Canadian Statistics Advisory Council (CSAC) In-Person Meeting – October 3-4, 2024

Attendance

CSAC Members

Dr. Howard Ramos (Chairperson), Catherine Beaudry, David Chaundy, Benoit Dostie, Annette Hester, Anke Kessler, Jan Kestle, André Loranger, Vinamra Mathur, Stephen Tapp

Statistics Canada

October 3: Josée Bégin, Geoff Bowlby, Tom Dufour, Stéphane Dufour, Rock Lemay, Kathleen Mitchell, Mélanie Scott, Jennifer Withington

October 4: Josée Bégin, Geoff Bowlby, Stéphane Dufour, Rock Lemay, Kathleen Mitchell, Mélanie Scott, Wesley Yung

Meeting Agenda – Day 1

Time	Agenda	Presenter(s)
8:30 – 9:00	Members meet-and-greet	All members
9:00 – 9:10	Chairperson introductory remarks	Howard Ramos Chairperson, CSAC
9:10 – 9:40	Chief Statistician of Canada updates	André Loranger Chief Statistician of Canada
9:40 – 10:40	Quality of Life	Presenter: Kari Wolanski Acting Director, Centre for Social Data Insights and Innovation Guest: Sébastien Larochelle-Côté Acting Director General, Social Data Insights, Integration and Innovation Branch
10:40 – 11:00	Break
11:00 – 12:00	Towards the 2025 System of National Accounts	Presenter: Brenda Bugge Director, National Economic Accounts Division Guest: Eric Boulay Director, International Accounts and Trade Division
12:00 – 13:00	Lunch and group photo
13:00 – 14:00	Discussion on misinformation, disinformation in relation to official statistics	Presenters: Pierre Desrochers Director, Office of Privacy Management and Information Coordination Antonio Bakopoulos Assistant Director, Office of Privacy Management and Information Coordination
14:00 – 14:45	Media training	Presenters: Carter Mann Acting Chief, Communications and Promotion Division Julien Abord-Babin Manager, Corporate Communications
14:45 – 15:05	Break
15:05 – 15:55	Roundtable discussion about the report  In camera	All members
15:55 – 16:00	Chairperson closing remarks for the day	Howard Ramos Chairperson, CSAC

Summary of the meeting

1. Chairperson introductory remarks

Dr. Ramos opened the meeting by welcoming members and Assistant Chief Statisticians (ACS). He provided an update on the report, thanking members for their work and reminding them to send comments on the latest version. He noted that the purpose of the meeting was to finalize the report, discuss the work for the rest of the year and plan the next in-person meeting. He shared updates on his upcoming meeting with the Minister's office and the end of terms for himself and some members of the Council.

2. Chief Statistician of Canada updates

Mr. Loranger provided an update on the appointment process for the Chief Statistician (CS), including the renewal of his interim for six months. He then spoke about the return to the office directive and Statistics Canada's update and actions. He provided updates on key recent initiatives including: Census behaviour test highlights, an overview of what the agency is doing in terms of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and technology, key highlights and impact of the System of National Accounts update and international considerations, updates on the Internal Trade Hub and the Survey on Internal Trade, engagements with Canadians related to the Consumer Price Index, and the work on health statistics. He concluded with key recent engagements such as visits to the regional offices and international meetings.

Members discussed the Census content approval process and timelines, the stewardship role of Statistics Canada within the Government of Canada and lessons learned from different departments on reporting on return to work, collaboration with the Privacy Commissioner, metrics used to measure success of communication campaigns, and the collaborative work on the Internal trade Hub with different partners.

3. Quality of Life

Ms. Wolanski presented the purpose of the Quality of Life framework and its role in improving quality of life measures and addressing key data gaps while integrating key social, economic and environmental statistics. She explained the dimensions of the framework, including the domains and headline indicators, cross-cutting lenses, links to the Disaggregated Data Action Plan and the impact of the framework in identifying data gaps. She then provided an overview of the channels of activities the program is undertaking, notably on social statistics and data integration, and of the work in collaboration with the international community to advance the conceptual framework for social statistics. She concluded with some examples of upcoming work.

During the question-and-answer period, members and presenters discussed different indicators to measure some of the dimensions of the framework, such as subjective well-being and climate change. They spoke about potential collaborations with artists to illustrate the data, consultations with Indigenous communities and the role of the initiative in Indigenous data sovereignty, the importance of granular data for users, means to increase the visibility of the program, frequency of data collection and releases, the importance of partnerships with the private sector for data integration initiatives as well as the impact of sharing a dashboard rather than an index. The conversation included linking the framework to the work on Beyond GDP and the role of this type of framework in supporting data integration. Mr. Loranger spoke about the leadership role Statistics Canada plays on the international stage on this topic.

The Council commended the team for the user-friendliness of the hub and recommended to continue to incorporate data visualization in initiatives.

4. Towards the 2025 System of National Accounts

Ms. Bugge provided an overview of the update process of the SNA and the importance of the SNA as a fully integrated framework, providing quality data for, notably, allocation of revenue and equalization payments for provinces and territories. Due to a change in the global environment since 2008 (which is the date of the last SNA update), several priority areas have been identified for the 2025 update including digitalization, well-being and globalization. Canada is well-positioned for the update: for digitalization, readiness is high for most priority areas identified as Canada is world first for a few of them. Ms. Bugge spoke to the impacts of the update on GDP and net worth and how well-being and sustainability are accounted for.

Members discussed the impact of changes to the GDP and regional and international comparability, noting the importance of international compliance and the need to coordinate the update with other countries for the implementation. They also spoke about how the impacts of the update will be communicated with stakeholders, how to ensure data continuity, how to ensure usability of data for users and what Canada can bring to the international community.

5. Discussion on misinformation, disinformation in relation to official statistics

Mr. Desrochers provided some context, including some definitions, actions taken by the Government of Canada and in other countries. He then presented the role of official statistics and data literacy to combat misinformation, including using proactive and reactive approaches, emphasizing the alignment with the fourth principle of fundamental principles of official statistics.

Members discussed data literacy programs and material for different audiences, such as teachers, children, youth, ways in which to detect misinformation including the use of technology, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), and what other countries do on this front. They spoke about the importance of advocacy for the role of Statistics Canada as data steward in data literacy.

The Council recommended that Statistics Canada, as data steward, consider developing material and ensuring the information is provided in different forms to target different audiences. It encouraged the agency to explore opportunities related to official statistics and the core business of the agency, recognizing the limitations of its mandate, especially on disinformation. It also noted the importance of considering what sources decision makers and policy analysts use and providing data literacy sessions to ensure these sources are reliable. The Council asked for regular updates on legislation related to privacy.

6. Media training

Mr. Abord-Babin provided an overview of the media cycle, the current media environment and the structure of a media intervention. He shared advice on how to build a narrative, how to set up for an interview and what to expect during different types of interviews.

Members discussed the communication strategy for the upcoming report release and the role of the spokesperson. Mr. Ramos noted the need to emphasize the independence of the Council when communicating about the report.

7. Roundtable discussion about the report

The Chairperson facilitated an in-camera roundtable discussion on key takeaways from the day, the communication strategy for the release of this year's report and key themes for the upcoming year.

8. Chairperson closing remarks for the day

Dr. Ramos provided closing remarks for the day.

Meeting Agenda – Day 2

1. Chairperson Introductory Remarks

Mr. Ramos welcomed members back and provided an overview of the agenda for the day.

2. Update on Censuses

Ms. Bégin provided an overview of the 2026 Census of Population cycle and which step the agency is currently at. She presented an update on the 2024 Census Content Test, including phases and timelines as well as content tested (new and modified questions). She spoke about collaborations with stakeholders and the Privacy Commissioner as well as engagement activities. She presented the content determination process, actions taken so far, next steps and timelines.

Members discussed how the content tested responds to user needs and what the internal governance and approval process for the content are. They spoke about the interactions of the Census with other surveys to ensure the agency can integrate data from different sources for analysis. They discussed the Census content approval schedule and risks associated with steps and timelines as well as the differences in terms of process with other countries.

Ms. Bekkering provided an overview of the 2026 cycle of the Census of Agriculture, alignment with the Census of Population, major milestones achieved so far in 2023 and 2024, including some tests and consultations, and next steps for the program, including further modernization of the program.

Members discussed considerations related to collection methods other than surveys, the content approval process and links between the Census of Environment and Census of Agriculture.

3. New methods beyond the census

Mr. Yung presented the context and changing environment, including declining response rate, that led the agency to review its methods to develop cost-effective, timely and sound methods. He then spoke about alignment of Methodological Acceleration with the United Nations Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics and provided an overview of the key focus of the Strategic Plan of the agency. Mr. Falconer presented the research done at Statistics Canada on the combined census, noting that the agency is part of the international community also researching this change. He spoke about the approach to expand the use of administrative data in future censuses, including testing combined census models and social acceptability. Ms. Kumar presented the approach for the combined census modality with use of administrative data that has been used for the Census of Agriculture as well as other options to reduce burden and/or produce more analytical output. She concluded with lessons learned, including opportunities and challenges.

Members discussed privacy considerations, the impact of increasing nonresponse, the impact of the combined census on burden reduction for respondents, opportunities for collaboration with the private sector on best practices, the long term vision for data collection and the future of surveys, the use of technology and the need for a workforce skilled for technology use. They also spoke about specific topics included in the census such as household energy use, and the data storing process to ensure confidentiality.

4. Next steps

The Chairperson facilitated an in-camera discussion with members on the themes the Council will focus on during the upcoming year and topics for next year's report.

5. Chairperson Closing Remarks

Dr. Ramos thanked CSAC members, including the Chief Statistician, the Assistant Chief Statisticians and their teams and the CSAC Secretariat for their support. He summarized next steps for the Council, including for the release of the report.