors contributed to the timely response; information sessions with officials and sector contacts, and a streamlined delegation order. There were no extensions taken.

The 138 requests completed in 2020-2021 were processed in the following time frames:

109 within 1 to 15 days (79%)
8 within 16 to 30 days (6%)
6 within 31 to 60 days (4%)
4 within 61 to 120 days (3%)
7 within 121 to 180 days (5%)
2 within 181 to 365 days (1.5%)
2 more than 365 days (1.5%)

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 2020-2021, one exemption was invoked as per the Privacy Act, which was as follows:

Section 26: Exempting personal information about individuals other than the requestor (4).

Costs

During 2020-2021, the ATIP Office incurred an estimated $327,201 in salary costs and approximately $1,700 in administrative costs to administer the Privacy Act.

Training initiatives for privacy

In 2020-2021, 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. A second course with similar content must be completed by employees for renewal of their identification card. For most employees, this occurs every three years. In the current reporting period, a total of 655 employees completed these courses.

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 information is protected by the Privacy Act and will only be disclosed as permitted by that Act.

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 complaint made against Statistics Canada lodged with the OPC whereby the applicant alleged that records were missing from the response package released in April 2019. The ATIP Office has responded to the complaint, and while the investigation has not yet been finalized, the OPC is considering this matter conditionally resolved.

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 is used to document incidents. This template 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 15 privacy breaches at Statistics Canada during the reporting period, of which 1 was material in nature. A total of 4,050 people were affected by these 15 breaches. Amongst the 4,050 people affected, 3,949 were a result of 1 incident related to client email information that was not material in nature.

One material breach was reported to the OPC, affecting a total of 2 individuals:

Mail delivered to respondents, for participation in a survey, displayed in the window of the envelop a social insurance number as part of the identified address information. The address registry, where the information was taken from, was reviewed to ensure that no other addresses contained a social insurance number.

The individuals impacted were informed and told of their ability to submit a complaint to the OPC.

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

training for employees on the protection of personal/protected information;
communication of the importance of verifying email addresses.

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

Office 365- Interim Instance

A PIA was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality or security issues associated with the interim instance of Office 365. The interim implementation of Office 365 enables Statistics Canada employees to work collaboratively on documents that are not protected or classified, using their personal devices. This reserves limited network bandwidth for mission-critical programs. No protected information collected under the authority of the Statistics Act is permitted in this environment. No personal information of clients and employees is collected, used, or stored. The assessment did not identify any privacy risks that cannot be managed using existing safeguards.

Cloud Infrastructure Platform

A PIA was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality or security issues associated with this initiative. Statistics Canada created a cloud infrastructure platform that resides within a Government of Canada-authorized Microsoft Azure cloud data centre. This cloud infrastructure platform has been authorized to safeguard information categorized up to, and including, Protected-B. Protected-B indicates information that is sensitive. Sensitive information can include personal information. The cloud infrastructure platform lays the foundation upon which future cloud-based applications and systems, that contain personal identifiable information, can be securely built and accessed by authorized users. This assessment addresses the privacy risks associated with this cloud infrastructure platform. Specifically, it focusses on two of the infrastructure's underlying components that are crucial to privacy protection: identity and access management as well as auditing and reporting.

Protocols are in place to detect, report on, analyze, and respond to incidents such as a privacy breach. In the event of a privacy breach, corrective actions will be taken and all impacted users will be notified about the measures being taken to minimize the impact on them. The assessment of the Cloud Infrastructure Platform did not identify any privacy risks that cannot be managed using existing safeguards. It also demonstrates that the personal or sensitive information collected through this initiative is necessary and proportional to its specific purpose.

Access to Statistics Canada's Microdata in Authorized Workspaces

A PIA was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality or security issues associated with this new data access model. Statistics Canada's expanded model will provide approved researchers (Deemed Employees) with secure access to anonymized data in an "Authorized Workspace".

It may include a closed office, closed conference room or meeting room, open workspace within the premises of an organization, or a private space within a Deemed Employee's personal residence. Only anonymized data (i.e., direct personal identifiers removed) with lower level of sensitivity and lower risk of re-identification will be accessible via an Authorized Workspace. At all times, the data reside on Government of Canada approved IT infrastructure. The assessment did not identify any privacy risks that cannot be managed using existing safeguards.

Data Analytics as a Service Platform

A PIA was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality or security issues associated with the Data Analytics as a Service Platform. This platform supports Agency program areas in their work with the external research community to increase researchers' ability to create models and insights that benefit Canadians. The platform provides a comprehensive set of features that include search access to data catalogues, secure analytic data labs to perform statistical and data science analysis in strongly protected ways, and the means to publish model outputs and narratives via dashboards and other tools. The platform additionally supports data stewardship activities such as management of data acquisitions, data and metadata management, search and discovery, and data visualization functions. All data content is managed and controlled by the relevant microdata access services and business owners and addressed through privacy impact assessments currently in place. The assessment did not identify any privacy risks that cannot be managed using existing safeguards.

Canadian COVID-19 Antibody and Health Survey

A PIA was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality or security issues associated with the Canadian COVID-19 Antibody and Health Survey. This voluntary survey collects health data on the current COVID-19 pandemic by asking selected participants to complete an electronic questionnaire and provide a blood sample from a self-administered finger prick (dried blood spot sample). Results from this survey will provide important information on the health status of Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic, including an estimate of the prevalence of infection from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. This survey will also provide a platform to explore new measurement techniques, as this is the first time that self-administered blood samples are being collected from a nationally-representative sample of Canadians. The assessment did not identify any privacy risks that cannot be managed using existing Statistics Canada safeguards and procedures, as well as those in place at the various laboratories being used. Any remaining risks are either negligible or are such that Statistics Canada is prepared to accept and manage.

Supplement: Pulse Survey on COVID-19 and its Impacts on Public Service Employees

A supplement to the Generic PIA was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality or security issues associated with the conduct of the Pulse Survey on COVID-19 and its Impacts on Public Service Employees, a series of short thematic questionnaires directed at employees on different topics, such as mental health and wellness, the current work environment, leadership and support, and the future of work. The voluntary survey does not collect any direct personal identifiers such as name or age. Instead, this survey collects personal information such as age group, gender, aboriginal status, visible minority status, and disability. It also collects work-related information about the employee, such as department or agency of work, organizational unit, current employee status, occupational group, and province or territory of work. While direct personal identifiers are not being collected, participants will provide personal information and work information. The assessment concluded that, with the existing Statistics Canada safeguards, any remaining risks were such that Statistics Canada was prepared to accept and manage the risk.

Supplement: Narcotics, Substance Use, and Community Well-Being Initiative

A supplement to the Generic PIA was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality or security issues associated with the Narcotics, Substance Use, and Community Well-Being Initiative. The initiative is a series of projects where Statistics Canada will be collecting data pertaining to individuals (including minors) who experienced suspected drug overdoses, to produce analytical data that will help provide insight on primary risk factors and increase understanding of those most at-risk of a drug overdose and problematic substance use. The assessment concluded that, with the existing Statistics Canada safeguards, any remaining risks were such that Statistics Canada was prepared to accept and manage the risk.

Supplement: Web-scraping Activities for the Consumer Price Index

A supplement to the Generic PIA was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality or security issues associated with the use of web-scraping to collect and integrate data for the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The CPI program does not collect, create or use personal information. Any inadvertent collection of personal information through web-scraping is unlikely, given the nature of the websites of interest, and the type of information offered on these sites. The assessment concluded that, with the existing Statistics Canada safeguards, any remaining risks were such that Statistics Canada was prepared to accept and manage the risk.

Supplement: Survey on COVID-19 and Mental Health

A supplement to the Generic PIA was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality or security issues associated with the conduct of the Survey on COVD-19 and Mental Health. The purpose of this voluntary survey is to gather information that will help governments assess the impacts of the pandemic on Canadians' mental health and well-being, and develop strategies to address these impacts. These could include programs and services for Canadians, namely vulnerable Canadians and their families. In addition, the data will provide insights on how the restrictions and provincial lockdowns have led to or exacerbated symptoms related to mental health. The assessment concluded that, with the existing Statistics Canada safeguards, any remaining risks were such that Statistics Canada was prepared to accept and manage the risk.

Supplement: Web-scraping and Other Web-based Collection Activities for Company-specific COVID-19-related Information.

A supplement to the Generic PIA was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality or security issues associated with automating web-scraping and other web-based collection activities. These activities take place in order to more expeditiously and efficiently gather web-based, public information required to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Canadian economic activity.

No personal information is meant to be collected. The purpose of this supplement is to address any privacy risks associated with the inadvertent collection of personal information, such as social media account names or handles relating to an individual, during the web-scraping and other web-based collection activities. If applicable, any personal information inadvertently collected will be stripped from the data and deleted.

Supplement: Canadian Legal Problems Survey

A PIA was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality or security issues associated with the Canadian Legal Problems Survey. This voluntary survey collects information on disputes or problems, which may or may not require legal advice, and examine how these situations have impacted Canadians' lives. The survey aims to gather information to help governments better understand these situations, and evaluate whether or not Canadians have access to legal advice and services, and the associated costs. This assessment concludes that, with the existing Statistics Canada safeguards and additional mitigation factors listed above, 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 2020-2021, there were 27 approved microdata linkages that involved personal information (Appendix C).

Types of disclosure under subsection 8(2) of the Privacy Act

Subsection 8(2) of the Privacy Act describes the circumstances under which personal information may be disclosed without the consent of the individual to whom the information pertains. Although this disclosure of personal information is discretionary, it is subject to any other Act of Parliament. In the case of Statistics Canada, the Statistics Act provides a statutory prohibition against disclosure of identifiable information, without the knowledge and consent of the individual concerned. Therefore, personal information collected under the Statistics Act cannot be disclosed pursuant to subsection 8(2).

In the case of personal information, in records held by Statistics Canada, and subject only to the Privacy Act (i.e., those of employees and contractors), disclosures under subsection 8(2) can occur in certain circumstances: for the purpose for which information is obtained or compiled by the institution, for a use consistent with the purpose described in personal information banks registered to Statistics Canada, or for the purpose of complying with subpoenas, warrants, court orders and rules of court.

Paragraph 8(2)(m) of the Privacy Act allows for disclosures of personal information in the public interest, and Paragraph 8(2)(e) allows for disclosures of personal information "to an investigative body…for the purpose of enforcing any law." During the reporting period, Statistics Canada did not disclose any personal information under subsections 8(2)(e) or/and 8(2)(m) of the Privacy Act.

Appendix A

Access to Information and Privacy Acts Delegation Order

The Minister of Industry, pursuant to section 73 of the Access to Information Act and 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 designation replaces 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 Françoeis-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: 2019-04-01 to 2020-03-31

Part 1: Requests Under the Privacy Act

Requests Under the *Privacy Act*
	Number of Requests
Received during reporting period	86
Outstanding from previous reporting period	88
Total	174
Closed during reporting period	138
Carried over to next reporting period	36

Part 2: Requests Closed During the Reporting Period

2.1 Disposition and completion time

Disposition and completion time
Disposition of Requests	Completion Time
Disposition of 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
All disclosed	17	2	1	3	3	0	0	26
Disclosed in part	0	1	0	0	1	1	1	4
All exempted	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
All excluded	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
No records exist	11	5	1	0	0	0	0	17
Request abandoned	81	0	4	1	3	1	1	91
Neither confirmed nor denied	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	109	8	6	4	7	2	2	138

2.2 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	4
27	0
27.1	0
28	0

2.3 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

2.4 Format of information released

Format of information released
Disposition	Paper	Electronic	Other formats
Total	18	12	0

2.5 Complexity

2.5.1 Relevant pages processed and disclosed

Relevant pages processed and disclosed
Disposition of Requests	Number of Pages Processed	Number of Pages Disclosed	Number of Requests
Total	4076	2983	121

2.5.2 Relevant pages processed and disclosed 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
Disposition	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
All disclosed	25	135	0	0	0	0	1	791	0	0
Disclosed in part	1	83	1	298	1	795	1	881	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	91	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Neither confirmed nor denied	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	117	218	1	298	1	795	2	1672	0	0

2.5.3 Other complexities

Other complexities
Disposition	Other	Total
All disclosed	13	13
Disclosed in part	3	5
All exempted	0	0
All excluded	87	87
Request abandoned	0	0
Neither confirmed nor denied	0	0
Total	103	105

2.6 Closed requests

2.6.1 Number of requests closed within legislated timelines

Number of requests closed within legislated timelines
	Requests closed within legislated timelines
Number of requests closed within legislated timelines	117
Percentage of requests closed within legislated timelines (%)	84.8

2.7 Deemed refusals

2.7.1 Reasons for not meeting statutory deadline

Reasons for not meeting statutory deadline
Number of Requests Closed Past the Statutory Deadline	Principal Reason
Number of Requests Closed Past the Statutory Deadline	Workload	External Consultation	Internal Consultation	Other
21	0	0	0	21

2.7.2 Number of days past deadline

Number of days past deadline
Number of Days Past Deadline	Number of Requests Past Deadline Where No Extension Was Taken	Total
1 to 15 days	0	0
16 to 30 days	0	0
31 to 60 days	6	6
61 to 120 days	4	4
121 to 180 days	7	7
181 to 365 days	2	2
More than 365 days	2	2
Total	21	21

2.8 Requests for translation

Requests for translation
Translation Requests	Accepted	Refused	Total
English to French	0	0	0
French to English	0	0	0
Total	0	0	0

Part 3: Disclosures Under Subsections 8(2) and 8(5)

Disclosures Under Subsections 8(2) and 8(5)
	Paragraph 8(2)(e)	Paragraph 8(2)(m)	Subsection 8(5)	Total
Disclosures	0	0	0	0

Part 4: Requests for Correction of Personal Information and Notations

Requests for Correction of Personal Information and Notations
Disposition for Correction Requests Received	Number
Notations attached	0
Requests for correction accepted	0
Total	0

Part 5: Extensions

5.1 Reasons for extensions and disposition of requests

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

5.2 Length of extensions

Length of extensions
Length of Extensions	15(a)(i) Interference with operations				15(a)(ii) Consultation			15(b) Translation purposes or conversion
Length of Extensions	Further review required to determine exemptions	Large volume of pages	Large volume of requests	Documents are difficult to obtain	Cabinet Confidence Section (Section 70)	External	Internal	15(b) Translation purposes or conversion
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

Part 6: Consultations Received From Other Institutions and Organizations

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

Consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions and other organizations
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
Pending at the end of the reporting period	0	0	0	0

6.2 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
Recommendation	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	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Disclosed in part	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
All exempted	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
All excluded	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

6.3 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
Recommendation	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	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Disclosed in part	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
All exempted	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
All excluded	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

Part 7: Completion Time of Consultations on Cabinet Confidences

7.1 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 Days	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

7.2 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 Days	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

Part 8: Complaints and Investigations Notices Received

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

Part 9: Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs)

9.1 Privacy Impact Assessments

Number of PIA(s) completed: 11

9.2 Personal Information Banks

Personal Information Banks
	Active	Created	Terminated	Modified
Personal Information Banks	0	0	0	0

Part 10: Material Privacy Breaches

Number of material privacy breaches reported to TBS: 1
Number of material privacy breaches reported to OPC: 1

Part 11: Resources Related to the Privacy Act

11.1 Costs

Costs
Expenditures	Amount
Salaries	$9,517
Overtime	$0
Goods and Services	$0
Professional services contracts	($0)
Other	($0)
Total	$9,517

11.2 Human Resources

Human Resources
Resources	Person Years Dedicated to Privacy Activities
Full-time employees	0.136
Part-time and casual employees	0.00
Regional staff	0.00
Consultants and agency personnel	0.00
Students	0.00
Total	0.136

Appendix C: Microdata linkages

Approved record linkages containing personal information

Distributions of household economic accounts (DHEA) (001-2019)

Purpose: DHEA provides household distributional statistics of income, consumption, savings and wealth based on national accounts estimates. Information on disparities among households that is consistent with macroeconomic indicators enriches the understanding of economic developments and allows for a more complete assessment of the risks associated with, for example, rising inequality of income, consumption, savings and wealth.

Output: DHEA is released annually, providing distributions by income quintile, by age group, by province/territory and by household type. Additional distributions will be made available to users as new source data is exploited and the estimates are developed.

The impact of Intellectual Property on the Canadian Economy (003-2019)

Purpose:The purpose of the project is to examine the role individuals play in the generation of intellectual property, in the leveraging of that intellectual property to drive firm performance, and in the diffusion of the skills for innovation across the economy. The project will inform the Government of Canada's Innovation and Skills Plan and Intellectual Property Strategy, particularly in the areas of skills development, the diffusion of knowledge, and intellectual property awareness among individuals from various socio-economic backgrounds.

Adding Gender to the Corporations Returns Act (CRA) database (007-2019)

Purpose: The Corporations Returns Act (CRA) program was identified as a potential source of information regarding gender diversity on corporate boards. Although the CRA does compile information on board governance and control, it does not collect information on the gender profile of the directors. The results of a record linkage between the CRA data and the Social Data Linkage Environment (SDLE) combined with imputation methods permit the integration of a sex field onto the CRA database. Statistics on the composition of corporate boards and more specifically on women having a governance role on boards of directors can then be produced. While information of this nature is produced by the private sector, their observations focus on boards of publicly traded corporations. The CRA provides information on board composition of public, private and government businesses. The CRA data compiles this detailed information at the enterprise level but also at the legal entity level. This provides further insight into the overall gender distribution of governance roles within the entire corporate structure and not solely from the top executive board of the enterprise. This initiative is aligned with the priorities of the Government regarding a diverse and inclusive Canada and also contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) as part of achieving gender equality.

Output: Only aggregate statistical outputs and analyses will be released, subject to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act. Disclosure control rules will be applied in order to safeguard the privacy of individual Canadians' personal information. Data validation processes will be established in order to ensure the accuracy of all disseminated materials, including tabulations and analytical products.

Indian Register linked to tax data, (Longitudinal Indian Register Database (LIRD)) (009-2019)

Purpose: By combining the Indian Register (IR) with annual tax data, this database would allow First Nations governments and organizations, analysts, and government departments to better understand the income trends of the Registered Indian population, as well as the impact of various policies. Due to its longitudinal design, this database is able to provide economic indicators over time, accompanied by various socio-demographic characteristics that add depth and nuance to analyses. Specific cohorts can be followed and the effects of policies or programs can be more accurately measured. Since this database combines administrative data sources, response burden is reduced compared to a survey with similar content. Furthermore, administrative databases, such as this one, are not affected by sample size limitations and are able to produce reliable estimates at a detailed level.

Output: Only aggregate statistical outputs and analyses will be released, subject to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act. Disclosure control rules will be applied in order to safeguard the privacy of individual Canadians' personal information. Data validation processes will be established in order to ensure the accuracy of all disseminated materials, including tabulations and analytical products.

While the database is being developed and tested, and its analytical potential is being explored, preliminary statistical outputs will be shared for discussion and engagement purposes only. During this feasibility phase, outputs will be released to Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) / Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC), as well as to First Nations Governments, communities, and organizations, either on request or as part of planned engagement activities. Subsequent broader release of finalized statistical outputs will be considered in collaboration with stakeholders.

2016 Census of Population linkage to income tax files and benefits records to monitor tax filing behaviour and take-up rate of various benefit programs (011-2019)

Purpose: The purpose of this linkage is to obtain information on possible barriers to families and individuals receiving various benefits programs, and to provide more direct evidence on the take-up rate for these programs. Receipt of many government benefits is contingent upon filing an income tax return. This project will provide analysis of T1 tax filing profile and take-up rates of various benefits programs according to socio-demographics characteristics, analysis of the incidence of benefit take-up and the benefit receipts according to income levels, and analysis of the characteristics of the non-filers or those who do not receive the grants.

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.

The Longitudinal Administrative Databank (LAD) linked to the Discharge Abstract Database (DAD) (012-2019)

Purpose: The objective of this initiative is to create a linked database that will support research on the relationships between labour market, income and hospitalizations including financial outcomes experienced by individuals and families following hospitalizations resulting from accidents and acute illness. The proposed linkage will combine data on acute inpatient hospitalizations with data on income and employment. The resulting analytical files will support a broad program of research related to income and hospitalizations including research on the economic consequences of 'health shocks' for individuals and their families and the implications for income, labour and health policies. The de-identified linked files will be made available to researchers through the Research Data Centres Network.

Output: Methodological and analytical findings resulting from these linked data will be used to prepare research papers for publication. Only non-confidential aggregate statistics that will not result in the identification of an individual person, business or organization will be released outside of Statistics Canada and the Research Data Centres.

The Canadian Cancer Trials Group (CCTG) Long-Term Innovative Follow-up Extension (LIFE) study (013-2019)

Purpose: The purpose of this linkage is to obtain long-term follow-up information on consenting individuals with aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma who previously enrolled on the LY.12 randomized phase III clinical trial. The cohort of clinical trial participants will be linked to the Canadian Cancer Registry in order to identify occurrence of malignancy, either second cancer or recurrence of lymphoma. Linkage to the Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database will be undertaken to assess long-term survival and cause of death of those who participated in the trial.

Output: The de-identified linked datasets will be available for the exclusive use of researchers from the Canadian Cancer Trials group within a Research Data Centre (RDC). All data and analytical products to be released outside of the RDC will conform to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act. These file will be retained in accordance with the Directive on the Management of Statistical Microdata Files.

Assessing disparities in perinatal health among Canadian women. (016-2019)

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to create a linked dataset that will allow the study of women's perinatal health at the population level, including the ability to assess the differences across various sociodemographic parameters. In order to achieve this purpose, information from the Canadian Vital Statistics Birth Database (CVSB) and the Canadian Vital Statistics Stillbirth Database (CVSS) will be used to create a cohort of mothers (Mothers File). The Mothers File will be linked to various administrative datasets including: the Immigrant Landing file, the T1 Family File, the long form Census (2001, 2006 and 2016) and the National Household Survey (2011) to add sociodemographic information about mothers. The Mothers File will also be linked to the Discharge Abstract Database (DAD) and the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System (NACRS) to examine maternal morbidity before and during pregnancy. In addition, the Mothers File will be linked to the Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database (CVSD) to identify maternal deaths and study association between maternal mortality and maternal morbidity during pregnancy. Finally, a linkage of the CVSB and the CVSS to the CVSD will be undertaken in order to identify infant deaths and study the association of infant mortality with indicators of perinatal health among various subgroups.

Output: All access to the linked microdata will be restricted to Statistics Canada personnel whose work activities require access. The linked data will only be available to those personnel and deemed employees with approved projects to use in a Research Data Center (RDC) for various studies. Only aggregate data that conform to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada.

Canadian Census Health and Environment Cohorts (CanCHEC): Linkages of the 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006 and 2016 censuses of population and the 2011 National Household Survey to Mortality, Cancer, Hospital Administrative Files, and T1 Family File. (019-2019)

Purpose: To create a series of population-based census linked datasets that will allow for the examination of mortality, cancer, and hospitalizations, and environmental exposures by taking into account ethnocultural and socioeconomic factors (as measured on the census and tax files) and historical exposure (using historical postal codes mainly derired from tax files to attach environmental exposures). These data files will provide clear and authoritative evidence on whether health inequalities are changing (increasing/decreasing) or remaining constant over time.

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. Specifically, output will follow previously approved census linked confidentiality rules and guidelines and other vetting rules specific to the Census of Population and 2011 National Household Survey and other datasets used in this linkage. Access will be granted following standard Research Data Centres (RDCs) approval processes and procedures. Major findings will be used to create research papers for publication in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at workshops and conferences and the Health Indicators program. Analytical datasets will be placed in the RDCs and respect data access guidelines (e.g. exclusion of variables) currently in effect for the source datasets (e.g. census, vital statistics, tax files etc.).

Linkage of the 2002 Canadian Community Health Survey – Mental Health and Well-being – Canadian Forces (CCHS-CF) to the 2018 Canadian Armed Forces Members and Veterans Mental Health Follow-up Survey (CAFVMHS) (021-2019)

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to allow researchers in the Research Data Centres (RDCs) to link the Masterfile of the 2002 Canadian Community Health Survey – Mental Health and Well-being – Canadian Forces (CCHS-CF) with the Masterfile of the 2018 Canadian Armed Forces Members and Veterans Mental Health Follow-up Survey (CAFVMHS). The linked file will provide longitudinal Canadian data that can be used to assess the impact of mental health disorders on a range of outcomes among military personnel.

Output: Only non-confidential aggregate statistics and analyses conforming to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada. All products containing linked data will be disseminated in accordance with Statistics Canada's policies, guidelines and standards. Outputs from this linkage will include a wide range of analysis and standard data tables, as well as custom tabulations. The analytical file will not contain any personal identifiers. A concordance key will be retained indefinitely as part of this record linkage. The opportunity to produce the linked file will be made available to researchers at Statistics Canada's Research Data Centres.

Socioeconomic and Ethnocultural Disparities in Perinatal Health in Canada: Current Pattern and Changes Over Time (023-2019)

Purpose: The purpose of the research project is to investigate disparities in perinatal outcomes such as preterm birth, stillbirth, and infant mortality by the ethnocultural and socioeconomic characteristics of parents, and examine how these have evolved over time. Knowledge of differential magnitudes of disparities across population groups is essential in developing policy and prioritizing potential intervention strategies.

Linkage of the Canadian Housing Survey to historical income information, information on social and affordable housing, measures on proximity to services and measures on income dispersion in communities (024-2019)

Purpose: The Canadian Housing Survey (CHS) is designed to fill a data need in support of the federal government's National Housing Strategy. The biennial survey helps track whether Canadians have housing that meets their needs and that they can afford.

The purpose of this linkage is to enrich the CHS program by making available more complementary information to all stakeholders. The additional information will assist with program and policy development to help Canadians with their housing decisions and improve their living standards, for example:

Historic income information would provide a more complete understanding of housing needs for Canadians in relation to their evolving circumstances over several years;
Social and affordable housing information would align affordable housing programs better to Canadians most in need; and
Insights from proximity to services and income dispersion measures would inform resource allocations to maximize individual housing experiences.

Output: Only non-confidential aggregated data and analytical products 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. Linked analytical datasets (without any personal identifiers) to be accessible through the Research Data Centres.

Linkage of Labour Force Survey with Longitudinal Workers File (025-2019)

Purpose: This projects will link Labour Force Survey (LFS) respondents from 2007 onwards with the Longitudinal Workers File (LWF). This linkage will extend the utility of these existing data sources using innovative methods and produce insightful longitudinal analyses in the form of publications and conference presentations. By using existing data from the LFS for a new purpose without introducing respondent burden, this linkage project is fully taking advantage of the available data already collected by Statistics Canada, and using it to advance innovative, in-depth concepts related to longitudinal labour market analysis. For example, identify ing subgroups of the population who were vulnerable to labour market adversity beyond the 2009 recession could help inform future recession-related policies/programs.

Output: Access to the linked microdata files will be restricted to Statistics Canada personnel 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. Key findings will be used to create research papers for publication in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at workshops and conferences.

Linkage of Agriculture Taxation Data Program (ATDP) farm operator and farm family income (027-2019)

Purpose: The purpose of this linkage is to improve the quality of published estimates on total income of farm operators and their families. These estimates are used by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, other federal and provincial departments, and various agencies to assess the economic welfare of Canadian farm operators and their families, to facilitate farm-level policy development.

Output: This record linkage will increase the quality of some variables that are already part of the dissemination plans for the ATDP Farm Family and/or Farm Operator series.

Only non-confidential aggregates will be disseminated by the ATDP on Statistics Canada's Data module and in customized tables.

Linkage of the Survey of Early Learning and Child Care Arrangements (SELCCA) to the 2016 Census of Population, the 2017 T1Family File, 2018 Canadian Child Benefit File and the Longitudinal Immigration Database. (028-2019)

Purpose: The purpose of the linkage is to respond to the data needs of the Government of Canada's Multilateral Framework for Early Learning and Child Care. This framework identifies key priorities for child care, including child care that is inclusive and flexible.

The SELCCA file in the research data centres will be augmented with income and demographic variables from the T1 Family File (T1FF), Canadian Child Benefit (CCB) file, 2016 Census of population and the Longitudinal Immigration Database (IMDB).

Analytical variables from the SELCCA file, the T1FF file, IMDB; CCB; the 2016 Census of Population will be outputted to a linked analysis file. A descriptive analysis of families using child care will be undertaken.

Output: 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. Findings will be reported in research papers, internal and external reporting documents, presentations at workshops and conferences, and external publications (e.g., academic manuscripts).

Elections Canada Data Quality Confirmation Study of the National Register of Electors (029-2019)

Purpose: The purpose of the project is to examine the accuracy and currency of addresses in the Drivers' License (DL) file, which serves as an input into the Register, by linking and comparing them to addresses found on StatCan's Labour Force Survey. The results of the study will inform Elections Canada on the quality of the National Register of Electors (the Register) maintained by Elections Canada

Output: Only non-confidential aggregated data and an analytical report 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 to Elections Canada.

The Educational Pathways and Postsecondary School-to-Work Transitions Of Marginalized Youth In Ontario And Across Canada (030-2019)

Purpose: This study seeks to identify the skills, and new ways of learning, particularly in higher education, that Canadians need in order to:

thrive in an evolving society and labour market;
understand the changing barriers and challenges experienced by students as they transition from high school through postsecondary programs and into the labour market;
assess the long-term effectiveness of programs and strategies available to high school students to improve their chances of getting into and completing postsecondary programs and;
analyze and further the understanding of the relationship between socio-demographic characteristics, high school programs and performance, family background, post-secondary education/pathways, and transitions to the labour market.

Output: The client funding the linkage intends to hold workshops to communicate findings to key stakeholders within and outside our research team. The research results will help formulate policy and practice recommendations and contribute to future research opportunities and policy initiatives.

Presentations of research findings will be delivered to academic and research audiences by team members and graduate students. We will submit proposals to present papers and host sessions at annual conferences held by relevant professional associations, such as the Congress of Social Sciences and Humanities. Opportunities to present at non-academic conferences and various external venues, to ensure that research findings reach relevant practitioner communities, will also be explored.

Research findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, edited collections, and policy reports. In accordance with Tri-Council policy, the research team will publish in open access journals and make the research available in open access repositories to support the accessibility of project outcomes.

White paper and policy briefs will be developed for submission to relevant provincial and federal government bodies for the purposes of informing decision-making.

Finally, the research team will work with their respective university's communications offices to develop timely and relevant press releases for local and national news outlets and popular media.

Digital Technologies, Firm Performance and Human Capital (031-2019)

Purpose: Innovation in the form of adopting digital technologies has the potential to increase economic prosperity but also brings disruption. A lack of data means that policy makers and researchers struggle to evaluate best how to maximize the benefits and contain the negative impacts of these technologies. This project will link the Aberdeen Enterprise Technologies Indicators (2007-2018) database, from which detailed measures of technology adoption can be derived, to Statistics Canada's Canadian Employer-Employee Dynamics Database (2001-2018), Census 2006 and 2016, and the National Household Survey 2011. The linkage to the Canadian Employer-Employee Dynamics database, Censuses and National Household Survey will allow the examination of how investments in digital technologies affect firm-level performance, employment and skill-levels within firms. The linkage with the Postsecondary Student Information System (2010-2018) data will allow the examination of how local firm-level digital technology investments affect current, potential and future employees' educational choices. In particular, researchers are interested in enrollment in and graduation from information technology-related disciplines.

Output: Security measures for the linking keys, identifiers and linked analysis file will conform to Statistics Canada's policies and standards. The linkage will be performed at Statistics Canada by Statistics Canada staff, and the link files will be kept in a secure, password-protected server. Access to direct identifiers and linked files will be restricted to Statistics Canada staff whose assigned work duties require such access. All direct business identifiers will be removed from the analysis file once linkage is complete. External researchers will be able to access the linked data, without direct identifiers, on Statistics Canada premises, under the Directive on the Use of Deemed Employees. The data will be available in the Canadian Centre for Data Development and Economic Research (CDER) only.

British Columbia Income Assistance Data Linkage Project (032-2019)

Purpose: The British Columbia Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction has convened a committee of expert researchers whose mandate will be to study basic income in the BC context and apply basic income concepts to BC's current income support system. As part of this project, a linkage between British Columbia's Employment and Assistance data to various administrative files will be created. This project will provide analysis aiming at determining the social, economic, and health impacts of such a program while acknowledging the impact of technological advances, shifting demographics, changing social norms regarding labour force participation, and citizens' expectations from government. In particular, the development of analytical research projects are expected to help researchers, the general public and government to understand and to improve assistance policies or programs.

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. Research reports and presentations to various groups will be generated from the analysis file. Only non-confidential aggregate data or tables confirming to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada.

Security measures for the linking keys, identifiers and analysis file will conform to Statistics Canada's policies and standards. All direct identifiers will be removed from the analysis file once linkage is complete. The analysis file will be made available to Statistics Canada researchers, and to deemed employees at the Statistics Canada Research Data Centres under the Directive on the Use of Deemed Employees. The analysis file will be retained in accordance with the Directive on the Management of Statistical Microdata Files, until no longer required, at which time it will be destroyed.

Canadian Income Survey Plus (033-2019)

Purpose: The purpose of this linkage is to improve the quality of income-related information produced by the Canadian Income Survey (CIS) by drawing income information from virtually all of the Labour Force Survey (LFS) sample. The CIS, which is collected from a sub-sample of the LFS, provides annual income and low income statistics for various family types, demographic characteristics and geographies. The linkage of the LFS sample to the Administrative Personal Income Masterfile (APIM) will improve the quality of income and low income estimates, without increasing response burden or survey costs. Furthermore, this larger sample will allow the release of more detailed estimates, particularly for small populations that are difficult to capture in the CIS sample.

Output: Only non-confidential aggregated data and analytical products that conform to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Canada Act and any applicable requirements of the Privacy Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada. Linked analytical datasets (without any personal identifiers) will be accessible through the Research Data Centres.

Census shelter residents linkage project (037-2019)

Purpose: Employment and Social Development Canada and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation have requested a data linkage of shelter residents to better understand the income and housing situations of persons enumerated in shelters during the 2011 and 2016 Census cycles. The linked file will be used for the development of analytical research projects that will aid in determining how to support the vulnerable Canadians in maintaining safe, stable and affordable housing.

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

The out-of-pocket burden of cancer care for patients and survivors in Canada (038-2019)

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to better understand the full scope and magnitude of the economic burden of out-of-pocket costs paid by cancer patients and survivors. To that end, the Survey of Household Spending (SHS) will be linked to the Canadian Cancer Registry. This linked cohort, as well as a case-matched control cohort, will be linked to the T1 Personal Master File (T1PMF), to health administrative databases such as the Discharge Abstract Database (DAD), the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System (NACRS) and the Ontario Mental Health Reporting System (OMHRS), and to the Canadian Vital Statistics Deaths Database (CVSD).

Receipt of disability benefits by Canadian adults with disabilities: a longitudinal study using linked data from the 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD) with historical income statistics from T1 Family File (039-2019)

Purpose: This study will examine the feasibility and validity of linking the CSD to longitudinal data from the T1FF. This data could be used to inform policy stakeholders and to address important research questions. The data aims to provide the most up-to-date information on the use of disability benefits by Canadians aged 15 and over whose daily activities were limited due to a long-term condition or health-related problem. Second, socio-demographic characteristics of beneficiaries will be described. Thirdly, we will examine the association between disability characteristics (type, severity, and duration) and disability benefit receipt.

Output: a report and presentation deck on the validity of linking the CSD to longitudinal data from the T1FF will be prepared. If successful, non-confidential aggregate data will be used for possible dissemination products such as research article(s), presentation decks, and/ or reports to stakeholders as well as a linked data file available in the RDCs.

British Columbia Basic Income Project: The Potential Impact of a Basic Income on Child Outcomes (040-2019)

Purpose: This project is part of a large study of the potential impact of a Basic Income as a policy tool for British Columbia. 'Basic Income' refers to a program of transfer payments, through which the government would guarantee that everyone has income that exceeds a specific minimum level. For example, through the Guaranteed Income Supplement and Old Age Security, people over age 65 in Canada are guaranteed to have an income no lower than $18,000 a year.

The project will estimate the impacts of existing transfers on childhood educational outcomes as a basis for predicting the impact of a Basic Income. The key research question is: do changes in transfer income for parents (including transfers from Income Assistance and Employment Insurance) affect children's educational attainment, future success in the labour market, and future receipt of benefits?

The results of the study will have direct impacts on policy deliberations and, ultimately, on the form of the transfer system aimed at helping the most vulnerable in our society. The results would also likely serve as an input to discussions in other jurisdictions, including at the federal level.

Output: The linked analysis file, with all identifiers removed, will be made available to researchers with approved projects in the Statistics Canada Research Data Centres (RDCs) who are deemed employees of Statistics Canada.

In particular, for the purposes of the BC Basic Income study project, each researcher involved with the project will prepare a report. The reports will be disseminated in three ways:

They will become part of the overall project report to the BC government.
They will be compiled as chapters in a book on analysing basic income which, it is anticipated, will be published by the Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP) and sold publicly.
Researchers may convert their reports into academic papers, which they will submit to peer reviewed journals.

Feasibility study for identifying persons living in shelters using administrative data (041-2019)

Purpose: To study the feasibility of providing more timely and frequent data sources for persons living in shelters by using administrative data.

While the Census can provide data for persons living in shelters, the Census only collects data every 5 years. By linking administrative data with the Dwelling Universe file, it may be possible to develop techniques to identify a certain portion of persons living in shelters using administrative data, which is available on an annual basis. An assessment of these methods will be performed by linking to Census data (2006 to 2016).

This would provide a timelier source of data to study persons living in shelters.

Output: Statistics Canada will prepare a set of analytical tables, containing only aggregate data which conform to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act and any applicable requirements of the Privacy Act.

Multi-use proposal for the 2016 Census long-form and the Longitudinal Administrative Databank (LAD) linkage project. (042-2019)

Purpose: This project is intended to facilitate timely access of approved researchers operating in Statistic Canada's Research Data Centres to detailed 2016 Census long-form characteristics data linked with annual snapshot files from the Longitudinal Administrative Database (LAD).

Output: Only non-confidential aggregate statistics and analyses conforming to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada.

All products containing linked data will be disseminated in accordance with Statistics Canada's policies, guidelines and standards. Outputs from this linkage will include a wide range of analysis and standard data tables, as well as custom tabulations.

The Role of Firms in the Integration and Impact of Immigrants and Temporary Residents in Canada (043-2019)

Purpose: The purpose of the project is to study: the career paths of immigrants and temporary residents; the role of firms in facilitating the integration and assimilation of immigrants to Canadian economy; and the impacts of immigrant and temporary residents on firm growth, international trade, innovation, and local labor markets. To carry out the project, a linked file consisting of immigrants and temporary residents in the Longitudinal Immigration Database (IMDB), a 20% sample of the Canadian-born population in the Longitudinal Administrative Databank (LAD), and businesses in the Canadian Employer-Employee Dynamics Database (CEEDD) will be created. Existing linkages do not provide information on the employers where immigrants and temporary residents work. Results from this project can help Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada assess and improve the effectiveness of immigrant and temporary resident programs and develop policies to attract and retain the right skill and talents needed for new digital economy.

Output: Security measures for the linking keys, identifiers and linked analysis file will conform to Statistics Canada's policies and standards. All direct business and individual identifiers will be removed from the analysis file once linkage is complete. The linked file will be retained in accordance with the Directive on the Management of Statistical Microdata Files, until no longer required, at which time it will be destroyed. External researchers can only access the firm-level information in Statistics Canada's Researcher Data Centers (RDCs) that remove any direct identifiers and identifiable information. The firm-level information is transformed into categorical variables to prevent the identification of firms from the aggregation of the individual-level data. Only non-confidential aggregate statistics and analyses conforming to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada.

Linkage of the Longitudinal Immigration Database (IMDB) to the Labour Force Survey (LFS) (001-2020)

Purpose: The purpose of this linkage is to create a reweighted LFS-IMDB database covering the 2002 to 2018 period and using this database to estimate labour market indicators (including, but not limited to, unemployment rates, participation rates, wages) by IMDB variables (including, but not limited to, immigration category and knowledge of official languages). The LFS-IMDB database will allow for the estimation of previously unknown longitudinal labour market indicators in Canada, such as labour force statuses of landed immigrants by category of immigration and by knowledge of official languages, without incurring any additional response burden on the respondents.

Output: A series of non-confidential aggregate statistical tables will be provided to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). All statistical tables will be vetted, to ensure conformity to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act and conformity to the high quality standards of Statistics Canada, by Statistics Canada employees before being sent outside of Statistics Canada premises. In accordance with the Directive on Management of Statistical Microdata Files, the LFS-IMDB database will be retained on Statistics Canada premises until no longer required, at which time it will be destroyed.

Linkage of Statistics Canada's Research Data Centre Longitudinal Worker File (LWF) with the Employment Insurance EI Status Vector File (EISV) (002-2020)

Purpose: This project will assess the feasibility of linking data on workers from the Longitudinal Worker File (LWF) available at the Research Data Centres (RDCs) with data on employment insurance from the EI Status Vector File (EISV) available at the RDCs. If the record linkage is found to be of satisfactory quality, a record linkage key between the two files will be placed in the RDCs allowing researchers to link the LWF and EISV files. These linked files will cover 10% of Canadian taxfilers. The resulting linked data will provide a comprehensive view of individuals' interactions with the labour market and government Employment Insurance programs.

Output: A LWF – EISV linkage key will be made available for users at the RDCs. Once the RDC user combines the analytical linked data for research purposes using the linkage key, methodological and analytical findings resulting from the linked data will be used to prepare research papers for publication. Only non-confidential aggregate statistics that will not result in the identification of an individual person will be released outside of Statistics Canada and the Research Data Centres.

Temporary Foreign Worker and employment/earnings dynamics (003-2020)

Purpose: The goal of this initiative is to create a database to facilitate research on topics related to temporary foreign workers and their impact on the Canadian labour market. The proposed linkage combines data from the Temporary Foreign Worker Program administrative files and the Canadian Employer-Employee Dynamics Database (CEEDD). This linkage will allow information on both the temporary foreign workers and firms that hire temporary foreign workers to be put together.

Output: Analytical findings from these linked datasets will be used to prepare research papers for publication and dissemination at ministries, research conferences and seminars. Only non-confidential aggregate statistics that cannot result in the identification of an individual, business, or organization will be released outside of Statistics Canada.

Supplemental Statistical Report on the Privacy Act

Table 12.1 - Requests Received

The following table reports the total number of formal requests received during two periods; 2019-04-01 to 2020-03-13 and 2020-03-14 to 2020-03-31.

Total number of formal requests received during two periods; 2019-04-01 to 2020-03-13 and 2020-03-14 to 2020-03-31.
	Number of requests
Received from 2019-04-01 to 2020-03-13	280
Received from 2020-03-14 to 2020-03-31	3
Total	283
Note: Total for Row 3 should equal the total in the Privacy Statistical Report Section 1.1 Row 1

Table 12.2 - Requests Closed

The following table reports the total number of requests closed within the legislated timelines and the number of closed requests that were deemed refusals during two periods 2019-04-01 to 2020-03-13 and 2020-03-14 to 2020-03-31.

Total number of requests closed within the legislated timelines and the number of closed requests that were deemed refusals during two periods 2019-04-01 to 2020-03-13 and 2020-03-14 to 2020-03-31.
	Number of requests closed within the legislated timelines	Number of requests closed past the legislated timelines
Received from 2019-04-01 to 2020-03-13	210	16
Received from 2020-03-14 to 2020-03-31	0	0
Total	210	16
Note: Total for "Number of requests closed within the legislated timelines" should equal the total in the Privacy Statistical Report Section 2.6.1 Row 1 Total for "Number of requests closed past the legislated timelines" should equal the total in the Privacy Statistical Report Section 2.7.1. Col. 1 Row 1

Table 12.3 - Requests Carried Over

The following table reports the total number of requests carried over during two periods; 2019-04-01 to 2020-03-13 and 2020-03-14 to 2020-03-31.

Total number of requests carried over during two periods; 2019-04-01 to 2020-03-13 and 2020-03-14 to 2020-03-31..
	Number of requests
Requests from 2019-04-01 to 2020-03-13 and outstanding from previous reporting period that were carried over to the 2020-2021 reporting period	85
Requests from 2020-03-14 to 2020-03-31 that were carried over to the 2020-2021 reporting period	3
Total	88
Note: Total Number of requests should equal the total in the Privacy Statistical Report Section 1.1 Row 5