This section provides an overview of the department's planned spending and human resources for the next three fiscal years and compares planned spending for 2023–24 with actual spending for the current year and the previous year.
Planned spending
Departmental spending 2020–21 to 2025–26
The following graph presents planned spending (voted and statutory expenditures) over time.
Departmental spending graph
Description - Departmental spending graph
| 2020–21 | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | 2023–24 | 2024–25 | 2025–26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost Recovery (Netted Revenue) | 123,989 | 127,584 | 156,260 | 120,000 | 120,000 | 120,000 |
| Statutory | 83,531 | 90,714 | 93,745 | 74,896 | 74,144 | 73,570 |
| Voted | 537,787 | 792,670 | 564,993 | 457,200 | 448,131 | 445,662 |
| Total | 621,319 | 883,383 | 658,738 | 532,095 | 522,275 | 519,232 |
Statistics Canada is funded by two sources: direct parliamentary appropriations and cost-recovery activities. It has the authority to generate $120 million annually in respendable revenue, related to two streams: statistical surveys and related services, and custom requests and workshops. If exceeded, a request can be made to increase the authority, as was the case in the last few years.
In recent years, respendable cost-recovery revenue has contributed between $120 million and $156 million annually to the agency's total resources. A large portion of this respendable revenue comes from federal departments to fund specific statistical projects.
Statistics Canada's voted spending does not include Budget 2023 announcements. More information will be provided in the 2023–24 Supplementary Estimates and Departmental Results Report, as applicable. Resources do not reflect anticipated funding for the 2026 Census of Population and Census of Agriculture, which is expected to be approved in 2023–24 and would be the first year of funding.
Statistics Canada's statutory spending, as indicated in the graph above, relates to the Employee Benefit Plan, which is a function of planned salary spending. Therefore, it fluctuates along with voted spending.
Budgetary planning summary for core responsibilities and internal services (dollars)
The following table shows information on spending for each of Statistics Canada's core responsibilities and for its internal services for 2023–24 and other relevant fiscal years.
| Core responsibilities and internal services | 2020–21 actual expenditures | 2021–22 actual expenditures | 2022–23 forecast spending | 2023–24 budgetary spending (as indicated in Main Estimates) | 2023–24 planned spending | 2024–25 planned spending | 2025–26 planned spending |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statistical information | 666,463,788 | 920,977,524 | 710,036,336 | 579,311,471 | 579,311,471 | 571,978,435 | 571,251,486 |
| Internal services | 78,844,148 | 89,989,424 | 104,960,965 | 72,783,788 | 72,783,788 | 70,296,376 | 67,980,043 |
| Total gross expenditures | 745,307,936 | 1,010,966,948 | 814,997,301 | 652,095,259 | 652,095,259 | 642,274,811 | 639,231,529 |
| Respendable revenue | -123,989,068 | -127,583,773 | -156,259,603 | -120,000,000 | -120,000,000 | -120,000,000 | -120,000,000 |
| Total net expenditures | 621,318,868 | 883,383,175 | 658,737,698 | 532,095,259 | 532,095,259 | 522,274,811 | 519,231,529 |
The graph and table above show that spending peaked in 2021–22 when the 2021 Census of Population and Census of Agriculture were conducted. This is followed by a significant decrease in subsequent years as these activities wind down. This pattern is typical for the agency because of the cyclical nature of the Census Program. Funding for the 2026 Census has not yet been approved, and this amplifies the decrease in the overall planned spending. Funding for the 2026 Census of Population and Census of Agriculture is expected to be approved in 2023–24, which would be the first year of funding.
In addition, funding received for several initiatives from Budget 2021 and Budget 2022 decreases from 2022–23 to 2025–26.
Internal services spending from 2020–21 to 2022–23 includes planned resources from temporary funding related to an initiative approved in 2018–19 to migrate the agency's infrastructure to the cloud. The decrease in funding for outer years is largely because of ongoing funding related to cloud expenditures not yet secured and how the agency strategically manages its investments. Investments are managed centrally, by priority, within the statistical information core responsibility. Investment funding from past years will end in future years, while new investment decisions will be finalized only later in the year.
2023–24 budgetary gross and net planned spending summary (dollars)
The following table reconciles gross planned spending with net planned spending for 2023–24.
| Core responsibilities and internal services | 2023–24 gross planned spending | 2023–24 planned revenues netted against spending | 2023–24 planned net spending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statistical information | 579,311,471 | -120,000,000 | 459,311,471 |
| Internal services | 72,783,788 | 0 | 72,783,788 |
| Total | 652,095,259 | -120,000,000 | 532,095,259 |
Planned human resources
The following table shows information on human resources, in full-time equivalents (FTEs), for each of Statistics Canada’s core responsibilities and for its internal services for 2023–24 and the other relevant years.
Human resources planning summary for core responsibilities and internal services
| Core responsibilities and internal services | 2020–21 actual full-time equivalents | 2021–22 actual full-time equivalents | 2022–23 forecast full-time equivalents | 2023–24 planned full-time equivalents | 2024–25 planned full-time equivalents | 2025–26 planned full-time equivalents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statistical information | 6,099 | 7,186 | 6,873 | 5,415 | 5,389 | 5,367 |
| Internal services | 684 | 713 | 787 | 610 | 584 | 564 |
| Total gross FTEs | 6,783 | 7,899 | 7,660 | 6,025 | 5,973 | 5,931 |
| Respendable revenue | -1,340 | -1,542 | -1,640 | -1,189 | -1,189 | -1,189 |
| Total net FTEs | 5,443 | 6,357 | 6,020 | 4,836 | 4,784 | 4,742 |
Similar to trends seen in planned spending, changes in full-time equivalents from year to year are largely explained by the cyclical nature of the Census Program. Activity peaked in 2021–22, when the 2021 Census of Population and Census of Agriculture were conducted, and decreases sharply thereafter as these activities wind down.
Estimates by vote
Information on Statistics Canada's organizational appropriations is available in the 2023–24 Main Estimates.
Future-oriented condensed statement of operations
The future‑oriented condensed statement of operations provides an overview of Statistics Canada's operations for 2022–23 to 2023–24.
The forecast and planned amounts in this statement of operations were prepared on an accrual basis. The forecast and planned amounts presented in other sections of the Departmental Plan were prepared on an expenditure basis. Amounts may therefore differ.
A more detailed future-oriented statement of operations and associated notes, including a reconciliation of the net cost of operations to the requested authorities, are available on Statistics Canada's website.
Future-oriented condensed statement of operations for the year ending March 31, 2024 (dollars)
| Financial information | 2022–23 forecast results | 2023–24 planned results | Difference (2023–24 planned results minus 2022–23 forecast results) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses | 908,684,680 | 756,935,666 | -151,749,014 |
| Total revenues | 156,259,603 | 120,000,000 | -36,259,603 |
| Net cost of operations before government funding and transfers | 752,425,077 | 636,935,666 | -115,489,411 |
The decrease in planned expenditures for 2023–24 is explained mainly by four factors: a decrease in funding received for the 2021 Census Program, which was going through its dissemination period in 2022–23; a decrease in revenue related to cost-recovered statistical services, which directly impacts the planned spending; new initiatives announced in Budget 2021 for which work continued throughout 2022–23; and the end of the cloud migration project in 2022–23.
The decrease in planned revenue for 2023–24 is mainly due to the reduction of cyclical cost-recovered statistical services.