Disaggregated Data Action Plan Accomplishments Report 2023-2024: An Evolving Mosaic

For years, Statistics Canada has been providing Canadians with statistics on a variety of topics affecting people across the country. However, as the diversity of the Canadian population increases, more detailed data are needed to derive insights about the lived experiences of these diverse groups. To address this need, the Disaggregated Data Action Plan (DDAP) was launched in 2021. The DDAP aims to improve the quality and availability of statistics on four employment equity (EE) population groups: women, Indigenous peoples (First Nations people, Métis and Inuit), people from racialized populations (various subcategories) and people with disabilities (various subcategories).

Led by Statistics Canada, this initiative adopts a whole-of-government approach to provide all levels of government, businesses, policy makers, data users, non-profit organizations and Canadians with the detailed insights necessary for evidence-based decision making for a more equitable Canada. To the extent possible, data for each population group are broken down into subcategories according to gender, ethnocultural characteristics, age, sexual orientation and disability—or intersections of these and other subcategories, as needed. Data are also disaggregated to the lowest possible level of geography, as events affect people differently depending on where they live.

Following the Disaggregated Data Action Plan Accomplishments Report 2022-2023: Building on a solid foundation, this report highlights accomplishments from the DDAP during the 2023-2024 fiscal year. The report is organized into five sections, which align with the key pillars of the DDAP: expanded disaggregated data assets, increased intersectional and longitudinal insights, access to enhanced disaggregated data, national disaggregated data standards, and enhanced engagement and communications.

Expanded disaggregated data assets

Statistics Canada continues to explore new methods and techniques by adding new questions and data elements to existing surveys and administrative data programs, creating new surveys, and expanding sample sizes to better disaggregate data.

Demographic projections

Statistics Canada produced labour force population projections that helped inform the development of labour market availability targets for the four designated EE groups under the Employment Equity Act. Additional labour force data can be found on the Labour Statistics Portal.

In addition, Statistics Canada advanced the rebasing of its Demosim microsimulation model to produce projections for linguistic groups, the ethnocultural diversity of the population—including racialized groups—and Indigenous peoples (First Nations people, Métis and Inuit) in Canada.

For the first time, Statistics Canada produced custom population projections for various clients about municipalities in Canada. Given the rapid demographic changes and the need for infrastructure planning, many stakeholders requested local area-level projections. During the 2023/2024 fiscal year, the agency also produced numerous projection scenarios to support the modernization of the Official Languages Act. One of the objectives of this modernization is to restore the demographic share of francophone communities outside Quebec to levels observed in 1971.

Disaggregated Data Action Plan Administrative Data Fund

Following the launch of the DDAP Administrative Data Fund in 2022-2023, which aims to allow external partners to enhance their own disaggregated administrative data holdings and expand those of Statistics Canada, the agency finalized letters of agreement for four initiatives with multiple external partners.

Funding was granted to the Ontario Ministry of Infrastructure to develop more efficient, streamlined and consistent data collection and analysis on municipal asset conditions across Ontario. These data will make it possible to cross-reference municipal-level analysis with demographic data from the census or other sources using characteristics such as sectors and demographic groups.

Funding was also granted to the Nova Scotia Department of Justice to develop a research and evaluation plan, including recommendations, to guide the collection of race-based data on police stops in Nova Scotia, establish a race-based data collection model and determine the next steps for implementation. Such a model will enable the evaluation of policies and practices while enhancing transparency and accountability through the public release of data.

Another of these initiatives provided funding to different universities (the University of Calgary, Wilfrid Laurier University, the University of Ottawa and the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi) to conduct a pilot project intended to close data gaps on full-time and part-time academic staff at Canadian postsecondary institutions. The pilot project aimed to assess the feasibility and efficiency of adding diversity-related variables to the University and College Academic Staff System – Full-time Staff Survey. It involved collecting additional personal identifiers to explore data integration with the Canadian Census of Population and other data sources for equity, diversity and inclusion characteristics. Finally, the project included the development of a survey on part-time and contract staff that also incorporates complete diversity variables.

Canadian Survey on Business Conditions

The Canadian Survey on Business Conditions (CSBC) plays a vital role in helping governments understand the key economic issues businesses in Canada are facing. Detailed data are published for all provinces and territories by population centre and rural area and by business size and sector. Data for the 20 largest census metropolitan areas are available upon request.

All data in tables released during the 2023-2024 fiscal year were crossed with majority ownership variables, including majority ownership by women, Indigenous people (First Nations people, Métis and Inuit), immigrants to Canada, members of the 2SLGBTQ+ population and members of racialized groups, for the second, third and fourth quarters of 2023 and the first quarter of 2024. Also, information on the average percentage of women and men in management positions was released for the first quarter of 2024. Additionally, two analytical articles were released: one on businesses majority-owned by racialized individuals and another on majority women-owned businesses.

Increased intersectional and longitudinal insights

Statistics Canada continues to provide detailed statistical information about the economic, social and health experiences and outcomes of diverse groups in Canada. During the 2023-2024 fiscal year, 49% of analytical products released by Statistics Canada included disaggregated data for at least one of the four EE groups (who, as a reminder, are women, Indigenous peoples [First Nations people, Métis and Inuit], people from racialized populations [various subcategories] and people with disabilities [various subcategories]).

Non-profit Organizations

The CSBC dedicated a special module to non-profit organizations in early 2024 to gather data about community, business and government non-profit organizations. The results, published in March 2024, highlighted the profound effect non-profit organizations have on Canadians’ lives and their ongoing significance as vital players in a diverse society and a dynamic economy.

The CSBC released data tables for the first quarter of 2024 on the distribution of board of director and senior management positions held by members of the four EE groups and non-binary individuals. The data can be disaggregated further by region in Canada, business size, non-profit activity and non-profit type (registered charity versus other non-profit organizations).

Social Indicators

Because the care economy (i.e., paid and unpaid care work) is linked to timely and critical issues, such as gender inequity and inequality, disability, immigration, labour, and population aging, Statistics Canada collaborated with Canadian care experts to develop a framework defining the scope and magnitude of the care economy. A report released in November 2023 proposed a conceptual framework for the care economy based on research findings and consultations. This report provides guidance and a foundation for future research and assessment of Statistics Canada’s existing data holdings while pointing toward directions for future data development.

Health Indicators

Canadian Census Health and Environment Cohorts (CanCHECs), population-based linked datasets, were released in 2023. The CanCHECs combine data from respondents of the census long-form questionnaire (or the National Household Survey) with administrative health data (e.g., mortality, cancer, hospitalizations, ambulatory care, mental health) and annual mailing address postal codes. Data stemming from the CanCHECs can therefore be used to examine health outcomes by population characteristics measured by the census long-form questionnaire (e.g., income, education, occupation, language, ethnicity, immigrant status, Indigenous identity). Using this new data product, an analysis of mortality by income and education was released, demonstrating widening inequalities in mortality rates by income and education for both sexes.

Collection for the new Canadian Oral Health Survey was completed in March 2024. The survey asked a sample of 55,000 Canadians about their sex and gender, educational attainment, and Indigenous identity. The survey will be linked to the census, tax data from the Canada Revenue Agency and the Longitudinal Immigration Database to enhance the potential for producing highly disaggregated data. This will provide relevant information to Health Canada as it rolls out the Canadian Dental Care Program and the Oral Health Access Fund. These programs focus on reducing or removing financial and non-financial barriers for various population groups, including lower-income Canadians without dental insurance, children, seniors, Indigenous peoples, newcomers to Canada, official language minority communities, and rural and remote communities. The official release of this dataset is planned for October  2025.

Disability and Workplace Accommodations

An analytical study published in August  2024 examined the changes in workplace accommodations among employed Canadians with disabilities from 2017 to 2022. It highlighted that unmet needs for workplace accommodations decreased in this period, though the decline varied across sociodemographic groups.

For example, among employed people with disabilities who required workplace accommodations, the percentage of women with unmet needs decreased from 42% in  2017 to 35% in 2022. However, the same cannot be said for men. About 36% of men had unmet needs for workplace accommodations in 2022, similar to the percentage in 2017. Overall, these results contributed to research supporting the Accessible Canada Act and informing the accessibility plans of partners and stakeholders.

Employment and Labour

The release of additional articles in the Quality of Employment in Canada publication in June 2023 highlighted inequities faced by women and some racialized groups regarding their exposure to more challenging working conditions and aspects of lower quality of employment. These data have improved the understanding of how different populations experience the labour market. For instance, according to the publication, a higher proportion of Black and Filipino workers work at night, and employed young women aged 15 to 24 are the demographic group most likely to work part time involuntarily for economic reasons. The results from this analysis also show that the proportion of mothers on parental leave with a child younger than 1 year varies across racialized groups. For example, employed Arab mothers, who had one of the lowest overall labour force participation rates among racialized women, were among the least likely to report being on parental leave in 2022, at 48.4%.

In August 2023, Statistics Canada also released its first results from the Labour Force Survey on the labour market situation of people with and without disabilities. This initiative aims to provide more frequent estimates of key labour market indicators for people with and without disabilities to capture the effects of ongoing changes in the labour market.

Access to enhanced disaggregated data

Statistics Canada securely combines its census and survey data with administrative and other data from other federal, provincial or territorial organizations. This process, known as data integration (or record linkage), creates an opportunity to leverage additional insights from existing data sources and conduct comprehensive analyses, while reducing the number of surveys Canadians are asked to complete.

Access to analytically valid microdata must always adhere to the confidentiality requirements under which the data were obtained. Accordingly, Statistics Canada continues to improve access to disaggregated data while respecting confidentiality and privacy requirements. For example, recent updates to the census public use microdata file (PUMF) strategy ensure that information on racialized status and ethnicity is preserved rather than suppressed. Statistics Canada has also developed high-fidelity synthetic data that support PASSAGES, an open-source dynamic microsimulation model designed for policy analysis and research related to Canadian retirement income system outcomes at the individual and family levels.

Analytical Training

The utility of disaggregated data stems from how they inform policy. Over the 2023-2024 fiscal year, Statistics Canada convened an advisory panel of experienced policy analysts from diverse areas of the federal and provincial public service to better understand how the policy community uses and applies disaggregated data in its work while identifying related challenges.

This process informed the development of a new, self-paced online course for novice policy analysts aimed at building awareness and skills related to how disaggregated data can contribute to analysis at various stages of the policy development cycle. The content of the course has now been fully developed and is available through the Canada School of Public Service (CSPS) to all federal public servants. Going forward, Statistics Canada will continue to explore mechanisms for making the course accessible to policy analysts at other levels of government.

In addition to the training led by CSPS, Statistics Canada has released new online courses. These include The Importance of Disaggregated Data: An Introduction (part 1), which explains how disaggregated data can effectively support all levels of government and organizations serving communities in making evidence-informed public policy decisions, and The Importance of Disaggregated Data: An Introduction (part 2), which explains how disaggregated data can help policy makers develop more targeted and effective policies by identifying the unique needs and challenges faced by different demographic groups.

Health Indicators

In April 2024, two articles on the topic of oral health were published in Health Reports. The articles were based on data from the 2022 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) and the 2019 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth. They provide disaggregated estimates of visits to dental professionals in the previous year, dental insurance coverage and cost-related avoidance of dental care based on adjusted family net income, age, gender, population group, Indigenous identity, rurality, immigrant status and education level.

An adjusted sampling methodology was implemented to select the CCHS DDAP oversample. This innovative approach selects individuals from the four EE groups based on information from the census long-form questionnaire. This method increases the analytical potential of the CCHS for these population groups, building on work from the 2022 CCHS cycle to support the identification of statistically significant differences among racialized groups without compromising data quality, privacy and confidentiality. The 2022 cycle of the CCHS saw a 54% increase in the available sample for each racialized population (most notably for Chinese, Filipino and Arab respondents).

Survey Series on People and their Communities

In  2023-2024, Statistics Canada collected sufficient disaggregated data to examine the experiences of racialized Canadians and immigrants, including newcomers to Canada, through the second, third and fourth waves of the Survey Series on People and their Communities (SSPC). These newly published data from the SSPC, collected from May to December 2023, provide insight into the diversity of experiences with discrimination and racism in sport, political engagement, workplace culture and shared values.

The SSPC released many publications as part of the DDAP initiative, including articles on participation in Canadian society through sport and work, concerns with misinformation online in  2023, and discrimination and racism in sports in Canada.

Municipalities and Rural Statistics

In addition to disaggregation for the four EE groups, the DDAP collects increasing amounts of provincial-, territorial- and municipal-specific data, allowing more nuanced information to be published on the different living experiences of individuals in those areas. For instance, Enhancing data for rural Canada: Small area estimation of remote work opportunities was released in April 2024.

This methodological report presents the small area estimation (SAE) methodology and the geographic concept of self-contained labour areas, as applied to the CSBC. Notably, the study proposes a novel approach that provides additional value to survey data at a more granular level. The report is accompanied by the Rural Data Viewer, which allows users to examine the application of SAE to the CSBC using maps rather than data tables. 

National disaggregated data standards

A robust methodology and well-defined standards are essential to the production of high-quality data and reliable statistics. The agency focuses on developing methodological infrastructure to enable the linkage and integration of more administrative data with existing data holdings and the creation of rich microdata sets that can be disaggregated according to priority categories and at the lowest possible level of geography.

Statistics Canada continues to support the training of analysts on disclosure control challenges related to disaggregated data through regular workshops that highlight standard methods for identifying and mitigating disclosure risks when releasing detailed estimates.

Statistical and Data Standards

Statistical data and metadata standards are a set of rules that enable the consistent and repeatable description, representation, structuring and sharing of data and metadata. Statistics Canada has published and regularly updates national statistical standards, data sources and methods used for collecting and publishing more detailed data.

In March  2024, Defining and measuring the gig economy using survey data, a report aiming to provide a coherent framework for understanding the different components of the gig economy, was released. The gig economy includes personal transport and delivery services provided through digital platforms, a form of employment in which racialized groups are overrepresented.

Sexual Orientation and Gender Expression

One of the critical deliverables of the DDAP is to harmonize the standards used across the Government of Canada (GC) to enable interoperability and facilitate national insights about various populations. Over the 2023/2024 fiscal year, efforts to standardize variables included the release of the sexual orientation of person standard, following a four-phase consultation process that involved targeted expert consultation, focus group testing, qualitative testing and consultations with Canadians. Furthermore, Statistics Canada has been working with the Treasury Board Secretariat to promote the adoption of key DDAP standards at the GC level.

Additionally, new standards for gender and sex at birth of person are expected to be adopted during the 2024-2025 fiscal year. Further efforts to address gaps include ongoing development work on disability, Two-Spirit individuals and homelessness.

Two new web pages were also released: a web page on standards, data sources and methods designed to promote disaggregated standards and how to make them interoperable, and the Gender of Person Reference Guide to centralize all relevant components to support standard implementation by users.

Confidentiality and Access

Statistics Canada continues to improve its processes with the objective of releasing microdata to support the DDAP. A significant challenge when releasing these PUMFs is ensuring the confidentiality of respondents. A randomization strategy was successfully applied to variables related to racialized groups for the 2021 Census PUMFs, making information that would have been suppressed available. The strategy of randomizing responses rather than suppressing them has been studied and is being promoted as effective for PUMFs.

Municipalities and Rural Statistics

Standards of interest for municipalities, a new web page promoting the adoption of standard concepts and definitions by municipalities and their jurisdictions, was launched in April 2023. This space supports municipalities’ capacity to inform evidence-based decision making on issues directly affecting citizens. Making federally approved standards available to municipal governments allows them to better align their capacity to analyze data with that of the GC, leading to enhanced comparability.

Additionally, the launch of two dashboards, the Municipal Quality of Life Dashboard and the Municipal Diversity Dashboard, enhances the ability of data users to compare different jurisdictions and look at the interrelationships between the different socioeconomic characteristics of municipalities, such as their diversity and the quality of life of their citizens. This ability is further enhanced with the recent release of the new Municipal Financial Data Dashboard in July 2024.

The Municipal Diversity Dashboard highlights data from the 2021 Census of Population across four domains—ethnicity and culture, immigration, knowledge of official languages and languages spoken, and education—allowing for intermunicipal comparisons. Meanwhile, the Municipal Quality of Life Dashboard uses census data to show how municipalities fared in 2021 in terms of housing needs, poverty, postsecondary attainment and more.   

Enhanced engagement and communications

Statistics Canada routinely engages with various partners and stakeholders to meet the increasing information needs of Canadians. Engagement and consultations with partners and stakeholders are crucial for ensuring the relevance of Statistics Canada’s data, statistical programs and statistical standards.

Uniform Crime Reporting Survey

The Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (UCR) expansion initiative continued to engage police services and associations, Indigenous and racialized community organizations, academics, and others to assess needs, concerns and strategies to operationalize data collection. Based on engagement feedback, system changes were made to the UCR Survey, and an updated survey was deployed in February 2024. This allowed for the reporting of Indigenous and racialized identity information for victims and accused individuals involved in criminal incidents. Work is currently ongoing to develop operational guidelines to support police services in adopting this newest version of the UCR Survey.

A newly formed special-purpose committee, which operates under the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, was launched in 2023. This committee comprises representatives from over 40 police agencies of various sizes across Canada and is mandated to support the development of an implementation guide for the consistent and uniform collection of Indigenous and racialized identity data by police.

To ensure ongoing public transparency about the plans and progress for this initiative, Statistics Canada’s Crime and Justice Statistics Hub was updated in July 2023 to include a dedicated section on the UCR Survey expansion. This section outlines key project deliverables, status information and links to related reports published under this initiative. Additionally, a report outlining the progress made and the next steps was published in July 2023.

Longitudinal Social Data Development Program

In February 2024, Statistics Canada released its 2023-2024 executive report on the Deliberative Public Engagement Research Project. This report presents findings from a qualitative research study on the social acceptability of using person-based linked administrative data. While the study aimed to understand the conditions under which Canadians find the use of these data acceptable and the guiding principles for their use in generating statistical insights, the research revealed that this question must be considered within the broader context of Statistics Canada’s mandate, privacy and confidentiality, data impact, and public awareness.

Centre for Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Statistics

Statistics Canada’s expertise on gender, diversity, inclusion and Gender-based Analysis (GBA) Plus resides in the Centre for Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Statistics (CGDIS). The CGDIS’s key activities include developing and maintaining the Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Statistics (GDIS) Hub; conducting research and analysis on gender-, diversity- and inclusion-related issues in Canada; and building GBA Plus capacity and awareness (internally and externally). The GDIS Hub serves as a front door for users, partners and stakeholders to access disaggregated data on gender, diversity and inclusion.

The CGDIS also conducted tours of the GDIS Hub and provided training on navigating it. Additionally, it has presented to other federal organizations and levels of government on the DDAP. Throughout this process, the CGDIS gathered feedback from partners regarding their satisfaction with the GDIS Hub and suggestions for enhancing it to better meet users’ needs.

To ensure the GDIS Hub remains relevant for federal and non-federal organizations, the CGDIS conducted a consultative engagement to identify successes and gaps for improvement, aiming to enhance the user experience on the GDIS Hub. The CGDIS also led consultations with racialized groups as part of the development of analytical products on various racialized groups. The CGDIS continues to collaborate with stakeholders to support government priorities, such as Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy and Canada’s Action Plan on Combatting Hate.

The CGDIS also developed and implemented a consultative engagement strategy for modernizing the “visible minority” standard. Meetings were held with federal departments, academics, and non-governmental organizations representing racialized and religious communities. The final report with results and recommendations was published in June 2024. 

“Visible Minority” Concept

Statistics Canada has been reviewing the “visible minority” concept. The agency has been consulting and engaging with partners, stakeholders, ethnocultural groups and the general public to identify appropriate terminology and categories to describe the population and properly address data needs in health, education, justice and EE.

Statistics Canada recently completed the 2024 Census Test, the results of which will be used to provide recommendations to Cabinet for the 2026 Census content. Research continues in preparation for the dissemination of data from the 2026 Census and other household surveys. Changes to the derivation method, including processing multiple responses, combining response categories when relevant and merging different variables to obtain more disaggregated data, will be investigated in preparation for the dissemination of data from the 2026 Census.

Survey Series on People and their Communities

The content of the SSPC was developed following extensive consultations on the data needs of various federal departments. These consultations led to a collaborative project between Statistics Canada and the Department of Canadian Heritage to develop content for the Participation and Experiences in Community Sports component of the SSPC.

Centre for Municipal and Local Data

In  2023-2024, the Centre for Municipal and Local Data (CMLD) continued its engagement with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM). This ongoing partnership led to Statistics Canada’s participation as an exhibitor at the FCM’s Annual Conference and Trade Show in May 2023.

The CMLD supported the organization of national and international events targeting municipal or community needs, such as the International Statistical Institute’s 64th World Statistics Congress, which took place in July 2023 in Ottawa. During this event, the CMLD demonstrated its portal and visualization tools and participated in a lengthy discussion with the United States Census Bureau about the role of national statistical organizations in providing municipal statistics. Additionally, the CMLD contributed to the Canadian Urban Institute’s State of Canada’s Cities Report, released in November 2023.

The CMLD engaged directly with internal teams, external organizations and municipalities to advance data integration efforts related to housing and drinking water infrastructure performance.

Ongoing and Future Work

The DDAP will continue to address Canada’s diversity information needs by providing data and analyses that are more disaggregated across different population groups and their intersections. An increase in the quality and size of the agency’s data holdings has the potential to enhance policy and program decision making across all levels of government and within society. By working with federal, provincial, territorial, municipal and other partners to change their approach to data collection, the DDAP responds to a longstanding and well-known need inside and outside the GC for more granular data on the Canadian population and Canadian society.