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Minister of Industry
Maxime Bernier





SECTION I: OVERVIEW

Minister's Portfolio Message
Management Representation Statement
Departmental Overview
Table 1.1 Statistics Canada Summary Information

SECTION II: ANALYSIS OF PROGRAM ACTIVITIES BY STRATEGIC OUTCOME

Priorities over the Planning Period
Economic Statistics Activity
Social Statistics Activity
Census Statistics Activity
Services for Canadians

SECTION III: SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

Organizational Information
Table 3.1 Statistics Canada 2006-2007 Resources Requirement by Branch

Financial Tables

Table 3.2 Statistics Canada Planned Spending
Table 3.3 Statistics Canada Program Activities
Table 3.4 Statistics Canada Voted and Statutory Items listed in Main Estimates
Table 3.5 Statistics Canada Services Received without Charge
Table 3.6 Statistics Canada Sources of Respendable and Non-respendable Revenue

SECTION IV: OTHER INFORMATION

Table 4.1 Performance Monitoring Measures and Indicators: Statistics Canada's Quality Assurance Framework
Table 4.2 Alphabetical listing of Statistics Canada's Core products





SECTION I: OVERVIEW

MinisterAs Minister of Industry, I am proud to present this report on Statistics Canada's anticipated achievements and results over the next three years. Through the efforts of Statistics Canada and its Portfolio partners, we are working to ensure that Canada has the necessary business and innovation environment to foster a culture of discovery and creativity to fuel economic success and support our enviable quality of life.

Today, we operate in a globalized economy where electronic commerce drives complex and interconnected supply chains from around the world and anyone can be our competitor. To thrive, we need a dynamic and adaptable economy — one with a highly trained work force and nimble businesses striving for competitive growth and development.

Looking ahead, we see the need to enhance Canada's business environment, including improving the critical ground rules that ensure stability, equitable conduct and competition for consumers, investors and businesses. Used strategically, these efforts can encourage investment in innovation, afford easier access to capital, support risk-taking and entrepreneurship, and ensure the efficient and productive allocation of resources.


The Industry Portfolio consists of:
  • Business Development Bank of Canada [1]
  • Canadian Space Agency
  • Canadian Tourism Commission [1]
  • Competition Tribunal
  • Copyright Board Canada
  • Industry Canada
  • National Research Council Canada
  • Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
  • Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
  • Standards Council of Canada [1]
  • Statistics Canada
[1] Federal Crown corporations do not prepare Reports on Plans and Priorities.

We are working to reduce barriers to and within our markets and to encourage more domestic and foreign investment. We are supporting and defending our industries. We are working to improve business and consumer confidence. And we are supporting science, technology, research and development to encourage our industries, our businesses and our workforce to keep pace with technological change and drive innovation throughout our economy. And the demand for innovation across the Canadian economy — including in the areas of health care, climate change, productivity and the competitiveness of Canadian firms — continues to rise.

As presented in this report, Statistics Canada initiatives will help make Canada a better place to innovate and do business.

It is my pleasure to present the Report on Plans and Priorities for Statistics Canada.

Maxime Bernier
Minister of Industry


MANAGEMENT REPRESENTATION STATEMENT

I submit, for tabling in Parliament, the 2006-2007 Report on Plans and Priorities (RPP) for

Statistics Canada


This document has been prepared based on the reporting principles contained in the Guide for the Preparation of Part III of the 2006-2007 Estimates: Report on Plans and Priorities and Departmental Performance Reports.

  • It adheres to the specific reporting requirements outlined in the TBS guidance;
  • It is based on the department's approved accountability structure as reflected in its MRRS;
  • It presents consistent, comprehensive, balanced and reliable information;
  • It provides a basis of accountability for the results achieved with the resources and authorities entrusted to it; and
  • It reports finances based on approved planned spending numbers from the Treasury Board Secretariat in the RPP.

    Name:

    Title: Chief Statistician of Canada


Departmental Overview

Mandate, Roles and Responsibilities

Statistics Canada's mandate derives primarily from the Statistics Act. The Act requires the Agency, under the direction of the Minister of Industry, to collect, compile, analyze and publish statistical information on the economic, social and general conditions of the country and its citizens. These activities are fundamentally important to an open, democratic society as it provides objective information to Canadians and their elected representatives on the evolution of our society and economy. The Agency's information resources are also used by businesses, unions and non-profit organizations to make informed decisions.

Statistics Canada's mandate also provides for the coordination and leadership of the country's statistical system. This has led Statistics Canada to form many partnerships at the federal, provincial and territorial levels. These partnerships have benefited Canadians in many ways: improved data quality through more comparable survey methods; reduced response burden through the use of administrative records and data sharing; and the exchange of best practices among all participants are a few examples.

Agency data are used for statutory and regulatory purposes including the distribution of federal funds to provinces (Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act); apportioning of federal-provincial tax revenues (Harmonized Sales Tax); indexing various types of federal payments to beneficiaries and income tax credits (Income Tax Act); determining areas of eligibility for supplementary benefits (Employment Insurance Act); determining the distribution of parliamentary seats among provinces and defining federal electoral districts (Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act); designating federal bilingual services areas (Official Languages Act); and measuring the prevalence of sub-populations which are the focus of the federal employment equity program (Employment Equity Act).

Planning Context

The gathering of information involves a partnership with all Canadians, in which Canadians contribute and benefit. Information is provided to Statistics Canada through surveys and access to administrative records. While Statistics Canada, after compiling and analyzing this information, provides feedback through a myriad of information products.

New information needs

Historically, Statistics Canada's program has been structured to provide information on the macro and micro-economy, and the socio-demographic structure of Canada. Statistical information has also been provided on Canada's public institutions and programs. This constitutes the Agency's core program (Section IV presents the 29 main statistical indicators that make up the core program). Such information continues to be relevant and important; however, the Agency must ensure that it is responsive to changing complex requirements of emerging issues. New federal-provincial fiscal arrangements; the health of Canadians and the systems that support it; the factors affecting economic performance in the new knowledge-based economy; economic growth; the micro-economic factors affecting competitiveness; social cohesion; human development; global opportunities and challenges, as well as the outcomes of social programs are some of the areas requiring more information and analysis to assist public and private decision makers in understanding the issues they face. In this dynamic environment, maintaining the relevance of Statistics Canada's contribution by meeting such information needs, while safeguarding the integrity of the core program, continues to be a primary goal for the Agency over the planning horizon.

Partnerships

Partnerships and cost-sharing arrangements with other departments, other jurisdictions and external organizations, have become an intrinsic aspect of program delivery. These relationships are key to the development of effective business plans. Statistics Canada will continue to foster such arrangements over the planning period, as they have proven to serve not only the needs of the stakeholders but also those of the national statistical system and the Canadian research community.

Public Commitments and Values

Commitment to continuous improvement

While an increasing share of the Agency's information comes from existing administrative data, most is still collected through businesses and from household surveys. Statistics Canada will continue to mine administrative records and to explore other means, such as electronic reporting, in an ongoing effort to minimize the effort required of respondents.

Statistics Canada's values

The agency recognizes that survey respondents are Statistics Canada's most valuable asset, since it is their continued goodwill and cooperation that enables the Agency to turn survey results into reliable information. We make two fundamental commitments to them:

First, to protect the confidentiality of information provided to us. Second, to find innovative ways to reduce the time spent completing the surveys and, ideally, to use the Agency's existing information to minimize the number of surveys.

The relevance of statistical information reflects the degree to which it meets the needs of clients. Available information must shed light on the issues of most importance to those who use it. Statistics Canada is committed to producing information needed to support informed policy formulation, decision-making, and research.

In order to meet these requirements, the Agency operates in a matrix management environment, such that the business lines (program activities) and functional (hierarchical) structure are interrelated (see Section III).

The planning activities highlighted in the summary table below (see Departmental Priorities) concentrate on those program areas above and beyond our core activities, where significant program changes are envisaged in the coming period. All of these will be subject to review and reporting using Statistics Canada's Quality Assurance Framework.

Summary Information

"To be consistent with the Government efforts to develop its priorities and leading to a new budget, departments have been directed to repeat 2006-2007 Main Estimate amounts in the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 periods -- this table reflects that direction."

Table 1.1: Statistics Canada – Summary Information


Reason for existence - Statistics Canada's mandate is to provide Canadians with objective and non-partisan statistics and statistical products, services and analyses on Canada's economy and society which are relevant, responsive to emerging issues fulfil legal requirements and are of high quality.
 
Financial Resources ($ thousands)
2006-2007
2007-2008
2008-2009
598,803
427,588
394,827
 
Human Resources
2006-2007
2007-2008
2008-2009
6,242
5,103
4,820
 
Departmental Priorities
 
Planned Spending
Strategic Objectives
Type
2006-2007
2007-2008
2008-2009
Economic Statistics
Ongoing
 
Modernizing Customs and Trade
 
319
319
319
Environmental Indicators
 
2,056
2,227
2,230
Business Register Redesign
 
14,159
14,404
9,799
Greenhouse Gas
 
650
450
450
Services Price Index
 
2,239
3,360
4,418
Social Statistics
Ongoing
 
Child-centered Family Law Strategy
 
765
725
-
Health Statistics Program
 
17,825
17,825
17,825
Census Statistics
Ongoing
 
2006 Census (population and agriculture)
 
225,735
53,178
21,324





SECTION II: ANALYSIS OF PROGRAM ACTIVITIES BY STRATEGIC OUTCOME

The following section presents plans and key outcomes for projects listed as departmental planning priorities in the Summary Information table 1.1 on the previous page.

Priorities over the Planning Period

Economic Statistics Activity


Resource Requirements
2006-2007
2007-2008
2008-2009
$ thousands
217,879
213,640
214,851
FTE
2,281
2,279
2,260

Customs Border Modernization Initiatives

On October 3, 2005, Treasury Board approved funding for the Program Support and Systems Maintenance related to Customs Border Modernization Initiatives.

Through this multi-year and multi-task project, the tourism statistical system will be adapted to border modernization changes introduced by the Custom Border Services Agency (CBSA).

In addition, the traveler enumeration card (E311) will be redesigned from a family card to a single person card that is easier to scan. The resulting Census of cards will reduce processing costs and increase statistical quality. The redesigned E311 card is at the approval stage across departments.


Planned activities:
The negotiations of our statistical requirements for the new stream of NEXUS traveler, that is those travelers who have been identified as frequent travelers, will be completed this year and system changes will begin in 2006/2007.

Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators

In 2004, the Government of Canada committed to establishing national indicators of freshwater quality for aquatic life, air quality and greenhouse gas emissions. The goal of these new indicators is to provide Canadians with more regular and reliable information on the state of the environment and how it is linked with human activities. Environment Canada, Statistics Canada and Health Canada are working together to develop and communicate these indicators. Reflecting the joint responsibility for environmental information management in Canada, this effort has benefited from the co-operation and input of the provinces and territories.

The first annual report was released in December 2005 and included all three indicators. The air quality indicator presented in the report focused on human exposure to ground-level ozone, a key component of smog. This indicator will be complemented by a measure of fine particulate matter in future reports. The greenhouse gas emissions indicator described changes in emissions since 1990. In 2005, the preliminary water quality indicator focused only on the ability of Canada's surface waters to support aquatic life over the period 2001 to 2003. Revisions and improvements to the water indicator for future reports will require a better understanding of how well the monitoring sites represent the quality of water bodies or watersheds in which they are located and how they relate to all the rivers and lakes in Canada.


Planned activities:
Reports will be produced annually on a continually improving set of indicators with increasingly robust analyses to track the changes in the three areas. Statistics Canada's contributions to the improvements will include new contextual survey results for both water quality and air quality and improved data management and analytical methods. The long-term goal is better information in support of decision-making that fully accounts for environmental sustainability.

Business Register (BR) redesign

The Business Register is a central repository containing the name of all businesses with significant activity in Canada, together with contact and classification information. It is a key component of Statistics Canada's economic statistics program. The majority of our economic surveys rely on the Business Register to carry out their operations, particularly for sampling, data collection and the production of estimates.

The Register's overall structure and technological environment were originally established some two decades ago. To ensure the Register's ongoing capacity to fulfill its mission in the years to come, it must be completely reengineered. This initiative is a large-scale project that began in 2005-2006 and will continue over a three-year period. The primary objectives of this project are to simplify the concepts and operational processes, to streamline and facilitate the use of the Register through the utilisation of more modern, user-friendly technology, and to enhance the timeliness of the information included in the Register. This modernization will help reduce the operating cost of the Business Register and increase Statistics Canada's capacity to reduce and effectively manage the business response burden, a key departmental priority.


Planned activities:
In 2006/2007, all the components and modules required for the operations of the new Business Register will be ready to undergo initial testing to ensure operational functionality by 2008. In addition, work related to the transition and integration of surveys to the new Register will be initiated to take full advantage of the redesigned Register.

Services Price Index Development

Services are about two-third of the Canadian economy. Business services are almost 40% of gross domestic product compared to about 17% for government services and 11% for personal services. Despite their importance, price indexes for the business services sector are a significant gap in the Canadian economic statistical system. This gap seriously affects the quality of real output and productivity change estimates for this sector.

Over a five year period, the Agency aims to develop services price index programs for approximately 30 business services categories accounting for about 80% of business services value added. In the 2005/2006 fiscal year, work focused on research, development and testing of price index methods for four major business services categories; specifically wholesaling, truck transportation, non-residential rents and property/casualty insurance services. Preliminary research was also conducted for three other services categories: brokerage and wealth management financial services, machinery and equipment rents, and retailing.


Planned activities:
In 2006-2007, initial development will be completed for four major services categories resulting in regular quarterly release of national price indexes (with geographic detail for some services categories when possible) by the end of the year. Research, development and testing is expected to be initiated for gaps related to telecommunications services, professional and technical services, administrative services and passenger air transportation.

Social Statistics Activity


Resource Requirements
2006-2007
2007-2008
2008-2009
$ thousands
218,316
216,524
216,959
FTE
1,636
1,641
1,646

Child-Centered Family Law Strategy

In 2003/2004, the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics (CCJS) received funding as part of Justice Canada's "Child-Centered Family Law Strategy" to undertake the development and implementation of a micro-data version of its Maintenance Enforcement Survey (since renamed the Survey of Maintenance Enforcement Programs) and to develop and implement a Civil Court Survey, a brand new survey area. Since that time, the CCJS has developed survey specifications (through federal-provincial-territorial consultations) and designed central processing systems for both of these administrative data surveys.


Planned activities:
In 2006-07, the CCJS plans to continue implementation of both surveys in two or three jurisdictions. As well, the Centre will begin to develop multivariate output tables for each survey, in consultation with its federal-provincial-territorial partners. In advance of the first public release of data in 2007-08, a prototype report will be drafted for the Civil Court Survey as a means of consulting with survey respondents and to maximize the utility of the information.

Health Statistics

The Canadian Health Information Roadmap is a collection of projects designed to produce new, timely and relevant information on the health of Canadians. This information is central to the relatively intense public discussion and policy formulation related to Canadians' health and to our health care system. Statistics Canada, in partnership with several organizations, has developed and produced critical information on issues such as wait times for diagnostic and surgical procedures, unmet health care needs and problems accessing health care.

The Canadian Community Health Survey program (CCHS), in its 6th year of existence, is being adapted to better respond to the increased demand for population health information. The survey's sample design is being modified starting with the 2007 cycle to allow a faster response to emerging information needs and the questionnaire structure is being modified to include additional high priority content. The survey's data dissemination approach is also being adapted to better meet the needs of stakeholders.

Statistics Canada is negotiating increased access to provincial health-related administrative records to improve its analytical program. This additional information, once combined with the information obtained from the health surveys will provide a richer set of data and help shed some light on various issues related to population health and the use of the health care system. This is part of the Health Person Oriented Information initiative (HPOI) created under the Health Roadmap.

Data collection for the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) is planned to start in November 2006. Blood, urine and fitness measures will be collected and analyzed for a sample of 5,000 Canadians over the next two years.


Planned activities:
In 2006-2007, the changes to the CCHS program will be implemented. New analytical projects will be initiated under the HPOI project. Data collection for the CHMS will start in late 2006.

Census Statistics Activity


Resource Requirements
2006-2007
2007-2008
2008-2009
$ thousands
295,048
97,424
63,017
FTE
2,325
1,183
914

2006 Census of Population

The 2006 Census is the Census which represents the most change since 1971 when self-enumeration was introduced. In May 2006 70% of Census questionnaires were delivered by Canada Post rather than through Census enumerator staff. Canadians had the choice of completing their Census questionnaires online, by mail or over the telephone with a Census Help Line Operator. Census forms now go back to a central processing centre instead of the local enumerator for review and editing. New processing systems have added increased protection to Canadians' confidentiality and scanning has now replaced data entry as the principal means of capturing Census information.

The first field operation, the updating of the national address list, was completed successfully in the fall of 2005. The resulting address files were used to uniquely assemble some 9.5 million questionnaire packages which were delivered by Canada Post. The remaining 3.5 million questionnaire packages have been dropped off, primarily in rural areas, by Census representatives.

Census communications activities are ongoing across the country. The Census communications program relies very heavily on the public communications support provided, without remuneration, by governments, businesses, ethnic and cultural groups and community organizations of all kinds. In fact, more than 1,000 public and private organizations have already agreed to support the Census in 2006 and cumulatively, these supporters will voluntarily make more than 1 billion messages about the Census available to Canadians.

The Field infrastructure includes 36 local Census offices, 4 regional field offices, 3 Census call centres and one central data processing centre. This included the hiring and training of some 27,000 temporary field and operations staff and the bringing into operation the computer systems for collection and processing activities. These systems include, a central pay and recruitment system, data capture systems, automated coding systems and the internet application. Each of the production systems feed a data warehouse which in turn feeds a central management information portal.

All field collection activities associated with the 2006 Census are expected to be complete by September 2006. All questionnaire processing, preliminary data quality and dwelling coverage studies are to be completed in the fall of 2006. The output from these steps is used in preparing for the first 2006 data release, Population and Dwelling counts, scheduled for February, 2007. Also beginning in the fall of 2006 are the coding, editing and imputation processes, which prepare the Census data for subsequent releases.

Despite all the changes to collection and processing methodology, the fundamental value of the Census remains the same. The Census continues to provide critical information needed by community groups, businesses, and governments to develop plans for education and training, seniors' housing, day care, fire protection, public transport and many other programs that are important to Canadians.

While a tremendous amount of effort has been focused in preparing and planning for the Census, there are still a number of challenges which could impact the overall success of the Census. Among these are Canadians' continued support of the Census through their strong participation, the potential impact of strong economic conditions in parts of the country on the availability of a suitable temporary workforce for the Census. Canadians' acceptance of the Internet response channel and the potential impact in the event of a major crisis such as the avian flu. These and other risks continue to be planned for and monitored as we conduct the Census.


Planned activities:
In fiscal year 2006-2007 , the 2006 Census of Population is being conducted and includes: the initialization and operation of a number of highly integrated computer systems and databases; the opening of 36 local field offices, 4 Regional Centres, 3 Census Help Lines and 1 central data processing centre; the hiring and training of some 27,000 temporary Census staff; the mailing out of Census questionnaires to some 9.5 million dwellings and the drop off to another approximately 3.5 million dwellings; the data processing of millions of questionnaires, culminating in the release of the official Census dwelling and population counts in February of 2007. Other major Census releases will span from June 2007 with the release of age and sex data to the release of income data in April 2008.

2006 Census of Agriculture

The year 2006/2007 equally marks the conduct of the Census of Agriculture. This Census makes history in a number of ways.

First, it marks a change in how Census information is collected and processed. Although most questionnaires have still been delivered by an enumerator in rural areas, the process for returning them is completely different. Instead of returning the forms to local enumerators, all questionnaires are being returned by mail to a single processing centre in the National Capital Region. Statistics Canada is also offering, for the first time, the option of completing questionnaires securely via the Internet. In addition, any telephone follow-up of incomplete questionnaires is from a centralized location outside the respondent's area. These measures are a direct response to privacy concerns expressed by Canadians, particularly in rural areas, about someone they know having access to their information.

Of course, as has always been the case, all information on Census forms, including financial information, is protected by the Statistics Act and all Census representatives have been sworn to secrecy. This implies that they could be subject to prosecution if they reveal a respondent's personal information.

Second, this Census is also the first time that both the Census of Population and the Census of Agriculture used a technology called Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR). This technology enables questionnaires to be optically scanned and converted to images. The images are sent through an automated data capture system that captures the handwritten answers and transforms them into computer-usable data.

By the end of March 2007, Census of Agriculture data will have been through many quality assurance measures — including several kinds of edits (clerical, subject matter, geographic), matching or eliminating duplications in individual farms, adjusting for missing data, and validation — and the first data release is scheduled for May 16, 2007, one year after Census Day.

The Census of Agriculture's independent pursuit of unpaid advertising support is another innovation for 2006. This activity complements the services provided by a general Census Communications team headed by Census of Population.

Services for Canadians

Statistics Canada must continually strive to ensure that the information it produces is relevant, timely, accurate and coherent. Of equal importance is the need to ensure that the means, by which Canadians communicate with the Agency, as respondents and information users, are as practical and user friendly as possible. The Agency will pursue its initiatives aimed at controlling the burden it places on respondents, by exploring new ways of making use of existing information holdings, and by developing and testing modern methods and technologies to minimize reporting burden.

Website improvement project

Statistics Canada first established its presence on the World Wide Web a decade ago. At that time, our challenge was to move statistical information from the traditional print medium to this new electronic environment and to promote our fledgling website as an alternative mode of access for our users. Today, as the virtual library for all information from and about Statistics Canada, our website has become the Agency's principal dissemination and communication channel. Next year will be the second year of a two-year redesign project.

The Agency's web clientele includes diverse constituencies whose information needs are equally diverse. While the content on our website continues to expand as new information becomes available, the challenge articulated by our clients is to organize and link this growing information store in a manner that facilitates access by the different client groups to the information they seek.


Planned activities:
In 2006/2007, Statistics Canada will introduce a redesigned homepage that will effectively communicate the scope of information the Agency has to offer online, an improved search and navigation environment, and common design standards to ensure accessibility and promote a common look across all website modules. From here, we will move forward on strategies to meet client demands for integrated access by subject, interactive thematic mapping and a single client registration system for the different services we offer online, such as e-commerce, subscription notices and information updates.

Statistics Canada's web site (http://www.statcan.ca)





SECTION III: SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

Organizational Information

The Minister of Industry is the Minister responsible to Parliament for Statistics Canada. The Agency is headed by the Chief Statistician of Canada who is supported by seven Assistant Chief Statisticians (ACSs): four are responsible for program areas; and three for technical and management operations in support of the operational programs.

Table 3.1 – Statistics Canada

2006-2007 Resources Requirement by Branch


 
Minister of Industry
 
 
Chief Statistician
 
Program Activities
ACS* Social, Institutions and Labour Statistics
ACS Business and Trade Statistics
ACS National Accounts and Analytical Studies
ACS Analysis and Development
ACS Com-munications and Operations
ACS Informatics and Methodology
ACS Management Services
Sub-Total
Vote-Netted Revenues
Total
Economic Statistics
($ thousand)
7
87,133
31,692
0
38,563
38,675
20,693
216,763
33,911
182,852
Social Statistics
($ thousand)
71,754
479
396
25,656
76,004
33,420
9,868
217,577
77,594
139,983
Census Statistics
($ thousand)
103,092
10,720
0
0
138,631
31,593
10,427
294,463
18,495
275,968
Total Planned Spending
($ thousand)
174,853
98,332
32,088
25,656
253,198
103,688
40,988
728,803
130,000
598,803
* ACS – Assistant Chief Statistician

Financial Tables

Table 3.2:

Statistics Canada – Planned Spending


 
Forecast Spending 2005-2006ยน
Planned Spending 2006-2007
Planned Spending 2007-2008
Planned Spending 2008-2009
 
($ thousands)
Economic Statistics
208,617
217,879
213,640
214,851
Social Statistics
236,155
218,316
216,524
216,959
Census Statistics
195,934
295,048
97,424
63,017
Budgetary Main Estimates (gross)
640,706
731,243
527,588
494,827
Less: Respendable Revenue
130,000
130,000
100,000
100,000
Total Main Estimates
510,706
601,243
427,588
394,827
Governor General Special Warrants
Operating Budget Carry Forward
8,717
 
Remaining funding to conduct a comprehensive Census of Population in 2006
16,315
 
Additional funding to support the preparation of reports and development of environmental indicators related to clean air, clean water and greenhouse gas emissions
1,137
 
Procurement Savings
(460)
 
Budget Announcement:
Planned Procurement Savings
Economic Statistics
 
(1,116)
 
Social Statistics
 
(739)
 
Census Statistics
 
(585)
 
Other
Collective bargaining agreements
24,954
 
Total Adjustments2
50,663
(2,440)
0
0
Net Planned Spending
561,369
598,803
427,588
394,827
Less: Non-respendable Revenue
800
800
800
800
Plus: Cost of Services received without charge
64,404
65,082
58,894
57,945
Net Cost of Program
624,973
663,085
485,682
451,972
Full Time Equivalents3
6,059
6,242
5,103
4,820
1. Reflects best forecast of total planned spending to the end of the fiscal year.
2. Adjustments are to accommodate approvals obtained since the Main Estimates and to include Budget initiatives, Supplementary Estimates, etc.
3. The decrease in Full Time Equivalents from 6,242 in fiscal year 2006-2007 to 4,820 in fiscal year 2008-2009 is due to the decreasing activities in the 2006 Censuses of Population and Agriculture.

Table 3.3: Statistics Canada

Program Activities


2006-2007
 
Budgetary
 
Program Activity
Operating
Grants and Contributions
Gross
Revenue
Net
Total Main Estimates
Adjustments (planned spending not in Main Estimates)
Total Planned Spending
 
($ thousands)
Economic Statistics
217,879
-
217,879
33,911
183,968
183,968
(1,116)
182,852
Social Statistics
217,755
561
218,316
77,594
140,722
140,722
(739)
139,983
Census Statistics
295,048
-
295,048
18,495
276,553
276,553
(585)
275,968
Total
730,682
561
731,243
130,000
601,243
601,243
(2,440)
598,803

Table 3.4: Statistics Canada

Voted and Statutory Items listed in Main Estimates


Vote or Statutory Item
Current Main Estimates
Previous Main Estimates
 
($ thousands)
95 Program Expenditures
527,701
442,199
(S) Contributions to employee benefit plans
73,542
68,507
  Total Department or Agency
601,243
506,706

Table 3.5: Statistics Canada

Services Received Without Charge


Total
($ thousands)
Net Planned Spending (Total Main Estimates plus Adjustments as per the Planned Spending table)
598,803
Plus: Services Received without Charge
Accommodation provided by Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC)
35,831
Contributions covering employers' share of insurance premiums and costs paid by Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS)
29,030
Workman's compensation coverage provided by Human Resources Development Canada
174
Salary and associated costs of legal services provided by Justice Canada
47
 
65,082
Less: Non-respendable Revenue
800
2006-2007 Net Cost of the Department
663,085

Table 3.6: Statistics Canada

Sources of Respendable and Non-respendable Revenue


Respendable Revenue
Forecast Revenue 2005-2006
Planned Revenue 2006-2007
Planned Revenue 2007-2008
Planned Revenue 2008-2009
 
($ thousands)
Economic Statistics
31,125
33,911
25,276
25,880
Social Statistics
91,978
77,594
58,990
58,606
Census Statistics
6,897
18,495
15,735
15,514
Total Respendable
130,000
130,000
100,000
100,000
Non-respendable Revenue
Forecast Revenue 2005-2006
Planned Revenue 2006-2007
Planned Revenue 2007-2008
Planned Revenue 2008-2009
Economic Statistics
($ thousands)
  Special statistical services
Social Statistics
  Special statistical services
800
800
800
800
Census Statistics
  Special statistical services
Total Non-respendable Revenue
800
800
800
800
Total Respendable and Non-respendable Revenue
130,800
130,800
100,800
100,800





SECTION IV: OTHER INFORMATION

The performance of a national statistical agency is multidimensional. Different audiences are interested in different dimensions of performance. Statistics Canada recognizes its responsibility to report on dimensions of performance not visible from outside the Agency.

The dimensions of quality are overlapping and interrelated. There is no effective model for bringing all the characteristics of quality together into a single indicator. Each dimension has to be adequately managed if information is to be fit for use. Failure in any one dimension can destroy the usefulness of the information.

Financial performance is monitored at a broad level through financial management information systems to provide information on expenditures and program efficiency, and on costs by program, organizational unit, and function. These systems are supported by a framework of financial policies and procedures, cost recording systems, and internal financial performance measures.

Respondent burden and respondent relations more generally are monitored in a variety of ways. These include direct measurement of the number of respondent hours required to complete Statistics Canada surveys, identifying and exploiting alternative information sources (e.g. administrative data), developing alternative means of reporting and collecting information (e.g. data reporting through user-friendly electronic means), and through feedback obtained from respondents.

Human resource management is monitored through regular employee feedback from internal and public service-wide surveys, exit and turnover rates, knowledge transfer, exit interviews, as well as through Biennial (every second year) and Quadrennial (every fourth year) Program Reports from every program.

Table 4.1: Performance Monitoring Measures and Indicators: Statistics Canada's Quality Assurance Framework


Performance Measures: Performance Indicators:
Relevance:
  • Use of statistics in policy formulation and decision making
  • The production of new statistical information in areas required to formulate policy and to make decisions
  • The production of knowledge that contributes to an understanding of Canada's economic and social history, trends and issues
  • The extent to which statistical information serves to address the purposes for which it was produced and fills the needs of users
Information Quality:
  • The timely release of high quality statistical information
  • Statistics which adhere to recognised national and international standards
  • Availability of quality descriptors and technical notes
  • Statistics which are accessible to Canadians
Maintenance of a national statistical knowledge infrastructure:
  • Controlled Respondent Burden
  • Maximum use of administrative data
  • Use of modern methods and technologies
  • Skilled and responsive staff
Program Relevance
  • Support to policy decision making
  • The production of new statistical information
  • Program improvements resulting from user feedback
Accuracy of information
  • Survey coverage (mission critical surveys*)
  • Sampling error (mission critical surveys)
  • Response rates (mission critical surveys)
  • Statistical revision patterns
Timeliness of Information
  • Measures of elapsed time between reference period and release dates
Accessibility of Information Access to information products and services including:
  • Media citations
  • Internet connections
  • Website services
  • Client contacts with Regional Offices
  • Sales
  • Partnerships
  • Client satisfaction measurements.
Interpretability of Information
  • Availability of quality descriptors and technical notes
  • The availability of meta data
Coherence of Information
  • Use of Classification Standards (mission critical surveys)
Maintenance of a National Statistical Knowledge Infrastructure
  • Calculated respondent burden
  • Use of administrative data in lieu of surveys
  • Alternative means of reporting and collecting data
  • Employee Opinion survey
  • Employee turnover rates
  • Investments in employee training
* Mission critical surveys: The Agency has identified as "departmental mission critical programs" those that provide key current socio-economic indicators. These are: the Labour Force Survey, the Consumer Price Index, the Monthly Survey of Manufacturing, International Trade Statistics, Monthly Wholesale/Retail Trade Survey, the Quarterly Gross Domestic Product, the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (income component), the Quarterly Financial Survey and the Industrial Product Price Index. See also Table 4.2.
For further information on the Quality Assurance Framework, please follow this link:
http://www.statcan.ca:8096/bsolc/english/bsolc?catno=12-586-X&CHROPG=1

Table 4.2: Alphabetical Listing of Statistics Canada's Core products


Aboriginal Peoples Survey and Statistical Training Program Income & Expenditure Accounts (GDP)
Adult Corrections Survey Industrial Product Price Index
Adult Criminal Court Survey Infrastructure
Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey (ALLS) Institutional Surveys
Air Statistics (sub-annual and annual)
- Civil Aviation
- Traffic
Inter-Provincial Wholesale Commodity Survey (every two years)
Analysis and Reporting International Investment Position
Annual Special Studies (varied topics) International Travel Survey (ITS)
Annual Business Service Industries Joint Canada/US Population Health Survey
Annual Consumer Service Industries Labour Force Survey (LFS)
Annual Crop Statistics Legal Aid Survey
Annual Energy Surveys Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants
Annual Family Violence Report / GSS Victimization Machinery and Equipment
Annual Financial Statistics Marine Statistics (Sub-annual and Annual)
Annual Government Financial Statistics (SNA) Migration Estimates
Annual Homicide Survey Minority/Second Language Education at the Post-Secondary Level
Annual Income and Prices Statistics Minority/Second Language Education in Elementary and Secondary Schools
Annual I-O Tables at Constant Prices Monthly Energy Surveys
Annual Livestock Statistics Monthly GDP by Industry
Annual Police Administration Survey Monthly Manufacturing Commodity Surveys
Annual Property Service Industries Monthly New Motor Vehicle Survey
Annual Provincial Input Output Tables Monthly Restaurants, Caterers and Taverns Survey (MRCTS)
Annual Retail Trade Survey Monthly Retail Trade Survey
Annual Science and technology surveys Monthly Survey of Manufacturing
Annual Survey of Manufacturing and Forestry Monthly Wholesale Trade Survey
Annual Telecommunications and broadcasting statistics Motion Picture Laboratory Operations, Production and Post-Production Annual Survey
Annual Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (UCR) Motion Picture Theatres Annual Survey
Annual Wholesale Trade Survey National Graduate Survey (NGS)
Balance of Payments National Wealth and Capital Stock
Balance Sheet and Financial Flows New Housing Price Index
Biennial Courts Revenues, Expenditures and Personnel Survey Non-Profit Institutions Satellite Account
Biennial Prosecutions Resources, Expenditures and Personnel Survey Non-Residential Construction Price Index
Book Publishing Biennial Survey Pan Canadian Education Indicator project
Business Register Pension Plans in Canada Survey
Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering, and Participating (CSGVP) Performing Arts Survey
Canadian Cancer Registry Periodicals Publishing Biennial Survey
Canadian Travel Survey (CTS) Population Estimates and Projections
Capital Expenditures Post-Secondary Education Participation Survey (PEPS)
Census of Agriculture Post-Secondary Faculty
Census of Population 2001 & 2006 Post-Secondary Finances
Census of Trusteed Pension Funds and Quarterly Estimates of Trusteed Pension Funds Provincial Economic Accounts
Civil Courts Survey Quarterly Financial Survey
Consumer Price Index (CPI) Quarterly Government Financial Statistics (SNA)
Corporations Returns Act Quarterly Retail Commodity Survey
Culture Trade and Investment Rail, Bus, Urban Transit, Fuel (Sub-annual and Annual)
Current Investment Indicators -includes building permits. Services Producer Price Indexes
Education Analysis, including Pan Canadian Education Research Agenda and CESC-SSHRC Education Research Initiative Small Business Finance Statistics
Education and Training Services Industry Data Sound Recording Survey
Education Price Index Sub-Annual Crop Statistics
Electric Power Capabilities & Load Sub-Annual Farm Income and Prices Statistics
Elementary/Secondary Enrolment Sub-Annual Livestock Statistics
Elementary/Secondary School Finances Survey of Employment, Payrolls, and Hours
Elementary/Secondary Teachers Survey of Financial Security
Enhanced Student Information System (ESIS) Survey of Household Spending (SHS)
Environmental Accounts and Surveys Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID)
Exporter Registry Survey of Suppliers of Business Financing
Family and Labour Studies
  • Health Analysis and Measurement
  • Business and Labour Market Analysis
  • Socio-Economic Analysis and Modeling
Tax Data
Farm Input Price Index Tourism analysis: Travelogue and Tourism Statistical Digest
Film, Video and Audio Visual Production and Distribution Annual Survey Transition Home Survey
General Social Survey (GSS) Trucking, Vehicles, Taxis, Couriers (Sub-annual and annual)
Geography Standards Tuition Fee and Living Accommodation Costs at Canadian Universities
Government Expenditures on Culture Annual Survey Union Wage Rate Indexes for Major Construction Trade
Government Financial Statistics (FMS-GFS) Vital Statistics
Graduations at the Secondary Level Workplace and Employee Survey
Health Surveys Youth Court Survey
Heritage Institutions Biennial Survey Youth Custody and Community Services Survey 
Imports/Export and Balance of Trade