Response Burden Reduction Efforts

Statistics Canada has a long history of working to reduce burden for its respondents, both businesses and individuals. We recognize that the goodwill of survey respondents is one of our most valuable assets, since it is the continued co-operation of Canadians that enables us to turn survey results into reliable information. This information enables decision-makers to work with more clarity, which, in turn, helps to provide better service to all Canadians.

Statistics Canada is taking action to make it easier for businesses to respond

Statistics Canada aims to reduce the time businesses spend responding to surveys: either by reducing the number of surveys or questions, limiting the time that a business can be part of a sample, or by using more friendly data collection methods. It is also working to better its communications tools to improve its relations with respondents.

The individual initiatives, outcomes and benefits to respondents are detailed in the following links:

• Administrative Burden Reduction of Statistics Canada Business Surveys
  
  
• Reduce Redundancy of Data Requests Across Government Departments
  
  
• Communication Improvements
  
  

Respondent burden reduction: An on-going concern

Statistics Canada's role in reducing respondent burden is part of government-wide initiatives that have been in place since 2007. Their collective goal is to eliminate excessive regulation, unnecessary adherence to outmoded processes, and duplication.

• Industry Canada Paperwork Burden Reduction Initiative website
  
  
• Statistics Canada’s Paperwork Burden Reduction Initiative Report: Baseline Count and Complementary Measures, September 2007 (Word format) (PDF format) (RTF format)
  
  
• 2008 Progress report from the Advisory Committee on Paperwork Burden Reduction – A Strategy to Reduce Paperwork Burden for Small Businesses in Canada