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Minister's Message
Over the past year, the Canadian economy has proven to be resilient despite continued fiscal uncertainty in other parts of the world. Since our government introduced Canada's Economic Action Plan in 2009 to respond to the global recession, Canada has recovered not only all of the jobs lost during the recession but also all of our economic output.
As Minister of Industry, I am confident that the Industry Portfolio will play a key role in our government's plan to strengthen Canada's knowledge-based economy. Our efforts will focus on promoting innovation and modernizing Canada's marketplace policies, among other areas.
In 2012–13, Statistics Canada will continue to be a trusted source of statistics to Canadians, responding to the nation's highest priority needs and supporting both public and private decision making. Priorities for the Agency include disseminating results from the 2011 Census of Population and Census of Agriculture, continuing data quality studies for the 2011 National Household Survey, developing a framework for environmental statistics and releasing information from the historical revision of the Canadian System of National Accounts. Statistics Canada will also continue to explore ways to make greater use of administrative data to reduce the response burden on Canadians and businesses.
A significant part of the Industry Portfolio's activities will involve developing Canada's digital economy by updating copyright and privacy laws and building a world-class digital infrastructure for next-generation wireless technologies and services. We will also put in place conditions that allow small businesses to grow and create jobs. This will mean reducing red tape, improving access to credit and focusing programs to promote more effective research and development.
Since coming to office, our government has made science and innovation a priority. We will leverage our past investments and continue to develop and recruit world-leading research talent. We will also take measures to encourage the private sector to increase research and development investments and improve commercialization outcomes.
In our government's pursuit to improve the well-being of Canadians, we will continue to work to secure the recovery, eliminate the deficit and invest in the drivers of long-term economic growth. We will also implement our plan to find savings in government expenditures to return to fiscal balance in the medium term.
This year's Report on Plans and Priorities for Statistics Canada delivers a comprehensive approach to promote and maintain Canada's strong and competitive economy. I look forward to working with my Cabinet and departmental colleagues, as well as with the private sector and other levels of government, to achieve our common goal of creating jobs and growth for all Canadians.
The original version was signed by Christian Paradis
Minister of Industry and Minister of State (Agriculture)
Chief Statistician's Message
I am pleased to present Statistics Canada's Report on Plans and Priorities.
Access to objective, high-quality official statistics is a fundamental requirement for an open, market economy and a democratic society. As Chief Statistician, my goal is to provide relevant, timely and high-quality information to Canadians.
Statistics Canada's ability to provide Canadians with high-quality information is dependent on the long-standing partnership between the national statistical agency and the country's citizens, businesses, governments and other institutions. This past year, the Agency collected the 2011 Census of Population and released census population data in February. Strong support was received from Canadians across the country, and more than 6,000 businesses, governments and other organizations undertook activities supporting the 2011 Census.
In the coming year, Statistics Canada will release additional information from the 2011 Census of Population and continue processing the National Household Survey. Preparing and analyzing this information are key Agency priorities.
Other key priorities for the Agency include
- collecting the Survey of Financial Security
- creating a framework for environmental statistics
- releasing information from the historical revision of the System of National Accounts
- extending outreach and consultation activities
- continuing to expand the use of administrative data to reduce response burden.
Statistics Canada will continue to review and renew its statistical programs to ensure information is relevant and is produced and delivered as efficiently as possible.
I invite you to visit the Agency's website, www.statcan.gc.ca, to learn more about our many data and information products.
The original version was signed by Wayne R. Smith
Chief Statistician of Canada
Section I: Organizational Overview
Raison d’être
Statistics Canada was established to ensure that Canadians have access to a trusted source of statistics on Canada to meet their highest priority needs.
The Agency's mandate derives primarily from the Statistics Act. The act requires that Statistics Canada collect, compile, analyze and publish statistical information on the economic, social and general conditions of the country and its people. It also requires that Statistics Canada conduct a census of population and a census of agriculture every fifth year, and that the Agency protect the confidentiality of the information with which it is entrusted.
Statistics Canada is also mandated to co-ordinate and lead the national statistical system.
Responsibilities
Access to trusted statistical information is an essential underpinning of democratic societies, both to support evidence-based decision making in the public and private sectors and to inform debate on public policy issues.
In the Constitution Act of 1867, "census and statistics" was made a federal jurisdiction. Parliament has exercised its responsibility for the census and statistics primarily through the Statistics Act. The act creates Statistics Canada as Canada's national statistical office and establishes its mandate, powers and obligations. Under the Statistics Act, participation in surveys is compulsory for households and businesses, although the Agency can declare participation in a survey to be voluntary. This is often done for household surveys. Administrative records can also be obtained to aid the Agency's work. In tandem with these powers, Statistics Canada is charged with ensuring the confidentiality of information in its hands and limiting the use of that information to statistical purposes.
Finally, to promote the efficiency of the national statistical system, Statistics Canada is mandated to collaborate with other government departments, as well as with provincial and territorial governments, to develop a well-integrated, coherent national system of statistics that minimizes duplication and reporting burden on households and businesses.
Statistics Canada is also mandated under the Corporations Returns Act to collect and publish information on inter-corporate ownership in Canada, notably foreign ownership of Canadian enterprises. The particularity of the Corporation Returns Act is that it allows Statistics Canada to disclose information on the ownership of individual corporations, something that would be prohibited under the Statistics Act.
Numerous federal and provincial laws and regulations specifically require information from Statistics Canada for their implementation. Some key examples are the Canada Pension Plan Act (the Consumer Price Index); the Employment Insurance Act (small-area employment and unemployment estimates); the Federal–Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act (numerous economic and demographic measures); the Income Tax Act (the Consumer Price Index); the regulations to the Official Languages Act (census data on official languages); and the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act (the census).
Statistics Canada's Corporate Management Framework illustrates how the Agency fulfills its responsibilities. For details on this framework, and on the enablers that allow the strategic outcome to be achieved, please see http://www.statcan.gc.ca/about-apercu/reports2-rapports2-eng.htm.Strategic Outcome and Program Activity Architecture
Statistics Canada is part of the Government Affairs outcome area in the Whole of Government performance framework. Although the official categorization places Statistics Canada in the Government Affairs domain, the Agency contributes to most federal government outcomes in the domains of economic, social, and international as well as government affairs. This contribution is both direct, by informing public debate and decision making outside the federal government, and indirect, by supporting policy formulation, implementation and evaluation within the federal government.
Statistics Canada's strategic outcome, which is supported by a framework of program activities and subactivities, follows.
Strategic Outcome
Canadians have access to timely, relevant and quality statistical information on Canada's changing economy and society for informed debate, research and decision making on social and economic issues.
Statistics Canada's Program Activity Architecture is shown in Figure 1.
Organizational priorities
The next tables summarize Statistics Canada's priorities with a list of planned activities and links to the Program Activity Architecture and the strategic outcome. Detailed information, by Program Activity, on planned activities, indicators, targets and timelines is presented in Section 2.
| Priority | Type | Strategic Outcome(s) and/or Program Activity(ies) |
|---|---|---|
| Deliver timely and accurate statistical programs according to Statistics Canada's quality assurance framework | Ongoing |
|
| Description | ||
Why is this a priority?
|
||
| Priority | Type | Strategic Outcome(s) and/or Program Activity(ies) |
|---|---|---|
| Framing of options for the 2016 Census of Population Program and the Census of Agriculture | Ongoing |
|
| Description | ||
Why is this a priority?
|
||
| Priority | Type | Strategic Outcome(s) and/or Program Activity(ies) |
|---|---|---|
| Adjust programs to reflect reduced funding and modified responsibilities resulting from government-wide budgetary and efficiency measures | New |
|
| Description | ||
|
Why is this a priority? Program adjustments are necessary to ensure that Agency expenditures remain within approved funding levels and to implement the government's decision to centralize a number of IT services previously performed by Statistics Canada itself. Plans for meeting the priority
|
||
| Priority | Type | Strategic Outcome(s) and/or Program Activity(ies) |
|---|---|---|
|
Make highest-priority investments necessary to ensure the continuity and maintain the quality of the existing statistical program, including supporting the infrastructure Continue to identify and implement the Corporate Business Architecture to increase operational efficiency, improve operational robustness and responsiveness |
Ongoing |
|
| Description | ||
|
Why is this a priority? Statistics Canada is responsible for producing relevant and high-quality statistics. To provide the greatest possible value to Canadians, operating at the highest level of efficiency is a permanent priority. The Agency focuses on long-term planning by annually updating a 10-year investment plan, supporting investments that maintain the quality and continuity of all statistical and support programs. These investments are funded by the Corporate Business Architecture (CBA), a long-term agency-wide review of business architecture. The CBA is carried out through a number of internal projects designed to foster an environment of integration and efficiency, achieving cost savings while still maintaining the highest standards of quality and timeliness in the delivery of services. Plans for meeting the priority
|
||
| Priority | Type | Strategic Outcome(s) and/or Program Activity(ies) |
|---|---|---|
| Initiate the first phase of a comprehensive review of the Agency's dissemination model, taking into account evolving technologies and the principles of the Government of Canada Open Data Initiative | New |
|
| Description | ||
|
Why is this a priority? To better meet the needs of data users, Statistics Canada is fundamentally realigning its dissemination model. The goal is to modernize the Agency's current methods and framework for providing self-serve data to the public via the Statistics Canada website that would be free of cost, free of licensing restrictions, easily accessible and downloadable, thus aligning with Open Data principles. The Agency will leverage the ability and willingness of other organizations to redisseminate its data to make official statistics more widely available, and available in forms and presentations more adapted to their needs. Plans for meeting the priority
|
||
Risk analysis
Several recent external factors, such as the creation of Shared Services Canada and the Administrative Services Review increase the short-term risk to Statistics Canada’s ability to fully achieve expected results in 2012-13.
The pressure of continuing cost containment measures in Budget 2010, budgetary impacts of transfers to Shared Services Canada and a probable loss of up to $20 million in cost-recoverable revenues will make 2012-13 a challenging year for Statistics Canada to remain within appropriations while delivering the core program. Four-fifths of Statistics Canada's expenditures are salary, hence implementing approved measures will require reducing the workforce. Downsizing of the workforce will be required to meet budget targets.
Statistics Canada's operations depend critically on the efficient operation of its informatics infrastructure. Delivering on the guarantees of respondent confidentiality contained in the Statistics Act also depends on rigorously managing access to Agency databanks, network connections and informatics security. With the transfer of email, network and data centre functions from Statistics Canada to Shared Services Canada, the Agency faces significant new challenges in delivering its program and protecting respondent confidentiality. During 2011-12, the two organizations agreed to a protocol to ensure that Statistics Act requirements for handling confidential respondent information was met and will continue to be. The challenge for both organizations for the coming year will be in ensuring that Statistics Canada's evolving requirements for informatics support are met while Shared Services Canada is still building as an organization. The transfer of financial resources to Shared Services Canada creates an additional financial pressure the Agency must absorb.
Under the government-wide Administrative Services Review, specific tools have been mandated for use in back office functions such as finance, human resources and records management. None of these tools are currently in use in Statistics Canada. The Agency's initial assessment suggests that transition to the new tools will require investment. A management priority for the coming year will be finding an affordable solution to this challenge. A key strategy in meeting this challenge will be the continued identification and construction of the Agency's Corporate Business Architecture, with a view to increasing operational efficiency while improving operational robustness and responsiveness. A 10-year investment plan has been developed to identify the timing and scale of spending needed to ensure the continuity and maintain the quality of the existing statistical program, including its supporting infrastructure.
The Agency's 2011-12 Corporate Risk Profile also identified the following risks and accompanying risk mitigation strategies:
- Greater difficulties reaching household survey respondents can harm data quality. This risk has many facets touching several facets of the statistical system: thus, many areas of the Agency will have to be involved. Key strategies will include developing a robust, comprehensive Address Register; continuing to offer effective methods to reach households; and learning from recent successful
experiences. Additional mitigation strategies include
- closely monitoring response rates and assessing potential biases in survey results
- continuing research and development of the dwelling-based Household Survey Frame as an alternative to existing frames
- assessing the potential to obtain relevant information from administrative data sources
- offering respondents mechanisms such as the Internet as a collection channel for both business and social surveys, to ensure high response rates
- investigating the possibility of interviewing respondents on their cellphones.
- The scale of change the Agency is managing risks a loss of focus on delivering quality outputs, and may increase the incidence of program errors. Mitigation strategies include
- establishing an Agency-wide communication strategy that uses multiple modes of communication
- motivating employees by highlighting the benefits of the initiatives to their own work and to the Agency
- providing change management training and support to employees, and ensuring that managers and supervisors maintain open lines of communication.
- A lack of stakeholder engagement can create a risk of failing to provide the most relevant data to Canadians when they need it for decision making. Rapidly evolving information needs make stakeholder engagement more important: the Agency must ensure that budgets are allocated to optimize program relevance during a period of budget restraint. Mitigation strategies include
- ongoing dialogue and outreach with federal deputy ministers, the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Consultative Council, advisory committees, the National Statistics Council, other tiers of government and community organizations to identify their information requirements
- monitoring federal, provincial/territorial and municipal government budgets and economic statements to gauge their priorities and determine what evidence-based information they may need for policy development
- ensuring the Agency's processes and systems are robust enough to adjust quickly to evolving user needs.
- There are risks associated with balancing greater use of administrative data with Canadians' privacy concerns about this practice. If Statistics Canada does not take steps to augment the use of administrative data sources to replace survey data or fill data gaps, the Agency will miss opportunities to reduce costs and respondent burden and improve quality (e.g., coverage and small-area
detail). Conversely, negative public perception tied to privacy issues might rise if administrative data sources are used more often. Mitigation strategies include
- ensuring that rigorous practices and procedures are in place to safeguard the receipt, use and storage of administrative data, subject to Agency-approved policies and directives on data linkage, data security and information management
- developing and implementing clear, ongoing communications strategies to explain to respondents the measures taken to protect and keep confidential individual records, as well as the uses of the data and their value to businesses, government and society as a whole
- establishing a formal action plan for research, outreach, liaison and testing to explore new opportunities where administrative data could be used to replace or augment survey data.
After mitigation strategies are taken into account, the residual risk level of these risks has been assessed at medium likelihood/moderate impact.
The potential for lower response rates for the 2011 Census of Population and the new voluntary National Household Survey also posed a risk to the Agency in 2011-12. The mitigation strategies in place, including proactive engagement of respondents and active management of collection operations, were very successful. As a result, the collection response rates were 98.1% for the Census and 69.3% for the National Household Survey. Evaluation and analysis of data quality indicators, particularly at lower geographic levels and for specific subpopulations, continue.Planning summary
Financial and human resources
The Agency's statistical program is funded from two sources: direct parliamentary appropriations and cost-recovery activities. In recent years, 'respendable' cost-recovery revenues—revenues the Agency is authorized to spend on the activity that generated them—have generally contributed more than $100 million annually to its total resources. A large portion of these respendable revenues is from federal departments to fund specific statistical projects. Statistics Canada's preliminary evaluation is that cost-recovery revenues may decline as much as $20 million in 2012-13.
The total planned spending and total planned human resources for the next three fiscal years are summarized in the following tables. The tables show the year-to-year variation in Statistics Canada's resources, the result of the cyclical activity supporting the census of population and the census of agriculture. Funding typically peaks in the fiscal year in which the censuses are conducted.
| 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 |
|---|---|---|
| 454,681 | 410,191 | 404,060 |
Notes
Totals may differ within and between tables because of rounding.
Amounts shown are net of respendable revenue.
| 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 |
|---|---|---|
| 5,452 | 5,094 | 5,030 |
Note
Totals may differ within and between tables because of rounding.
Included in total planned full-time equivalents are approximately 300 public servant full-time equivalents, based across Canada except the national capital region. Excluded are approximately 1,800 interviewers outside the national capital region. These interviewers are part-time workers, whose assigned work weeks are affected by the volume of collection work available. They are hired under the Statistics Act, by authority of the Minister of Industry. Interviewers are covered by two separate collective agreements, and are employed through Statistical Survey Operations Division. Many of Statistics Canada's main outputs rely heavily on these region-based activities as well as on data collection and analysis.
Strategic Outcome
Canadians have access to timely, relevant and quality statistical information on Canada's changing economy and society for informed debate, research and decision making on social and economic issues.
| Performance Indicators | Targets |
|---|---|
| Number of visits to the Statistics Canada Website | Maintain last year's level (18,500,000) |
| Number of visits to the CANSIM online database | 550,000 |
| Number of users who start their website search at Statistics Canada rather than coming by way of an external link to Statistics Canada's website. | Maintain current level, i.e., 45% of the number of visits (or 8,325,000) |
| Number of users engaged in Statistics Canada's social media |
Increases annually |
| Percentage of users having obtained what they needed | 75% |
| Number of media mentions | 7,000 |
| Rating on areas of management, as defined in the Management Accountability Framework | Obtain rating of at least 'acceptable' in all areas of management |
| Definitions Number of visits to the Statistics Canada website: The number of times a task was started on the Statistics Canada website. This number is obtained from the Overview Dashboard of Webtrends. The effect of offering more free data on the number of visitors to the website is not known. Traffic to the CANSIM application is expected to rise, but this increase may consist mainly of visitors who already visit the site. Number of visits to the CANSIM online database: The number of times a CANSIM table was requested on the Statistics Canada website. This number is obtained from the CANSIM report in the Webtrends application. Number of users who start their website search at Statistics Canada, rather than arriving by way of an external link to Statistics Canada website: The number of visitors who came to the site via a bookmark, link in an email or typed-in URL. Number of users engaged in Statistics Canada's social media: The sum of the number of Twitter followers (in English and French), the number of Facebook fans (English, French) and the number of YouTube viewers (English, French). Percentage of users having obtained what they needed: Information to be obtained through a question of the National Contact Centre Post Contact Survey. Number of media mentions: The number of times 'Statistics Canada', 'Statistique Canada', or a version of that term (such as Stats Can) appears within the monitored universe of media outlets. Multiple mentions of Statistics Canada within the same article are not counted. The target for Program Activity 1 is 4,000; for Program Activity 2, 1,500; and Program Activity 3, 1,500. Rating on Areas of Management as defined in the Management Accountability Framework: This 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. |
|
Planning summary table
Total planned spending for each program activity, for each of the next three fiscal years, is detailed below. Detailed information, by program activity, on planned activities, indicators, targets and timelines is presented in Section 2.
| Program Activity | Forecast Spending 2011-12 |
Planned Spending | Alignment to Government of Canada Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | |||
| thousands of dollars | |||||
| Economic Statistics | 188,471 | 174,020 | 174,585 | 176,243 | A transparent, accountable and responsive federal government. |
| Social Statistics | 130,282 | 119,365 | 119,288 | 119,271 | |
| Census, Demography and Aboriginal Statistics | 338,210 | 66,796 | 21,858 | 14,094 | |
| Total Planned Spending | 656,963 | 360,181 | 315,731 | 309,608 | … |
| Program Activity | Forecast Spending 2011-12 |
Planned Spending | Alignment to Government of Canada Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | |||
| thousands of dollars | |||||
| Internal Services | 96,068 | 94,500 | 94,460 | 94,452 | … |
| Total Planned Spending | 96,068 | 94,500 | 94,460 | 94,452 | |
Notes
Spending fluctuations between years for the Census, Demography and Aboriginal Statistics Program Activity are mainly owing to the cyclical nature of the 2011 census programs, for which activity peaks in 2011-12.
'Forecast spending' represents the best estimate of cash expenditures as they would appear in the 2011-12 Public Accounts; 'planned spending' represents approved funds as presented in the 2012-13 Main Estimates and Annual Reference Level Update.
Totals may differ within and between tables because of rounding.
Amounts shown are net of respendable revenue.
Expenditure profile
Notes
Total spending includes respendable cost-recovery revenues.
Net spending equals total corporate expenditures less expenditures related to cost-recovery programs.
As shown in Figure 2, total and net spending rose in 2010-11, peaked in 2011-12 when the 2011 Census of Population and 2011 Census of Agriculture were conducted, and drop sharply in 2012-13 as these activities begin to wind down. This pattern is typical for the Agency, a function of the cycle of the census program.
Spending—net of cost recovery and the censuses—remains relatively stable over the seven-year cycle. Funding for regular economic increases for wages, and new spending on initiatives such as Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators, the Harmonized Sales Tax Secretariat and the Consumer Price Index, have been offset by spending cuts, including the cuts resulting from the strategic review process in 2007, procurement savings, and other cost-containment measures. The decrease in spending net of cost recovery, and the censuses from 2011-12 to 2012-13 is mostly owing to the transfer of email, data centres, network services and telecommunications to Shared Services Canada.
Figure 3 shows how net funding will be distributed by program activity in 2012-13. Census, Demography and Aboriginal Statistics will account for 15% of overall spending, a smaller share than in 2011-12, the peak year of the census cycle. Economic Statistics will account for 38% of spending in 2012-13 and Social Statistics, 26%.
Estimates by vote
For information on Statistics Canada's organizational votes and/or statutory expenditures, please see the 2012-13 Main Estimates publication. An electronic version is available at http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/est-pre/20122013/me-bpd/toc-tdm-eng.asp.