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Minister’s Message

Tony Clement, Minister of Industry

The past year has been a challenging one for the Canadian economy, as it has been for the economies of all industrialized countries. The global economic crisis put the fiscal and economic frameworks of all countries to the test. But Canada entered the recession with solid fundamentals — balanced budgets, decreasing debt and taxes, a strong financial sector and robust economic policies. Consequently, Canada is in a comparatively good position to effectively respond to this time of economic challenge.

The Industry Portfolio played a significant role in developing Canada’s resiliency and ability to weather the current crisis. Composed of 11 departments, agencies, Crown corporations and quasi-judicial bodies, the Portfolio includes major instruments in the Government of Canada’s tool kit for building a competitive economy.

In 2008–09, such measures included continued availability of Statistics Canada’s data and analysis to meet the statistical needs of federal, provincial and territorial governments, businesses, unions and not-for-profit organizations during the fiscal year.

In January 2009, the government introduced Canada’s Economic Action Plan, which contained stimulative measures to respond to the global recession. Industry Portfolio members played, and will continue to play, a central role in developing and implementing a significant number of these critical initiatives. These measures range from programs to upgrade research infrastructure at Canada’s universities and colleges, to helping small businesses bring innovative products to market, to supporting major tourism events, to enhancing community and recreational facilities and other municipal infrastructure in Ontario. For more information, visit the Canada’s Economic Action Plan website.

As a country, we are emerging from the recession by creating a climate that encourages innovation, productivity and competitiveness — helping Canadian industry move to the forefront of the global knowledge economy. The Industry Portfolio members, and other federal departments and agencies are working in partnership so that Canada continues to enjoy a high standard of living and a prosperous future.

It is my pleasure to present Statistics Canada’s Departmental Performance Report for 2008–09.

The original version was signed by
Tony Clement
Minister of Industry

Chief Statistician’s Message

I am pleased to present Statistics Canada’s Departmental Performance Report.

As Chief Statistician of Canada, my goal is to ensure that Canadians continue to have access to a trusted source of statistics about their country. Relevant statistics, that is, statistics that are consistent with what Canadians most need, and statistics of high quality, are ever more important to our society. They are a key component in the effective governance of the country.

I am happy to report that this has been a very successful year for Statistics Canada:

  • Canadians’ access to Statistics Canada’s data has increased considerably. Particularly notable was the substantial increase in website visits over the past year.

  • Information produced by Statistics Canada remains relevant and widely used. The extensive coverage our data received in Canadian and international news media is one example of this. Another is the number of studies of the major economic, social and environmental issues facing Canadians that were based on Statistics Canada data.

  • The quality of statistical outputs has been maintained as demonstrated by a variety of quality measures that Statistics Canada produces.

  • Canadians should take satisfaction with the fact that the organization is well-managed. The Treasury Board has ranked Statistics Canada among the top-performing federal departments.

However, I am ever mindful that we face many challenges. The reality in the world of statistics is that both relevance and quality deteriorate over time automatically unless proactive steps are taken to reverse these natural outcomes. Relevance falls as the country evolves. Births, deaths, mergers and acquisitions of businesses change the face of our economy. Our society and communities evolve through mobility, immigration and education. Environmental issues are increasingly front-of-mind for Canadians and their institutions. Quality also falls over time. For example, increasing use of cell phones and households that are frequently absent from their homes are making it ever more difficult to conduct our surveys, while the Internet provides a new opportunity for connecting with Canadians.

Statistics Canada is committed to remain vigilant in dealing with these challenges. It is committed to maintaining an efficient, world class statistical system. I invite readers to benefit from the work of their national statistical agency by visiting our website at www.statcan.gc.ca.

The original version was signed by
Munir A. Sheikh
Chief Statistician of Canada

Section I  Departmental Overview

1.1  Summary Information

Raison d’être

The Government of Canada established Statistics Canada to ensure that Canadians have access to a trusted source of statistics on Canadian society and its economy. Access to trusted information is fundamental in an open, democratic society to support decision making by people and their elected representatives.

The statistics produced by Statistics Canada inform national policy and support evidence-based program management. A large portion of Statistics Canada’s activities is devoted to meeting the needs of federal, provincial and territorial government policy departments and providing ongoing measurement of Canadian socio‑economic dynamics and emerging trends.

Mandate

Statistics Canada’s mandate derives primarily from the Statistics Act of 1970. The Act requires that it collect, compile, analyse and publish statistical information on the economic, social and general conditions of the country and its people. This mandate covers a broad range of statutory requirements and instruments, as well as contractual obligations, for which Statistics Canada must produce information.

The Statistics Act requires Statistics Canada to conduct a Census of Population and a Census of Agriculture every fifth year. The Act also confers substantial powers on the department to request information for statistical purposes through surveys of businesses and households.

Statistics Canada is also mandated to provide co-ordination and leadership for the national statistical system, specifically to avoid duplication in the information collected by government. Statistics Canada can also, by law, access all administrative records (e.g., tax data, customs declarations, and birth and death records), enabling it to reduce reporting burden on business and individual respondents, and to reduce duplicating data collection efforts across government. Statistics Canada is considered a leader among statistical agencies in reducing reporting burden through the use of administrative data. Partnerships and cost-recovery arrangements with other federal departments, other jurisdictions and external organizations play a large role in reducing reporting burden.

Strategic Outcome and Program Activity Architecture

Statistics Canada’s strategic outcome is for Canadians to have access to objective, high-quality, non-partisan statistics, statistical products, services and analyses on Canada’s economy and society which fulfill legal requirements, are relevant to policy formulation and decision makers, and are responsive to emerging issues.

In order to meet this strategic outcome, Statistics Canada has identified two expected results. The first expected result focuses on access to statistical information by Canadians. The second expected result focuses on ensuring trust in the information provided. Key factors to ensure that the statistical information produced by Statistics Canada can be trusted are relevance and data quality. In addition, the extent to which Statistics Canada is able to achieve its strategic outcome depends extensively on its ability to optimize its management and operations through organizational efficiency.

The strategic outcome and expected results, as well as the benchmarks, targets and indicators used in this report to measure the extent to which Statistics Canada is making meaningful progress, are described in Figure 1.

Figure 1  Strategic Outcome, Expected Results and Indicators

Figure 1 Strategic Outcome, Expected Results and Indicators

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Figure 2  Components of the Program Activity Architecture

Figure 2 Components of the Program Activity Architecture

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1.2  Performance Summary

Statistics Canada’s statistical program is funded through direct parliamentary appropriations and cost-recovery activities. In recent years, Statistics Canada’s ‘respendable’ cost-recovery revenues—revenues Statistics Canada is authorized to spend on the activity that generated them—have added more than $100 million to its total resources. A large portion of these respendable revenues is from federal departments to fund specific statistical projects.


Table 1  Financial Resources, 2008/20091 ($ thousands)
Planned spending Total authorities Actual spending
451,884 540,665 497,361
1. Totals may differ within and between tables because of rounding. Amounts shown are net of respendable revenue.



Table 2  Human Resources, 2008/2009 (full-time equivalents)
Planned Actual Difference
5,196 5,652 456


Table 3  Performance Summary


Strategic outcome: Canadians have access to objective, high-quality, non-partisan statistics, statistical products, services and analyses on Canada’s economy and society that fulfill legal requirements, are relevant to policy formulation and decision makers and are responsive to emerging issues.
Performance Indicators Targets/benchmark 2008/2009 performance summary
Indicators of access
Number of visits to the Statistics Canada website Annual increase in visits exceeds 5%, which is five times the annual population growth rate Met – Visits to the website increased 14.4%
Client satisfaction with price to access data Rating of 4 on a scale of 5 Not met – Client satisfaction rating was 3.6 for Economic Statistics and 3.4 for Social Statistics
Indicators of relevance
Number of data series downloaded from the online database (CANSIM) Annual increase in downloaded series exceeds 5%, which is five times the annual population growth rate Met – Downloaded series increased 31.8% for Economic Statistics and 16.9% for Social Statistics
Client satisfaction with Statistics Canada’s ability to meet their needs Rating of 4 on a scale of 5 Mostly met – Client satisfaction rating was 3.9 for Economic Statistics and 4.0 for Social Statistics
Number of references in Federal Budgets Several Met – There were 19 references to Statistics Canada data
Indicator of quality
Percentage of statistical outputs that meet set levels of sampling accuracy 95% of major statistical outputs meet set levels of sampling accuracy Met – 95.5% for Economic Statistics and 99.1% for Social Statistics
Indicator of organizational efficiency
Rating on 21 areas of management, as defined in the federal Management Accountability Framework Rank among the best in comparison with other departments of similar size Met – Statistics Canada ranked second in overall results in comparison with 15 federal departments of similar size

Summary of achievements: Statistics Canada made considerable progress in achieving its strategic outcome, as evidenced by the following:

  • Access to statistics has improved. Enhancements to Statistics Canada’s website and its content have contributed to a total of 17.5 million visits in 2008/2009, an increase of 14.4% over the previous year. Encouraging user self-service to data on the website is a key component of Statistics Canada’s dissemination strategy. In addition, 9,220 media citations in newspapers as well as on national radio and television networks and online media services facilitated broad public access to data. However, charging for data continues to be unpopular and is viewed as a barrier to access.

  • Information produced by Statistics Canada continues to be very relevant and widely used. Users downloaded 27.2 million data series from Statistics Canada’s online database (CANSIM) in 2008/2009, up significantly (by 4.7 million) from the previous year. However, clients indicate that their information needs are only mostly met as there remain gaps in the information available to meet emerging data needs in specific sectors of the statistical program.

  • The quality of statistical outputs was maintained as the high standard for sampling accuracy continues to be met and even exceeded for major economic and social data outputs.

  • Initiatives associated with departmental priorities have contributed to making progress in addressing data gaps and improving data relevance and quality in support of the revised Equalization Formula, the Services Price Indexes, the Consumer Price Index, and for health, justice and Aboriginal people, including off-reserve Aboriginal populations.

  • Management Accountability Framework results for 2008/2009 indicate that Statistics Canada ranked second overall in comparison with 15 federal departments of comparable size on operational and management efficiency.

Program activity Expected results 2008/20091 Alignment to Government of Canada outcomes
Planned spending Total authorities Actual spending
$ thousands
Economic Statistics 1. Statistics produced by Statistics Canada are available through a wide range of easily accessible media formats and venues.2

2. Canadians are aware of the availability of these statistics and of their high quality, and of the professionalism and non-partisanship of Statistics Canada.3
209,502 248,927 234,397 Government Affairs
Social Statistics 147,702 179,336 161,177 Government Affairs
Census, Demography and Aboriginal Statistics 94,680 112,402 101,787 Government Affairs
Total 451,884 540,665 497,361  
1. Totals may differ within and between tables because of rounding. Amounts shown are net of respendable revenue.
2. Expected result 1 focuses on access to statistical information by Canadians.
3. Expected result 2 contributes to ensuring trust in the information provided by Statistics Canada.

Table 4   Indicators of Organizational Efficiency

The Management Accountability Framework (MAF), an annual evaluation of departments conducted by the Treasury Board Secretariat, measures 21 areas of management. This independent evaluation is an indicator of the efficiency of an organization’s modern management practices. Overall, Statistics Canada has obtained solid evaluation results in each of the evaluation rounds.

MAF: Round 6 2008/2009: Statistics Canada

Management Accountability Framework: Round 6 2008-2009: Statistics Canada

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Performance results

The 2008/2009 MAF Round 6 results indicate that the management efficiency of Statistics Canada compares well with other federal departments and continues to improve. Highlights of the assessment include the following:

  • Eight of the 21 areas of management were rated ‘strong.’
  • Assessment ratings improved in three areas of management in Round 6 over Round 5.
  • Statistics Canada rated second in overall results in comparison with 15 federal departments of comparable size.

Contribution of Priorities to Strategic Outcome

In 2008/2009, specific initiatives to make improvements to statistical programs and to enhance the efficiency and management of internal services and operations were identified as priorities. Most of these initiatives were aimed at improving data access, timeliness and relevance for policy makers in the areas of the environment, health and justice, all current government priorities, as well as in support of fiscal transfers to provinces under a new Equalization Formula. Also, 2008/2009 was the first year of new investment for the 2011 Census of Population and Census of Agriculture. The relevance of the national statistical program was also enhanced by new investments, mostly on a cost-recovery basis, in Aboriginal statistics.

Other program priorities addressed relevance and quality issues, an overriding concern for Statistics Canada as the credibility and usefulness of its output depends on the actual and perceived quality of the statistics it produces. To this end, new investments were made to strengthen the Consumer Price Index, a key indicator of inflation, and also to extend the coverage of producer price indexes in service industries to improve the measurement of real output and productivity in the Canadian economy.

Initiatives to enhance the organizational efficiency and management of internal services and operations focused on the modernization and integration of data collection systems, strategies and business rules, strengthening the financial management function, including controls and audit capacity, and in official languages training.

Table 5   Departmental Priorities as Described in the 2008/2009 Report on Plans and Priorities


Operational priorities Type Performance status Link to program activity Contribution to the strategic outcome
Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators
Published by Environment Canada with data and statistical expertise provided by Statistics Canada, the Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators (CESI) included results from the 2007 Households and the Environment Survey and the 2007 Agricultural Water Use Survey. Collection of data was also done on Drinking Water Treatment Plants and Industrial Water Use, to be released in 2009. Previously committed Met Economic Statistics Relevance and quality
Obtained one-year Federal Budget funding to extend CESI to 2009/2010.
Statistics supporting the revised Equalization Formula
Statistics Canada has embarked on data initiatives in three areas to support the new Equalization Formula: collection of property tax revenue data from provincial/territorial centralized administrative sources; production of population estimates at the municipality (census subdivision) level; and capturing and processing data collected on property values from municipalities. All of these initiatives are on track to deliver data on December 1, 2010. Previously committed Met Economic Statistics Relevance
Services Price Indexes
Five new indexes are in production and will be released once their timeliness reaches an acceptable level. Six additional indexes are at various stages of entering production. Ongoing Met Economic Statistics Relevance
Strengthening the Consumer Price Index
Improvements to methods, processes and systems were completed and a permanent research and development unit was put in place to update concepts and methods and enhance analysis. Previously committed Met Economic Statistics Quality
Health Statistics Program
The Canadian Health Measures Survey collection was completed in March 2009. Preliminary results showed the effectiveness of government programs to reduce lead in various products. Ongoing Met Social Statistics Relevance
Continuous collection for the Canadian Community Health Survey resulted in more frequent and timely data available for governments and local health authorities. Quality and access
Several provinces agreed to share detailed health data to increase analysis that will provide new information on the use of the health system. Relevance and access
Justice Statistics Program
Implementing the Integrated Correctional Services Survey has modernized survey processing, increased automation, improved data quality, and facilitated the integration of legacy aggregate survey data and new microdata. The new survey strategy improves the availability and quality of data in the corrections sector. Work on the survey production system will continue through 2010/2011. New initiative Met Social Statistics Quality and access
2006 and 2011 Census of Population
Remaining major releases from the 2006 Census were completed. Previously committed Met Census, Demography and Aboriginal Statistics Relevance and access
User consultations and testing were completed for 2011 Census content and design. The planning and development of the systems and processes phase were completed for the 2011 Census.
2006 and 2011 Census of Agriculture
All remaining products from the 2006 Census of Agriculture were released. Preparations for the 2011 Census are proceeding according to plan. Previously committed Met Census, Demography and Aboriginal Statistics Relevance and access
Archiving census records
Microfilming of the 1991 and 1996 Census was completed, and microfilm-mastering was completed for the 1951, 1956 and 1961 Census. Previously committed Met Census, Demography and Aboriginal Statistics Access
Aboriginal Peoples Survey
Results were released from the off-reserve 2006 Aboriginal Peoples Survey. These data provide decision makers much-needed indicators of Aboriginal socio-economic well-being to monitor the performance of Aboriginal policies and programs. Previously committed Met Census, Demography and Aboriginal Statistics Relevance and quality
A new strategy was developed to fill key data gaps for on‑reserve Aboriginal populations by conducting on‑reserve surveys to meet the federal policy needs.
Management priorities
Collection Modernization Initiative
To achieve a multimode, multisite collection infrastructure for an integrated system for managing collection, the Survey Master Control System (SMCS) was designed, developed and built for implementation in fall 2009. The SMCS will integrate existing legacy applications and systems, and will facilitate active management (including real-time operational reports and tools), continuity planning, workload levelling and the integration of modes and operational processes. Previously committed Met Internal services Organizational efficiency
New methodologies, tools, corporate services and frameworks are being used to accelerate the systems development process for all new collection systems. There has been extensive, specialized training of operational staff by the developers and technical staff, and continuous knowledge transfer and learning for all areas, including clients.
Strengthening the financial management function
Internal financial management frameworks and policies were updated to address the changes required by the Treasury Board’s Financial Policy Suite Renewal Initiative. Statistics Canada will continue to respond to new Treasury Board requirements. Previously committed Met Internal services Organizational efficiency
Additional resources were dedicated to address the expanded external reporting associated with strengthened accountability and oversight.
Significant progress has been made regarding the Audited Financial Statements Initiative. Key internal controls have been assessed and measures implemented to ensure the quality of the organization’s processes and controls. Additional work on this file will be undertaken in 2009/2010.
Official Languages Training Program
All non-imperative appointments were closely monitored and appropriate actions were taken to extend the exemption periods according to learning plans where warranted. Ongoing Met Internal services Organizational efficiency
Statistics Canada manages its own on-site language training program to ensure more effective training of appointees to bilingual positions, and careful planning, co‑ordination and monitoring of its full-time and part-time training programs. This provided significant cost avoidance in the overall costs associated with language training.

Risk Analysis

Users of Statistics Canada’s data want access to a trusted source. Naturally, Statistics Canada’s corporate risk framework focuses on risks to both these elements. Trust is based on providing data that Canadians need (relevance) and that are representative of the universe being captured (quality).

Access

There are two aspects of the access element: access to publicly available data; and access, for statistical and research use, to confidential microdata files in a manner that fully preserves confidentiality of all Statistics Canada data.

There are two risks with access to publicly available data. The first relates to users not being aware of Statistics Canada’s data holdings, despite its wide array of dissemination products and its flagship Daily publication. The challenge here is simply the massive amount of available information and how best to disseminate it. Statistics Canada is in the process of revamping its website, its most important tool for dissemination, having restructured over the past year its Daily release to make it more informative and user-friendly.

The second risk relates to Statistics Canada’s data not being used at all—or not enough—by many potential users, given the cost of data use. Statistics Canada has been made aware by users that their number one complaint is that, unlike statistical agencies in other developed countries, it charges for its data.

In contrast to these challenges for the use of publicly available data, the issue with microdata is to ensure their confidentiality. Statistics Canada’s experiment in establishing Research Data Centres has been a huge success in this regard, but users feel this approach does not go far enough. Statistics Canada is consulting with users and Canadian businesses to find a way to enhance access while at the same time ensuring confidentiality.

Relevance

Relevance refers to Statistics Canada’s ability to produce data that are most needed by Canadians and their governments. With any given budget, only the data considered most relevant would be produced, rather than all useful data.

The risk is that the relevance of data automatically diminishes over time. This is natural since there is a constant evolution in the world we live in. Businesses die, new ones emerge. Old issues become less relevant, new ones arise. Globalization is changing the nature of international business and migration. Individuals move. Some old neighbourhoods become less populated, new ones develop. Unless data change with the world—something that requires a proactive approach—their relevance deteriorates.

However, experience has demonstrated that it is extremely difficult to stop or scale down components of the existing statistical program. As a result, significant data gaps emerge.

Statistics Canada has now established a mechanism of annual dialogues with user communities and key federal departments to try reallocating its resources to enhance relevance. The risk is that such efforts may only be able to meet the challenge modestly.

Quality

Most of Statistics Canada data are based on samples of the population. The key element of quality refers to how representative the samples are. As with relevance, the risk is that the quality of data deteriorates automatically in the absence of a proactive approach. As an example, the increasing use of cell phones, rather than land lines, is making it increasingly difficult to get hold of respondents. Other elements of quality include timeliness, coherence and interpretability of data.

Statistics Canada must constantly be vigilant in ensuring the maintenance of quality, and is in the process of developing overall summary indicators of its various data to have a better perspective on quality developments.

Expenditure Profile

Figure 3 below shows the seven-year trend of Statistics Canada’s total spending and spending net of respendable revenue. The first year, 2005/2006, marks the year immediately prior to the previous census year, while the last year, 2011/2012, will be the next census year.

Figure 3  Spending Trend

Figure 3 Spending Trend
Note: Total spending includes respendable cost-recovery revenues. Net spending is equivalent to total corporate expenditures less expenditures related to cost-recovery programs.

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As shown above, spending peaked in 2006/2007, when the 2006 Census of Population and Census of Agriculture were conducted, and fell in 2007/2008 as these activities wound down. Funding also decreased because of the Strategic Program Review and the 2007 efficiency savings. The sunsetting of several small initiatives also contributed. Despite these reductions, spending for 2008/2009 increased slightly, mainly because of collective agreement settlements and the associated payments to employee benefit plans. Funding for the Canadian Health Measures Survey and the 2011 Census of Agriculture accounted for the rest of the increase.

Funding has not been secured beyond 2009/2010 for the 2011 Census of Population; however, the rise in funding in 2011/2012 is largely due to preparation for the 2011 Census of Agriculture. When full funding for the 2011 Census of Population has been secured, Statistics Canada expects spending in 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 to reach magnitudes similar to the equivalent point in the previous census cycle.

Variances by Source

The table below provides a more detailed breakdown of Statistics Canada's spending for the most recent fiscal years.



Table 6  Total Spending, Respendable Revenue and Net Spending, by Program Activity
Program activity 2006/2007 2007/2008 2008/20091
Actual spending Main estimates Planned spending Total authorities Actual spending
$ thousands
Economic Statistics
Net spending 194,871 224,467 214,435 209,502 248,927 234,397
Add respendable revenue 20,974 19,617 25,471 25,471 25,471 22,653
Total spending 215,845 244,084 239,906 234,973 274,398 257,050
Social Statistics
Net spending 136,807 158,417 153,363 147,702 179,336 161,177
Add respendable revenue 56,257 57,767 77,541 77,541 77,541 73,363
Total spending 193,064 216,184 230,904 225,243 256,877 234,540
Census, Demography and Aboriginal Statistics
Net spending 287,842 91,147 94,944 94,680 112,402 101,787
Add respendable revenue 36,551 25,771 26,988 26,988 26,988 23,827
Total spending 324,393 116,918 121,932 121,668 139,390 125,614
Total Statistics Canada
Net spending 619,520 474,031 462,742 451,884 540,665 497,361
Add respendable revenue 113,782 103,155 130,000 130,000 130,000 119,843
Total spending 733,302 577,186 592,742 581,884 670,665 617,204
1. Totals may differ within and between tables because of rounding.

Respendable revenue adds more than $100 million per year to Statistics Canada’s budget, allowing for the production of a wide variety of statistics used by other federal departments to effectively run their programs, as well as provincial governments, private companies and various other entities.

Statistics Canada relies heavily on other government departments to provide this much-needed source of funding, as Figure 4 demonstrates.

Figure 4  Respendable Revenues, by Source

Figure 4 Respendable Revenues, by Source

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Voted and Statutory Items

Table 7 illustrates the way in which Parliament approved Statistics Canada’s resources and shows the changes in resources derived from supplementary estimates and other authorities, as well as how funds were spent.


Table 7  Voted and Statutory Items
Voted (number) or statutory (S) item Truncated vote or statutory wording 2008/20091
Main estimates Planned spending Total authorities Actual spending
$ thousands
95 Operating expenditures 398,872 388,014 468,259 424,955
S Contributions to employee benefit plans 63,870 63,870 72,406 72,406
Total 462,742 451,884 540,665 497,361
1. Totals may differ within and between tables because of rounding. Amounts shown are net of respendable revenue.

A significant portion of the difference between planned and actual spending is due to collective agreement settlements within the fiscal year. In-year approvals of funding for the Canadian Health Measures Survey and the 2011 Census of Agriculture also increased spending authority.