Supplementary information

Corporate information

Organizational profile

Appropriate minister: The Honourable Navdeep Bains, P.C., M.P.

Institutional head: Anil Arora

Ministerial portfolio: Innovation, Science and Economic Development

Enabling instrument:

• Statistics Act
• Corporations Returns Act
• Corporations Returns Regulations

Year of incorporation / commencement: The Dominion Bureau of Statistics was established in 1918. In 1971, with the revision of the Statistics Act, the agency became Statistics Canada.

Other: Under the Statistics Act, Statistics Canada is required to collect, compile, analyze, abstract and publish statistical information relating to the commercial, industrial, financial, social, economic and general activities and conditions of the people of Canada.

Statistics Canada has two primary objectives:

• to provide statistical information and analysis of the economic and social structure and functioning of Canadian society as a basis for developing, operating and evaluating public policies and programs; for public and private decision making; and for the general benefit of all Canadians
• to promote the quality, coherence and international comparability of Canada's statistics through collaboration with other federal departments and agencies, with the provinces and territories, and in accordance with sound scientific standards and practices.

Statistics Canada's head office is located in Ottawa. There are regional offices located in Halifax, Sherbrooke, Montréal, Toronto, Sturgeon Falls, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver. The agency also has data service centres (DSCs) in Montréal, Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver. The main role of the DSCs is to inform and support users with possible avenues for their needs by offering workshop series, webinars, open houses and more. There are also 31 research data centres located throughout the country. These centres provide researchers with access to microdata from population and household survey programs in a secure university setting. Canadians can follow the agency on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, feeds and YouTube.

Raison d'être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do

Raison d'être

Strong data and evidence are crucial to good decision making. All parts of society—governments, businesses and individuals—count on high-quality, timely and detailed statistics to make decisions. Among its many applications, statistical information is used to draw electoral boundaries, determine international tariffs, inform trade negotiations, analyze economic performance, select sites for schools and public transportation, and support immigration policies and programs.

Mandate and role

Statistics Canada produces data that help Canadians better understand their country—its population, resources, economy, society and culture. As Canada's central statistical office, Statistics Canada is legislated to serve this function for Canada and each of the provinces and territories. The agency also conducts a Census of Population and a Census of Agriculture every five years, providing a detailed picture of Canadian society. Statistics Canada operates under the authority of the Statistics Act and is committed to protecting the confidentiality of the information with which it is entrusted.

The agency promotes the quality and coherence of Canada's statistics through collaboration with international organizations, federal departments and agencies, and the provinces and territories. As a member of the United Nations Statistical Commission, the agency endorses the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, which help define what constitutes a good system of official statistics and what role that system should play in a national government.

For more information on the agency's organizational mandate letter commitments, see the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Mandate Letter.

Operating context and key risks

Information on operating context and key risks is available on the Statistics Canada website.

Reporting framework

Statistics Canada's Departmental Results Framework and Program Inventory of record for 2018–19 are shown below.

Departmental Results Framework and Program Inventory

Supporting information on the Program Inventory

Financial, human resources and performance information for Statistics Canada's Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.

Supplementary information tables

The following supplementary information tables are available on the Statistics Canada website:

• Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy
• Gender-based Analysis Plus
• Response to parliamentary committees and external audits

Federal tax expenditures

The tax system can be used to achieve public policy objectives through the application of special measures such as low tax rates, exemptions, deductions, deferrals and credits. The Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for these measures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures. This report also provides detailed background information on tax expenditures, including descriptions, objectives, historical information and references to related federal spending programs. The tax measures presented in this report are the responsibility of the Minister of Finance.

Organizational contact information

Email
infostats@statcan.gc.ca

Telephone
1-800-263-1136 or 613-951-8116

Fax
1-877-287-4369 or 613-951-0581

TTY
1-800-363-7629

Mail
Statistics Canada
150 Tunney's Pasture Driveway
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0T6

Website
Statistics Canada