Retail Commodity Survey: CVs for Total Sales (August 2020)

Retail Commodity Survey: CVs for Total Sales (August 2020)
NAPCS-CANADA Month
202005 202006 202007 202008
Total commodities, retail trade commissions and miscellaneous services 0.68 0.64 0.69 0.70
Retail Services (except commissions) [561] 0.67 0.64 0.69 0.69
Food at retail [56111] 0.74 0.64 0.61 0.80
Soft drinks and alcoholic beverages, at retail [56112] 0.61 0.55 0.52 0.52
Cannabis products, at retail [56113] 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Clothing at retail [56121] 1.62 1.15 1.04 1.01
Footwear at retail [56122] 2.37 2.26 2.05 2.14
Jewellery and watches, luggage and briefcases, at retail [56123] 20.11 9.57 10.12 8.45
Home furniture, furnishings, housewares, appliances and electronics, at retail [56131] 1.00 0.71 0.71 0.71
Sporting and leisure products (except publications, audio and video recordings, and game software), at retail [56141] 3.99 2.04 2.66 2.89
Publications at retail [56142] 8.80 8.08 7.42 8.13
Audio and video recordings, and game software, at retail [56143] 2.17 3.19 6.29 6.70
Motor vehicles at retail [56151] 2.43 2.20 2.64 2.60
Recreational vehicles at retail [56152] 7.20 5.71 3.50 3.92
Motor vehicle parts, accessories and supplies, at retail [56153] 1.83 1.58 1.91 1.76
Automotive and household fuels, at retail [56161] 2.79 3.40 2.65 2.09
Home health products at retail [56171] 2.65 2.56 2.77 2.30
Infant care, personal and beauty products, at retail [56172] 3.68 3.47 3.72 4.31
Hardware, tools, renovation and lawn and garden products, at retail [56181] 2.19 2.11 1.59 1.35
Miscellaneous products at retail [56191] 2.84 3.12 2.57 2.41
Total retail trade commissions and miscellaneous servicesFootnotes 1 1.92 1.66 1.62 1.66

Footnotes

Footnote 1

Comprises the following North American Product Classification System (NAPCS): 51411, 51412, 53112, 56211, 57111, 58111, 58121, 58122, 58131, 58141, 72332, 833111, 841, 85131 and 851511.

Return to footnote 1 referrer

Request for information – Economic accounts

Under the authority of the Statistics Act, Statistics Canada is hereby requesting the following information, which will be used solely for statistical and research purposes and will be protected in accordance with the provisions of the Statistics Act and any other applicable law. This is a mandatory request for data.

National accounts and Gross Domestic Product

Information on insured mortgages

What information is being requested?

Statistics Canada is requesting administrative data from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation on insured mortgages, including mortgage volume, loan-level characteristics, property characteristics, measures of loan performance, and housing market indicators, aggregated at the 3-digit postal code level (i.e., forward sortation area).

What personal information is included in this request?

This request does not contain any personal information.

What years of data will be requested?

Monthly data as of December 2024

From whom will the information be requested?

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Why is this information being requested?

Statistics Canada requires this information to develop more timely information related to household financial risk. Through this data acquisition, researchers, decision-makers, and the Canadian public will benefit from a more accurate set of official statistics related to debt and leverage for Canadian households, allowing them to better account for the distribution of debt holdings across a range of aggregated borrower and loan characteristics.

Statistics Canada may also use the information for other statistical and research purposes.

Why were these organizations selected as data providers?

As the national housing agency, the CMHC is in a unique position to collect comprehensive information regarding insured mortgages in Canada.

When will this information be requested?

January 2025

What Statistics Canada programs will primarily use these data?

Statistics Canada will develop the necessary financial information to provide more detailed and informative indicators of household financial risk in support of various programs, most notably:

When was this request published?

January 2, 2025

Information by fund on gross sales and gross redemptions of investment fund units and reinvested distributions

What information is being requested?

Statistics Canada is requesting information by fund on aggregate gross sales (to investors) and gross redemptions (by investors) of investment fund units and reinvested distribution amounts. This would include the value of units sold and redeemed in each period as well as the investment incomes that unit holders receive and that are subsequently reinvested to purchase additional fund units. The information on aggregated period sales, redemptions and reinvested distributions are being requested at the fund-level and includes variables such as fund ID, fund name, company, type of transaction (purchase, redemption, reinvested distribution), dollar value of unit purchases/redemptions (at transaction price) or reinvestment amount, and number of units purchased or redeemed. Classification information is also being requested, such as CIFSC (i.e., the standard classifications of Canadian-domiciled mutual funds), mutual fund group type and investment product type (i.e., stand-alone fund versus fund-of-funds).

What personal information is included in this request?

This request does not contain any personal information.

What years of data will be requested?

All available data held at time of request and ongoing, monthly.

From whom will the information be requested?

This information is being requested from the Investment Funds Institute of Canada.

Why is this information being requested?

Statistics Canada requires this information to create and publish statistics on household wealth in the Financial and Wealth Accounts (i.e., National Balance Sheet) as it relates to holdings of mutual funds investments. Canadians look to the National Balance Sheet to better understand how households are performing in terms of overall wealth and investment activity. These data on mutual fund sales and redemptions will distinguish the change in mutual fund wealth due to the buying or selling of units versus changes in the price of fund units. With this distinction, Statistics Canada can more effectively identify data issues and incoherence with the goal of improving data quality. This also impacts policymakers who, in setting fiscal or monetary policies, monitor both household debt as well as household assets that can be used to reduce debt. With trillions of dollars in mutual fund holdings among households, this source of wealth is a significant counterbalance to household liabilities.

Statistics Canada may also use the information for other statistical and research purposes.

Why were these organizations selected as data providers?

The Investment Funds Institute of Canada is responsible for collecting information on the investment funds industry in Canada. They are the authoritative source for this information.

When will this information be requested?

September 2023 and onward (monthly)

When was this request published?

September 8, 2023

Information on the Highly Affected Sectors Credit Availability Program (HASCAP)

What information is being requested?

Aggregated information on recipients of HASCAP across a range of socioeconomic categories, including province/territory, industry, employment status, business size, source of funds, as well as other characteristics such as the application date and status, and the value and terms of the funds provided.

What personal information is included in this request?

This request does not contain any personal information.

What years of data will be requested?

Monthly data initiated from the inception of HASCAP in February 2021 and ongoing

From whom will the information be requested?

Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC)

Why is this information being requested?

Statistics Canada requires this information to analyze and publish statistics on borrowing by different sectors of the economy. This will also ensure that borrowing activity and resulting debt is correctly measured in the Income and Expenditure Accounts and Financial and Wealth Accounts. Canadians will benefit from more accurate measures of key economic indicators, as many policy decisions impacting all Canadians are based on measures of gross corporate debt and debt-to-gross domestic product ratios. This will also assist policymakers, researchers, and businesses to better understand the impact of this loan program within the broader context of COVID-19 business support programs.

Statistics Canada may also use the information for other statistical and research purposes.

Why were these organizations selected as data providers?

BDC administrates HASCAP and consequently is the sole organization that collects and maintains up-to-date data on this program.

When will this information be requested?

September 2023 and onward (monthly).

What Statistics Canada programs will primarily use these data?

This information will also be included in Statistics Canada's Canadian COVID-19 Business Support Measures database.

When was this request published?

September 8, 2023

Information on financial derivatives of chartered banks

What information is being requested?

Statistics Canada is requesting information on financial derivatives. Derivatives can be broadly defined as secondary assets, the value of which fluctuates with price movements of a related or underlying primary asset.

The Bank of Canada currently surveys a subset of chartered banks on their activities involving these financial instruments. This includes information such as the volume of derivative activity and the stock of derivative assets by type of derivative. This information is collected via two surveys administered by the Bank of Canada, the Canadian Foreign Exchange Committee Semi-Annual Foreign Exchange Volume Survey and the Bank of International Settlements Over-the-counter Derivatives Bi-Annual Survey. Statistics Canada will be requesting the results of these surveys.

What personal information is included in this request?

This request does not contain any personal information.

What years of data will be requested?

All available historical data held at time of request and ongoing, semi-annually, and bi-annually.

From whom will the information be requested?

This information is being requested from the Bank of Canada.

Why is this information being requested?

This information on financial derivatives will be a key input to the Financial and Wealth Accounts program at Statistics Canada. It will support efforts to align to international reporting standards, as outlined by the System of National Accounts 2008 manual, by enabling the creation and publication of financial derivatives estimates within the National Balance Sheet. This information is necessary to ensure accurate and comprehensive information on the potential risks to the financial system related to these financial instruments. Incorporating this information into the existing statistical and national accounting framework will enable policymakers, Canadians, and other stakeholders to better assess these risks and understand the interlinkages between sectors.

Statistics Canada may also use the information for other statistical and research purposes.

Why were these organizations selected as data providers?

The Bank of Canada is responsible for collecting information on financial derivatives via two surveys, the Canadian Foreign Exchange Committee Semi-Annual Foreign Exchange Volume Survey, and the Bank of International Settlements Over-the-counter Derivatives Bi-Annual Survey. These data support their role in setting monetary policy and in monitoring systemic risk.

When will this information be requested?

June 2023 and onward (various frequencies)

When was this request published?

May 17, 2023

Information on investment industry financial statistics and sectoral trades in financial instruments

What information is being requested?

Statistics Canada’s is requesting summarized Canadian investment industry financial reports prepared by the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization and information covering trades in financial instruments. The industry reports provide aggregated data by peer group on the sources of revenue, expenses, and balance sheet composition of regulated members. As a private sector self-regulatory body, the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) collects data for numerous financial instruments including corporate bond securities issued by Canadian corporations, corporate bond securities issued by Canadian Banks, bond securities that are actively traded, and Government issued debt securities, such as treasury bills.

What personal information is included in this request?

This request does not contain any personal information

What years of data will be requested?

Daily data, provided on a monthly basis, as of September 2020.

From whom will the information be requested?

Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization

Why is this information being requested?

Statistics Canada requires this information to create and publish statistics on the current production by the Canadian financial industries that fall under the quarterly GDP program. In addition, the data will help build more accurate quarterly estimates of national balance sheet levels, flows, and other changes in the values of these instruments. These statistics will help improve the accuracy of current measures of economic activity and the holdings and activity related to financial instruments across numerous sectors of the economy. This information will be used by policy makers, researchers to more accurately assess risk associated with financial instrument concentrations across sectors of the economy. The results for Canadians are more accurate financial statistics that allow them to understand how the financial system is interlinked and how shocks can impact their wealth.

Statistics Canada may also use the information for other statistical and research purposes.

Why were these organizations selected as data providers?

CIRO is the self regulatory body for the Canadian investment industry and the Debt Information Processor. In their capacity as a regulatory body, they are in the unique position to collect key information regarding investment industry activity as well as transactions in financial instruments. They are the authoritative source for this information.

When will this information be requested?

July 2024

When was this request published?

July 30, 2024

Regulatory data on derivative transactions, crypto assets and funds

What information is being requested?

Aggregated information on financial derivative transactions (i.e. date transacted, economic sector, type of derivative, and market value), crypto assets (i.e. crypto assets holdings via regulated exchanges, number of trades, and holder type such as individual or business) at the sector and industry levels and investment funds (i.e. fund type, net assets, fees, expenses & taxes, gross sales, ownership type, etc.)

What personal information is included in this request?

This request does not contain any personal information.

What years of data will be requested?

All current data holdings, historical (as available), and on an ongoing basis.

From whom will the information be requested?

Ontario Securities Commission

Why is this information being requested?

Statistics Canada requires this information to create and publish statistics on financial derivatives, crypto assets and investment funds. These statistics will provide insight on the overall significance of these respective financial markets in Canada and on the sectors of the economy that are most involved in these markets. This information can be used by policy makers, researchers, industry stakeholders to stay informed regarding the relative size of these financial instruments and sectors over time and to assess the potential risks that these instruments and sectors have on the broader economy.

Statistics Canada may also use the information for other statistical and research purposes.

Why were these organizations selected as data providers?

The Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) regulates the trading of financial securities in the province of Ontario. They collect extensive regulatory data from financial entities of statistical significance. Collecting OSC data avoids the surveying of entities that already submit regulatory information, reducing response burden.

When will this information be requested?

Financial derivatives and crypto assess data were requested in September 2022 and onward (monthly), investment fund data will be requested at the same frequency beginning in March 2024 and onward.

What Statistics Canada programs will primarily use these data?

When was this request published?

April 15, 2024

Summary of Changes

March 2024 - Inclusion of funds data to the request for information.

Data on the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA)
Data on the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance program (CECRA)

What information is being requested?

Information on loan applicants (i.e., legal names, province/territory, and business number), other characteristics such as the loan application date and status, and the value and terms of the loans provided is being requested.

What personal information is included in this request?

This request covers business information; however, some information pertaining to businesses may be considered personal depending on the nature of the business.

What years of data will be requested?

Monthly data beginning in 2020 (ongoing).

From whom will the information be requested?

This information is being requested from Export Development Canada (EDC).

This information is being requested from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

Why is this information being requested?

Statistics Canada is requesting this information to ensure the impact of these programs on businesses are being correctly captured in the macroeconomic accounts (i.e., gross domestic product and business debt) including the treatment and classification of these concessional and other loans. Moreover, this data will provide sophisticated tools and analytical products that will help inform policymakers for targeted interventions in the pandemic recovery phase.

Statistics Canada may also use the information for other statistical and research purposes.

Why were these organizations selected as data providers?

EDC is responsible for administrating the CEBA program and collects and maintains up-to-date data on applicants to this lending program.

CMHC is responsible for administrating the CECRA program and collects and maintains up-to-date data on applicants to this lending program.

When will this information be requested?

January 2021 and onward (monthly).

When was this request published?

November 5, 2020

Summary of the Evaluation of the Census of Agriculture and Innovation in the Agriculture Statistics Program

The Agriculture Statistics Program (ASP) is comprised of an integrated set of components including crop and livestock surveys, farm economic statistics, agri-environmental statistics, tax and other administrative data, research and analysis, remote sensing and the Census of Agriculture (CEAG). The statistical information produced by the CEAG is unique in its ability to provide a comprehensive snapshot of the industry and its people, as well as small area data, both of which are instrumental not only to the agricultural industry, but also for meeting the data requirements of environmental programs, health programs, trade and crisis management. ASP statistical information is used by a wide range of organizations, including different levels of government, not-for-profit and private organizations, academic institutions, and individual Canadians.

This evaluation was conducted by Statistics Canada in accordance with the Treasury Board Secretariat's Policy on Results (2016) and Statistics Canada's Risk-Based Audit and Evaluation Plan (2019/2020 to 2023/2024). The main objective of the evaluation was to provide a neutral, evidence-based assessment of the 2016 CEAG dissemination strategy, and of the design and delivery of the CEAG migration to the Integrated Business Statistics Program (IBSP). The evaluation also assessed projects in the broader ASP, with a focus on projects supporting Statistics Canada's modernization initiative.

The evaluation found that a majority of interviewees were satisfied with the dissemination of the 2016 CEAG and noted it was an improvement over 2011. Data tables were identified as the most used product. In terms of timeliness, interviewees were satisfied with the release of the first set of tables (farm operator data - one year after Census Day); however, the timeframe for releasing the remaining two sets of data tables affected their usefulness (2.5 years after Census Day for the last data table release with socioeconomic data). Gaps were also identified in cross-analysis with non-agricultural sectors and in emerging sectors, and in guidance for web tools.

The CEAG migration to the IBSP was proceeding as planned at the time of the evaluation. Efforts to resolve issues, such as those related to compatibilities between the Collection Management Portal (CMP) and the IBSP, and the availability of tools and capacity to support data quality assessments, were continuing. The start of the production phase will bring additional risks as new resources become involved and time pressures increase.

All ASP projects reviewed were aligned with the modernization pillars and expected results. Most of the projects focussed on increasing the use of data from alternative sources and integrating data. The evaluation found that while governance structures existed and regular monitoring was taking place, project management practices could be strengthened.

The evaluation proposed six recommendations:

Recommendation 1

For the 2021 CEAG, the Agriculture Division explore ways to improve the timeliness of the last two sets of data tables (historical data, and socio-economic data) and increase cross-analysis with non-agricultural sectors.

Recommendation 2

Web tools include guidance on how to use them and how to interpret data from them. A proactive approach to launching new tools should be taken. Webinars were identified as an effective channel and the use of other channels would allow for even a wider coverage.

Recommendation 3

Unresolved issues for the migration to the IBSP, including incompatibilities between the IBSP and the CMP as well as the IBSP processing capacity, are addressed prior to the production phase.

Recommendation 4

Significant risks during the production phase, particularly with regard to data quality assessments and the exercising of roles and responsibilities, are monitored and mitigated.

Recommendation 5

Planning processes for future projects falling outside the scope of the Departmental Project Management Framework include an initial assessment that takes into account elements such as risk, materiality, public visibility and interdependencies. The assessment should then be used to determine the appropriate level of oversight and project management.

Recommendation 6

Processes and tools for documenting and sharing of best practices are implemented and lessons learned from other organizations (internal and external) are leveraged.

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. In Canada, providing statistics is a federal responsibility. As Canada's central statistical office, Statistics Canada is legislated to serve this function for the whole of Canada and each of the provinces and territories. The agency also conducts a census of the 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 national governments.

Canadian Economic News, October 2020 edition

This module provides a concise summary of selected Canadian economic events, as well as international and financial market developments by calendar month. It is intended to provide contextual information only to support users of the economic data published by Statistics Canada. In identifying major events or developments, Statistics Canada is not suggesting that these have a material impact on the published economic data in a particular reference month.

All information presented here is obtained from publicly available news and information sources, and does not reflect any protected information provided to Statistics Canada by survey respondents.

COVID-19 timeline

  • The Government of Nunavut announced on October 1st that it had extended the territory's public health emergency until October 15th. On October 15th, the Government extended the public health emergency until October 29th.
  • The Government of New Brunswick announced on October 2nd that the state of emergency mandatory order was renewed under the authority of the Emergency Measures Act. On October 16th, the Government announced that the state of emergency was extended. On October 30th, the Government further extended the state of emergency.
  • The Government of Nova Scotia announced on October 2nd that it was renewing the state of emergency effective October 4th to October 18th. On October 16th, the Government announced it was renewing the state of emergency until November 1st.
  • The Government of Manitoba announced on October 9th that it would extend the province-wide state of emergency for a period of 30 days.
  • The Government of Ontario announced on October 9th that it was introducing additional targeted public health measures in the Ottawa, Peel, and Toronto public health unit regions. The Government said these modified Stage 2 restrictions would be for a minimum of 28 days. On October 17th, the Government of Ontario announced it was adding York Region to those areas with higher community spread of COVID-19.
  • The Government of British Columbia announced on October 13th that it had formally extended the provincial state of emergency until October 27th. On October 27th, the Government extended the state of emergency until November 10, 2020.
  • The Government of Northwest Territories announced on October 14th that it had extended the territory-wide Public Health Emergency through October 27. On October 28th, the Government extended the Public Health Emergency until November 10, 2020.
  • The Government of Canada announced on October 19th that it was extending non-essential travel restrictions with the United States until November 21, 2020.
  • The Government of Ontario announced on October 20th it was extending most orders currently in force under the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020 until November 21, 2020.

Selected COVID-19 responses

  • The Government of Canada on October 1st announced $10 billion in new infrastructure initiatives over three years, including (i) $2.5 billion for clean power; (ii) $2 billion to connect approximately 750,000 homes and small businesses to broadband; (iii) $2 billion to invest in large-scale building retrofits; (iv) $1.5 billion for agriculture irrigation projects; and (v) $1.5 billion to accelerate the adoption of zero-emission buses and charging infrastructure. The Government said the Canada Infrastructure Bank's Growth Plan is expected to create approximately 60,000 jobs across the country.
  • The Government of Quebec announced on October 1st l'Aide aux entreprises en régions en alerte maximale (AERAM) which will allow businesses targeted by closure orders and that will suffer loss of income to obtain non-refundable assistance to pay their fixed costs. The Government said that previous orders, le Programme d'action concertée temporaire pour les entreprises (PACTE) and le programme Aide d'urgence pour les petites et moyennes entreprises (PAUPME), set up at the start of the pandemic, will continue to apply.
  • The Government of Canada announced on October 2nd that it will provide an additional $600 million to support workers and businesses through the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF). The Government said this additional investment brings the total RRRF to over $1.5 billion.
  • The Government of Canada announced on October 9th its intention to introduce new supports to help hard-hit businesses and other organizations experiencing a drop in revenue, including (i) the new Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy, which would provide rent and mortgage support until June 2021 for qualifying organizations affected by COVID-19; (ii) a top-up Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy of 25% for organizations temporarily shut down by a mandatory public health order, in addition to the 65% subsidy; (iii) the extension of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy until June 2021; and (iv) an expanded Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA), which would enable businesses, and not-for-profits eligible for CEBA loans, to access an interest-free loan of up to $20,000, in addition to the original CEBA loan of $40,000.
  • The Bank of Canada announced on October 15th that it will discontinue the Bankers' Acceptance Purchase Facility (BAPF) and the Canada Mortgage Bond Purchase Program (CMBP) and reduce the frequency of its Term Repo operations from weekly to bi-weekly. The Bank said that usage in several of its programs that support the functioning of key financial markets has declined significantly as overall financial market conditions continue to improve.

Resources

  • Cenovus Energy Inc. and Husky Energy Inc., both of Calgary, announced they had entered into a definitive arrangement agreement under which Cenovus and Husky will combine in an all-stock transaction valued at $23.6 billion, inclusive of debt. The companies said that the combined company will operate as Cenovus Energy Inc. and will remain headquartered in Calgary. Cenovus and Husky also said that the combined transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2021, subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals, as well as the approval of the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta.
  • Calgary-based Suncor Energy Inc. announced it had made the decision to accelerate structural reductions to its workforce over the next 18 months by approximately 10% to 15%. Suncor also said that the operator of the West White Rose Project had announced the cancellation of the 2021 construction season and is moving the project into safekeeping mode.
  • The Government of Canada announced on October 20th that it had approved the NOVA Gas Transmission Ltd. (NGTL) 2021 System Expansion Project with 35 binding conditions related to safety, environmental and wildlife protection, Indigenous engagement, and protection or Indigenous rights and interest. The Government said the $2.3 billion project will create up to 2,920 jobs.
  • The Government of Alberta announced it will stop setting monthly oil production limits as of December 2020, but that it will extend its regulatory authority to curtail oil production through December 2021.

Manufacturing

  • Windsor-based FCA Canada Inc. announced that its workforce had ratified a new three-year agreement that includes up to $1.58 billion in total investments and creates 2,000 new jobs.

Retail

  • Montreal-based Le Château Inc. announced it had filed an application pursuant to the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act seeking protection of the court in order to proceed with the orderly liquidation of its assets and wind down of its operations. The company said it will remain fully operational throughout the process.
  • Sweden-based H&M Group announced that a net decrease of around 250 stores is planned for 2021.
  • Mississauga-based Walmart Canada announced it was seeking to immediately hire 10,000 new associates.

Transportation

  • Calgary-based WestJet Airlines Ltd. announced it will be indefinitely suspending operations to Moncton, Fredericton, Sydney and Charlottetown while significantly reducing service to Halifax and St. John's. WestJet said the suspension eliminates more than 100 flights weekly or almost 80% of seat capacity from the Atlantic region starting November 2nd.
  • Toronto-based Porter Airlines Inc. announced it was extending its temporary service suspension to December 15th, based on continuing travel restrictions associated with COVID-19.

Other news

  • The Bank of Canada announced it was maintaining its target for the overnight rate at the effective lower bound of 0.25%. The target for the overnight rate was reduced by 150 basis points in March 2020. The Bank also said it was recalibrating the quantitative easing (QE) program to shift purchases towards longer-term bonds and that, at the same time, total purchases will be gradually reduced to at least $4 billion a week.
  • Newfoundland and Labrador's minimum wage increased from $11.65 per hour to $12.15 per hour on October 1st.
  • Saskatchewan's minimum wage increased from $11.32 per hour to $11.45 per hour on October 1st.
  • The Government of Prince Edward Island provided its fall economic and fiscal update on September 30th. The Government forecasts a $178.1 million deficit for 2020-2021 and a contraction in real GDP of 3.9% in 2020.
  • On October 21st, the Council of the European Union removed a number of countries, including Canada, from its list of countries where temporary restrictions had been lifted for non-essential travel.
  • U.S. President Donald Trump announced on October 27th that he had determined that imports of aluminum from Canada would no longer threaten to impair the national security and that he had decided to reinstate Canada's exclusion from the tariff on these articles.
  • Bermuda-based Brookfield Business Partners L.P. announced it had entered into an arrangement agreement to acquire all of the outstanding common shares not already owned by Brookfield of Genworth MI Canada Inc. of Oakville, Ontario, for an aggregate consideration of approximately USD $1.2 billion. Brookfield said the transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2021, subject to shareholder, court, and federal Minister of Finance approval, and other customary closing conditions.

United States and other international news

  • The European Central Bank (ECB) announced that (i) the interest rate on the main refinancing operations and the interest rates on the marginal lending facility and the deposit facility will remain unchanged at 0.00%, 0.25% and -0.50% respectively; (ii) net purchases under the asset purchase programme (APP) will continue at a monthly pace of €20 billion, together with the purchases under the additional €120 billion temporary envelope until the end of the year; and (iii) the Governing Council will continue its purchases under the pandemic emergency purchase programme (PEPP) with a total envelope of €1.35 trillion until at least the end of June 2021.
  • The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) maintained the targets for the cash rate and the yield on 3-year Australian Government bonds at 0.25%. The last change in the target for the cash rate was a 50 basis points reduction in March 2020. The RBA also maintained the parameters of the expanded Term Funding Facility.
  • The Bank of Japan (BoJ) announced it will apply a negative interest rate of -0.1% to the Policy-Rate Balances in current accounts held by financial institutions at the BoJ and that it will purchase a necessary amount of Japanese government bonds (JGBs) without setting an upper limit so that 10-year JGB yields will remain at around zero percent.
  • On October 7th, U.S. President Donald Trump declared than an emergency exists in the States of Louisiana and Mississippi and ordered Federal assistance to supplement State, tribal, and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from Hurricane Delta beginning on October 6, 2020, and continuing.
  • ConocoPhillips Company and Concho Resources Inc., both of Texas, announced they had entered into a definitive agreement to combine companies in an all-stock transaction valued at USD $9.7 billion. The companies said the transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2021, subject to shareholder approval, regulatory clearance, and other customary closing conditions.
  • Pioneer Natural Resources Company and Parsley Energy, Inc., both of Texas, announced they had entered into a definitive agreement under which Pioneer will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Parsley in an all-stock transaction valued at USD $4.5 billion. The companies said the transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2021, subject to customary closing conditions and shareholder and regulatory approvals.
  • Devon Energy Corporation and WPX Energy, Inc., both of Oklahoma, announced they had entered into an agreement to combine in an all-stock merger of equals transaction, which results in an enterprise value for the combined entity of approximately USD $12 billion. The companies said the transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2021, subject to customary closing conditions, including Devon and WPX shareholder approval.
  • Texas-based Exxon Mobil Corporation announced that as part of a global review, the company plans to reduce staffing levels by approximately 1,900 in the United States, primarily at its management offices in Houston, Texas. Separately, Exxon said it anticipated that up to 1,600 positions would be impacted by the end of 2021 across the company's affiliates in Europe.
  • Texas-based American Airlines Group Inc. announced it had decided to reduce headcount absent an extension of the CARES Act Payroll Support program and that, in total, more than 20,000 team members had opted for an early out or long-term leave. The company also said that 19,000 team members were furloughed beginning October 1st.
  • Atlanta, Georgia-based Delta Air Lines, Inc. confirmed the company had offered voluntary separation and early retirement programs to employees during the September quarter and that approximately 18,000 employees participated in the programs, with most leaving the company August 1st.

Financial market news

  • West Texas Intermediate crude oil closed at USD $35.79 per barrel on October 30th, down from a closing value of USD $40.22 at the end of September. Western Canadian Select crude oil traded in the USD $26 to $33 per barrel range throughout October. The Canadian dollar closed at 75.09 cents U.S. on October 30th, up from 74.97 cents U.S. at the end of September. The S&P/TSX composite index closed at 15,580.64 on October 30th, down from 16,121.38 at the end of September.

Supplementary information tables

Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy

This supplementary information table supports the commitment in the Federal Sustainable Development Act (FSDA) to make environmental decision-making more transparent and accountable to Parliament. It also contributes to an integrated, whole-of-government view of activities supporting environmental sustainability.

The departmental information in this supplementary information must take into account information previously prepared in accordance with the following guidance documents:

These documents provided text and tables to help departments describe their actions and performance measures, and show how their actions support the achievement of the goals and targets of the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS).

1. Introduction to the Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy

The 2016–2019 Federal Sustainable Development Strategy presents the Government of Canada's sustainable development goals and targets, as required by the Federal Sustainable Development Act. Statistics Canada adheres to the principles of the FSDS and, although the agency is not bound formally by the act, supports reporting on the implementation of the Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy.

2. Sustainable development in Statistics Canada

Statistics Canada's Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy for 2017 to 2020 describes the agency's actions in support of achieving low carbon government. This supplementary information table presents available results for the departmental actions pertinent to these goals. Previous years' supplementary information tables are posted on Statistics Canada's website.

Statistics Canada also contributes data to help monitor and track several FSDS themes.

  • Clean growth: Statistics Canada releases survey and macroeconomic data on Canada's clean technology sector.
  • Sustainably managed lands and forests: Statistics Canada provides data on changes in land cover and land use for all of Canada's census metropolitan areas and is expanding these statistics to cover other communities.
  • Modern and resilient infrastructure: Statistics Canada is collaborating with Infrastructure Canada to deliver Canada's Core Public Infrastructure Survey.
  • Safe and healthy communities: Statistics Canada provides data on household awareness of radon. This work is done in conjunction with Health Canada.

3. Departmental performance by FSDS goal

The following tables provide performance information on departmental action in support of the FSDS goals listed in section 2.

Context: Low-carbon government

As per Statistics Canada's mandate and objectives, the only FSDS contributing action is to "support the transition to a low-carbon economy through green procurement." Procurement activities continue to be modernized, including the reduction of manual processes with the use of electronic submissions and acceptance. Environmental considerations are incorporated into all public procurement (e.g., purchasing copy paper that contains a minimum of 30% recycled content, which is a recognized environmental standard). In addition, procurement specialists use existing procurement instruments—available through Public Services and Procurement Canada—that include environmental considerations.

Low-carbon government: The Government of Canada leads by example by making its operations low-carbon
FSDS target(s) FSDS contributing action(s) Corresponding departmental action(s) Starting point(s)
Performance indicator(s)
Target(s)
Results achieved Contribution by each departmental result to the FSDS goal and target
Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from federal government buildings and fleets to 40% below 2005 levels by 2030, with a goal to achieve this by 2025 Improve the energy efficiency of our buildings/operationsTablenote 1 No substantial departmental actions in 2019–20 Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable
Modernize our fleetTablenote 1 No substantial departmental actions in 2019–20 Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable
Support the transition to a low-carbon economy through green procurement
  • Integrate environmental considerations into procurement management processes and controls.
  • Ensure that decision-makers have the necessary training and awareness to support green procurement.
  • Ensure that key officials include contributions to, and support for, the Government of Canada Policy on Green Procurement objectives in their performance evaluations.
  • Ensure that the paper purchased by Statistics Canada is made from recycled material.
  • To reduce waste and minimize the environmental impact of assets throughout their lifecycle, Statistics Canada will continue to include environmental considerations in public procurement in accordance with the Policy on Green Procurement.
  • Specialists in procurement and materiel management are trained in green procurement.
  • The performance evaluations of managers and functional heads of procurement and materiel management include contributions to and support for green procurement in the given fiscal year.
  • Copy paper purchased by Statistics Canada contains a minimum of 30% recycled content and has a forest certification logo (EcoLogo or equivalent certification).
  • Statistics Canada incorporates environmental considerations into all public procurement by releasing all solicitations electronically, accepting electronic bid submissions, printing all contracts double-sided, using folders that are reused or recycled, and using existing procurement instruments available through Public Services and Procurement Canada that include environmental considerations.
  • 100% of specialists in procurement and materiel management have completed the Canada School of Public Service Green Procurement course (C215) or equivalent.
  • 100% of performance evaluations for managers and functional heads of procurement and materiel management are aligned to support the objectives of the Government of Canada Policy on Green Procurement.
  • 100% of copy paper purchased contains a minimum of 30% recycled content and is certified to a recognized environmental standard to reduce the environmental impact of its production.
FSDS: Green procurement incorporates environmental criteria into purchasing decisions. Procurement agents who are trained to apply such criteria can award contracts to suppliers with a reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint. This is expected to motivate suppliers to reduce GHG emissions associated with their goods, services and supply chains.
UN SDG:
SDG 12Target 12.7
Demonstrate innovative technologiesTablenote 1 No substantial departmental actions in 2019–20 Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable
Promote sustainable travel practicesTablenote 1 No substantial departmental actions in 2019–20 Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable
Understand climate change impacts and build resilienceTablenote 1 No substantial departmental actions in 2019–20 Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable
Improve transparency and accountabilityTablenote 2 Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable
Develop policy for low-carbon governmentTablenote 2 Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable
Tablenote 1

This contributing action does not apply to small and micro departments. These departments should insert "Not applicable" in columns three to six.

Return to tablenote 1 referrer

Footnote 2

This contributing action applies only to the Centre for Greening Government at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. All other departments should insert "Not applicable" in columns three to six.

Return to first tablenote 2 referrer

4. Report on integrating sustainable development

During the 2019–20 reporting cycle, Statistics Canada had no proposals that required a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) and no public statements were produced.

Gender-based analysis plus (GBA+)

Institutional GBA+ capacity

In 2019–20, the agency created and approved two action plans to improve diversity and inclusion within the workplace: the 2019–20 Employment Equity and Diversity Action Plan and the Integrity and Respect Action Plan. These action plans were published for all employees to read, and they set out the organizational commitments and accountabilities.

Statistics Canada conducted multiple activities and awareness campaigns to advance the visibility and effectiveness of available resources to all Statistics Canada employees. Regular training opportunities and discussion forums were made available to all staff to broaden perspectives and create a more inclusive environment. In addition, the Integrity and Respect network developed tools and implemented various initiatives in 2019–20, such as

  • the Integrity and Respect hotline
  • access to appointed Integrity and Respect Awareness Officers
  • promotion of the Employee Assistance Program
  • promotion of Informal Conflict Management Services.

Statistics Canada has one full-time equivalent (FTE) dedicated to GBA+ implementation in the agency who acts as the GBA+ focal point, reviews Treasury Board submissions and supports the promotion of GBA+ within the agency. This FTE also includes human resource support who aid in developing and enforcing the accountability mechanism as part of the departmental decision-making process to ensure that a GBA+ assessment is performed.

Highlights of GBA+ results by program

Economic and Environmental Statistics

Advancing gender equality

The Economic Statistics Field continued to pursue partnerships and collaborative opportunities to respond to user needs. A noteworthy example is the Corporations Returns Act, which was used to construct a gender database for corporate Canada. The act released data on the representation of women on Canadian corporate boards and in leadership positions for the reference years of 2016 and 2017. This information corroborates other studies that have indicated that women remain underrepresented in senior corporate roles. A more inclusive vision of leadership is needed to attain gender equality in the Canadian corporate landscape. Published data contribute to furthering the understanding of the gender composition of foreign-controlled and privately held corporations in Canada. The data also provided insight on the gender of directors of Canadian companies and disclosure for federally incorporated corporations on diversity. This GBA+ project contributed to the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), and contributed to research and policy initiatives on achieving gender equality. Infographics highlighting the status of women in corporate Canada were released by industry sectors and by country of control. The country of control dimension assessed the representation of women on corporate boards and compared the information with the parent company practices and gender representation of their own country.

This project aligns with two of Canada's Gender Results Framework indicators:

  1. gender equality in leadership roles at all levels of decision-making
  2. equal and full participation in the economy.

Socio-economic Statistics

Canadian Coroner and Medical Examiner Database

Statistics Canada continues to develop the National Drug Observatory (NDO), which will serve as an opportunity to establish partnership and pilot technology with both Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada. The NDO aims to compile aggregate information and develop data to close the gap on GBA+ indicators. Data collected will provide more insight and measurement capacity for GBA+ initiatives.

Centre for Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Statistics

Budget 2018 committed $6.7 million over five years (starting in 2018–19, and $0.6 million per year), for Statistics Canada to create a new Centre for Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Statistics (CGDIS). The goal of the CGDIS is to support evidence-based policy and program development by monitoring and reporting on gender, diversity and inclusion. The CGDIS's strategy is to focus on three key objectives: reporting to Canadians, generating new information and building statistical capacity. In 2019–20, the CGDIS released 16 tables on gender, diversity and inclusion statistics, and published numerous articles and infographics on women and gender, socio-economic factors, the LBGTQ2 population, and Indigenous populations. The CGDIS aims to close the data gap on GBA+ and to collect data to assess the impacts on gender and diversity within the Canadian population.


Census

The 2021 Census: New content to count everyone in

To collect appropriate and useable data for GBA+ initiatives, a high-quality analysis of the 2019 Census Test results was conducted in 2019–20. To make sound recommendations, a test analysis was completed to introduce new content on gender for the 2021 Census.


Cost-recovered Statistical Services

Survey to measure household Internet access and use, and online behaviours of businesses

To see how digital issues are impacting Canadians, Statistics Canada conducted the Canadian Internet Use Survey to measure household Internet access and use, and the online behaviours of businesses. Survey results were made available to the public on October 29, 2019, with 14 data tables on individual Internet use, including intensity of use, demand for certain online activities and online interactions. Information can be disaggregated by gender, age group, education and geographic location, thereby providing a basis for GBA+.

Women in the Economy workshop

Statistics Canada held a workshop, Women in the Economy, in collaboration with the Department for Women and Gender Equality. The workshop brought together government stakeholders, academics and data users from across disciplines to understand emerging evidence on the gender pay gap, the path to entrepreneurship for women and the characteristics of their businesses, and the socio-economic characteristics of women accessing leadership positions. The objective of the workshop was to identify knowledge gaps and data strategies to fill those gaps, and to create future partnerships.

This project aligns with two of Canada's Gender Results Framework indicators:

  1. gender equality in leadership roles at all levels of decision-making
  2. equal and full participation in the economy.
Firearms and gender-based violence

In 2019–20, Statistics Canada provided timely data in support of government decision-making related to firearms, and worked to address key firearms-related data gaps.

As part of the federal government's Strategy on Gender-Based Violence, the Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces was conducted and released this year. It allowed Canadians to self-report their gender more accurately. This initiative continues to close the data gap and collect information that can be disaggregated and used to impact future programming.


Internal Services

Diversity and inclusion

Statistics Canada conducted awareness campaigns to increase the visibility and effectiveness of resources available to all Statistics Canada employees.

The Integrity and Respect network developed tools and implemented various initiatives within the organization, such as the Integrity and Respect hotline, access to appointed Integrity and Respect Awareness Officers, and promotion of the Employee Assistance Program and Informal Conflict Management Services.

The agency promoted many training opportunities and discussion forums to help employees broaden their perspectives and create a more inclusive environment. For example, in February 2020, to celebrate Black History Month, the Visible Minority Consultative Group organized the "United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent within the Public Sector" event to honour the contributions of past and present Black public servants. The event also hosted a discussion panel on the current state of affairs for Black employees in the public sector.

Response to parliamentary committees and external audits

Response to parliamentary committees

There were no parliamentary committee reports requiring a response.

Response to audits conducted by the Office of the Auditor General of Canada (including audits conducted by the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development

There were no audits in 2019–20 that required a response.

Response to audits conducted by the Public Service Commission of Canada or the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages

There were no audits in 2019–20 that required a response.

Top 5 tips for collecting blood with a finger prick in kids

  1. Acknowledge your child's fears. Understand that finger pricks may be scary to children and that kids may experience real discomfort. Refrain from telling your child that their claims of discomfort from finger pricks are wrong. Responses such as "You didn't feel that" or "It won't hurt a bit" can be confusing and frustrating if the child truly did experience pain.
  2. Reduce anxiety-provoking factors and try to remain as relaxed as possible. Children are greatly influenced by parental anxiety. Talk softly and slowly. Try not to escalate the tone or speed of your speech if your child begins to cry or resist. Do not put much emphasis on the lancet to reduce the child's fear and apprehension of the device.
  3. Use controlled breathing. Everyone involved in the finger prick may want to practice controlled breathing. Instruct your child to take a deep, slow breath, hold for three seconds, and exhale slowly. Do this two to three times together. Time depressing the button on the lancet with the last breath, and have your child blow out, as if he were blowing away the pinch.
  4. Use distraction. Distraction is the most practical and effective tool to minimize pain and distress for children. Some effective distraction activities include blowing bubbles, squeezing on a soft ball, searching for specific items in a colorful photo or in the room, watching a video on a tablet or device, doing simple math equations out loud, counting, or saying the alphabet.
  5. Press the lancet device firmly on the finger. It is common to instinctually pull back slightly when depressing the button on the lancet. This will cause the needle to not go deep enough into the skin and will greatly increase the likelihood of having to repeat the procedure on another finger because you will not have enough blood to fill up a circle on the card. Press the device firmly onto the child's finger and keep that pressure while depressing the button on the lancet to ensure the needle goes deep enough to pierce the skin properly.

Brochure - Canadian COVID-19 Antibody and Health Survey (CCAHS) – Cycle 2

PDF Version - English (PDF, 737.52 KB)

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our lives in many ways. In an attempt to better understand how COVID-19 has affected the health of Canadians, Statistics Canada, in partnership with Health Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada and the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force, has created the Canadian COVID-19 Antibody and Health Survey (CCAHS). While this is a voluntary survey, your participation is important as your contribution will play an important part in understanding past infections by measuring the prevalence of COVID-19 antibodies amongst Canadians, including those who have never had symptoms.

What does participating in the CCAHS involve?

This unique survey will collect information in two parts.

  1. The first part is an electronic questionnaire about general health, chronic conditions and symptoms, access to care and exposure to COVID-19. The questionnaire must be completed prior to moving on to the second part as it is necessary to collect your personal information so we can send the results to you, and to obtain your written consent to complete the second part.
  2. The second part is an at-home finger-prick blood test which you will administer to yourself as soon as possible after completing the electronic questionnaire. You will then return the dried blood spot sample using the enclosed prepaid package. The lab will analyze the sample to determine the presence of COVID-19 antibodies.

How were you selected to participate in this survey?

You have been randomly selected to participate, which ensures that the data collected will be representative of the Canadian population.

Even if you do not think you have been exposed to COVID-19, your information will provide valuable answers about the virus. You will also receive a copy of your lab report, providing you with valuable information about your own health.

Why do I need to provide consent?

While completing the electronic questionnaire, you will be asked for consent to:

  • provide the dried blood spot sample
  • receive your test results
  • store your sample in a biobank
  • share certain data with provincial and territorial ministries of health, Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada and potentially McGill University.

By consenting, you confirm that:

  • you understand that even though you have agreed to some or all of the items above, you can still withdraw from any part of this survey or subsequent studies at any time
  • you understand what is involved in taking part in the survey.

Consent to storage of your samples

With your consent, the surplus dried blood spots samples (leftover blood samples after antibody testing is performed) will be stored anonymously at the Statistics Canada biobank located at the Public Health Agency of Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg. This is a high security facility that meets international security standards for this type of laboratory. The samples will be used for future health research projects. Only researchers who submit projects that meet the strict conditions imposed by Statistics Canada, in particular those relating to confidentiality, will have access to these samples.

Can I choose not to participate in the survey?

Your participation is voluntary. You can choose to end your participation in this survey (called withdrawal) at any time without having to provide a reason. If you choose to withdraw from the survey you can call us at 1-800-263-1136 (TTY: 1-800-363-7629) or email STATCAN.infostats-infostats.STATCAN@statcan.gc.ca. We will ensure that your samples are destroyed and your data deleted. If tests have already been done on your samples or your sample has already been sent to another laboratory for testing or related research, it will not be possible to withdraw those results. However, no further testing will be done.

What are the risks of participating in this survey?

You may experience very mild discomfort from the sting of the needle when taking a blood sample from a finger prick. Rest assured that we have chosen this measure and technique because it is safe. The risk of infection by COVID-19 from blood is considered extremely low. Medical research has shown that the virus is rarely found in the blood even when someone is sick. Furthermore, the small amount of blood that is being collected further minimizes any risk of infection. However you should still be cautious when handling blood because of the possible presence of other infectious agents.

What are the benefits of participating in this survey?

Your participation will help in further understanding the impact of COVID-19. The results will help indicate how many people have been infected with COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2), including those who may not have had related symptoms. Also, you will receive your test results once they are available.

Will my data be linked and shared?

When filling in the electronic questionnaire, we will inform you about the possibility of linking the information you provide to the CCAHS with other surveys or administrative data sources. Data linkage combines information on survey participants from at least two different sources. This is done only for statistical and research purposes. Linking data helps governments monitor, evaluate and modify policies in health care. If you agree to data linkage, we will:

  • Ask you for your health card number to help with the linkage process.
  • Combine the information we collect during this survey with some of the information that your provincial health department, health registries or other recognized health organizations already have on file about you.
  • Remove personal identifiers such as your name, address and health card number from the linked file as soon as the linkage is complete.
  • Destroy all linkage files at the end of the project.

Only Statistics Canada employees will perform data linkage. All linked data will remain confidential under the Statistics Act. We will not provide any information about you to the ministry of health in your province, territory or to any other organization. For more information on data linkage, visit Microdata Linkage at Statistics Canada

You will also be asked if you consent to sharing the information you provide with Health Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and provincial and territorial ministries of health (including l'Institut de la statistique du Québec for Quebec residents). Sharing data allows researchers to fully utilize the information we collect to improve health policies and, in turn, the health of Canadians. If you consent, your data will be shared under the following conditions:

  • Your name, address, telephone number and health card number could be shared.
  • The Institut de la statistique du Québec and provincial and territorial ministries of health may make this data available to local health authorities. Local health authorities will not receive any personal identifiers, only your postal code.
  • Your information will not be shared with any other party without your consent.
  • Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada, and the ministries of health will use this information only for statistical and research purposes.

To avoid duplication of surveys, Statistics Canada might sign agreements to share the data from this survey with McGill University. McGill is the legal entity representing the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force (CITF). The CITF is a group of scientists and experts who use data to support decision-makers in their efforts to protect Canadians and minimize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With your consent, your survey responses and postal code will be shared with McGill and the CITF. Names, addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses and health card numbers will not be shared.

How will my data be kept private and confidential?

The data and samples are collected under the authority of the Statistics Act, which guarantees that all your personal information remains confidential and secure. Your data are also protected under the Privacy Act of Canada.

Statistics Canada will never:

  • store or test your samples if you did not provide consent
  • provide information about your samples to any law enforcement agency
  • share your personal information or your test results with insurance companies or employers
  • allow any of your information or data to be used in partnership suits or any other legal proceedings.

How do I do the dried blood spot (DBS) test?

This guide will demonstrate how to administer the dried blood spot (DBS) test. Please read the entire guide carefully prior to beginning the test. An instructional video can be found at Canadian COVID-19 Antibody and Health Survey (CCAHS). If you have any questions, please call us at 1-888-253-1087 or email statcan.ccahs-ecsac.statcan@statcan.gc.ca.

Statistics Canada takes all necessary precautions to ensure that the collection of health information and samples is safe for participants.

It is very important to note that you should not do the DBS test if you have a clotting condition such as hemophilia or Von Willebrand disease, if you have had chemotherapy within the last 4 weeks, or if you have undergone a bilateral mastectomy. If you have had a mastectomy only on one side, you may perform the finger prick on the opposite hand. In addition, you should not complete the DBS test if you have experienced fainting or vomiting due to a finger prick or the sight of blood.

If at any point you feel that your health or safety is at risk due to this test, please stop the test immediately. It is recommended that you administer the test with someone nearby in case you begin to feel unwell. Furthermore, if you are feeling stressed because of the survey or the COVID-19 pandemic in general, please visit Canadian COVID-19 Antibody and Health Survey and click on the Mental and Physical Health link under Participants for a list of tips and resources to help with your mental and physical health during these stressful times.

Before you begin, please make sure you have all the necessary items in your testing kit:

  • 2 Single-use rounded T-shaped lancets
  • 1 DBS card
  • 2 Alcohol swabs
  • 2 Gauze pads
  • 2 Bandages
  • 1 pair of gloves
  • 1 Dehumidifying pack
  • 1 Humidity indicator card
  • 1 Small brown envelope
  • 1 Large resealable plastic bag
  • 1 Small striped plastic bag
  • 1 Prepaid postage envelope

Step 1: Getting ready

  1. If possible, it is best to have another person present while you perform the DBS test. This is so that they can assist you in the event that you experience any adverse effects. They may also be able to help you with some steps of the process if required. Please note: if someone is assisting you or if you are assisting someone else with their DBS test, gloves should be worn to ensure that there will be no contact with another person's blood.
  2. Write the date in the space indicated on the small brown envelope. Do not write your name or any other information that could identify you. Do not write on the DBS card.
  3. Prepare all the materials before starting the collection, as shown in the picture below. We suggest covering the surface of the table with paper towels to absorb any excess drops of blood.
  4. Fold back the flap of your DBS card to uncover the testing area with the 5 circles. Make sure not to touch this area. Your card should look like the card on the photo below.
  5. Open the gauze package and a bandage and set aside. You will need these after pricking your finger with the lancet.
  6. Chose which finger you will be using to collect your sample. Only use your middle or ring fingers. It is important that you choose a finger that is not injured or infected.
  7. Make sure your hands are warm. This will improve blood flow. You can do so by rubbing your hands together or moving your arms.

Step 2: The collection

  1. Wash your hands with soap and water before and after the test.
  2. Make sure you are seated comfortably at a clean table with all provided materials within reach.
  3. Hold the white base of the lancet with one hand, and twist off the purple cap with the other. Even with the cap off, you will not see the needle. This is normal. 
  4. Use the alcohol swab to clean the entire tip of the chosen finger all the way down to the first knuckle, and allow it to air dry.
  5. Position the lancet on your finger tip. The needle should go across the fingerprint lines, not in the same direction.
  6. Lay the back of your hand against a solid surface:

    Hold the lancet firmly between your index and major finger of the opposite hand, place the tip of the lancet onto the finger tip and push the button on the top of the lancet with your thumb. You will hear a click and feel it prick your finger.

    Once a lancet is used, it retracts back into the device, and cannot be activated a second time. Two lancets have been provided in the event that you are unable to complete the test with only one finger prick. Should you choose to do a second finger prick, make sure to use a different finger.
  7. Let a small drop of blood form at your finger tip and wipe it away with a gauze pad. Do not use the alcohol pad to wipe away the drop of blood.
  8. Now it's time to start collecting blood on the card. Gently squeeze your finger from the base towards the tip to help a blood drop form. Once a large drop of blood forms on your fingertip, let the blood fall from your finger onto the card. The blood should saturate the card and show through the other side. Do not let your finger touch the card.
     
    Front of the DBS card
     
    Other side of the saturated DBS card
     
    Fill the first circle completely before moving on to the next. The goal is to fill all 5 circles, but fewer full circles are better than more incomplete circles. If one drop of blood is not enough to fill a circle, aim the next drop of blood beside the first drop until the circle is filled. Avoid layering blood drops directly on top of one another.
    This photo demonstrates a good dried blood spot sample compared to a poor quality sample.
     
    If you have attempted the DBS test, you should mail back your DBS card no matter the outcome. Even if you were only able to fill one circle, or if none of your circles are complete, the laboratory will still try to analyze your sample.

Step 3: After collection

  1. Apply firm pressure with gauze until the bleeding has stopped.
  2. Apply a bandage.
  3. Used lancets must be placed in the provided large resealable plastic bag and thrown in the trash.
  4. Place the DBS card in a safe place until it is completely dry. With the flap folded back, allow to dry for at least 3 hours. Do not place it in direct sunlight or near a heater, and keep out of reach of children and pets to avoid contamination.
  5. Once dry, fold the flap back over the blood spots and place it in the small brown envelope. Do not seal the small brown envelope. Place the small brown envelope, the humidity indicator card and the dehumidifying pack inside the small striped plastic bag. Do not place the humidity indicator card in the small brown envelope. Remove as much air from the bag as you can before closing it.
  6. To send your DBS test to , place your small striped plastic bag in the prepaid, pre-addressed package and seal it. Write your postal code in the six boxes in the bottom right hand corner of the return label. Do not write your name or address on the return label. Return your test in the package provided

For use when reporting data for 2019/2020 and previous academic years

Tourism and the Centre for Education Statistics

December 2020

Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS)
Record Layout, Files and Data Element Descriptions

Data Submission Information at a Glance

This information is collected under the authority of the Statistics Act, Revised Statutes of Canada, 1985, Chapter S-19.

Completion of this questionnaire is a legal requirement under this act.

Survey Purpose

The Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS) is a national survey that enables Statistics Canada to provide detailed information on enrolments and graduates of Canadian public postsecondary institutions in order to meet policy and planning needs in the field of postsecondary education. The information may also be used by Statistics Canada for other statistical and research purposes.

Confidentiality

Statistics Canada is prohibited by law from releasing any information it collects which could identify any person, business, or organization, unless consent has been given by the respondent or as permitted by the Statistics Act. Statistics Canada will use the information from this survey for statistical purposes and research purposes.

Please note that in the following record layout, words designating the masculine gender include the feminine gender.

PSIS Database Structure

The PSIS database holds data at two (2) levels: (1) institution, program and course data; and (2) student data. The institution, program and course data includes a list of all public postsecondary institutions in Canada, and an inventory of all programs and courses offered through these institutions. The student data contains demographic, program, and course information for students registered at these institutions.
The information required to feed the PSIS database is stored in the six (6) PSIS data files, which are transmitted to Statistics Canada. The six (6) files describe either the student, or the institution and its available programs. The files and their interrelationships can be described as follow: The Institution Description file is linked to the Institution Program and Institution Course files whereas the Student Description file is linked to the Student Program and Student Course files. In addition, the Student Program file is linked to the Institution Program file and the Institution Course file is linked to the Student Course file.

Note to user: Data elements not in bold are those required to identify a unique record (each column corresponds to a file). Data elements required to link the files between them are identified by row. For example, the data elements required to link the ID and the SC files are: 1005/1000, 1025, 1035 and 1036.

Table A
Data elements required to identify a unique record in each file and data elements required to link the files between them
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data Elements Required to Identify a Unique Record in Each File and the Required Data Elements to Link Them to Files. The information is grouped by Mnemonic (appearing as row headers), Name and File (appearing as column headers).
Mnemonic Name File
ID IP IC SD SP SC
RepStartYear Year of start of report cycle 1005 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000
Instit Institution code 1025 1025 1025 1025 1025 1025
Period (ID) / CourPer (SC) Reporting period 1035 n/a n/a n/a n/a 1035
Sub-period (ID) – CourSubPer (SC) Reporting sub-period 1036 n/a n/a n/a n/a 1036
ProgCode Student's program code n/a 2000 n/a n/a 2000 n/a
CredenTyp Credential type n/a 2010 n/a n/a 2010 n/a
CourCode Student's course code n/a n/a 3000 n/a n/a 3000
StudID Institution's student identifier n/a n/a n/a 4000 4000 4000
ProgStart Original start date in program n/a n/a n/a n/a 5010 n/a
CourStart Date student started course n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 6020

Six (6) PSIS Input Files and File Description

Listed below are six (6) PSIS input files which you will need to submit in your annual report cycle (due by February 1, 2021). A brief description of each file is also outlined below.

  1. Institution Description (ID) file
  2. Institution Program (IP) file
  3. Institution Course (IC) file
  4. Student Description (SD) file
  5. Student Program (SP) file
  6. Student Course (SC) file

Institution Metadata

1. Institution Description (ID) file

(Postsecondary institution metadata; number of elements = 5; length = 132 bytes)
The Institution Description (ID) file lists and describes the different periods of academic activity by which programs and courses are organized. Specifically, the records contained on the ID file describe how a postsecondary institution divides its year into periods (sessions, terms, or other components) during which courses are commonly offered. Postsecondary institutions provide one (1) ID record for each period that begins or ends during the twelve (12) month report cycle. (For more detailed information, please refer to the Institution Description (ID) file section of this document.)

Please note that the information contained on the ID file is used to validate the Institution Code (element ID1025) provided to all of the six (6) PSIS files. It is also used to validate the period in which student courses are offered (element ID1035). Each period in which courses are reported on the Student Course (SC) file must also be present on the ID file.

2. Institution Program (IP) file

(Postsecondary institution metadata; number of elements = 11; length = 314 bytes)
The Institution Program (IP) file contains program code and program name (IP2000, IP2020), program duration (IP2070 and IP2071), credential type (IP2010) and other characteristics of each program offered by the postsecondary institution. The IP file is an inventory of the programs offered by the postsecondary institution. It contains one (1) IP record for each program offered during the twelve (12) month cycle.
Please note that there is a logical link between this file and the Student Program (SP) file. The SP file contains one (1) record for each combination of student and program. Each program code reported on the SP file must be present on the IP file. (For more detailed information, please refer to the Institution Program (IP) file section of this document.)

3. Institution Course (IC) file

(Postsecondary institution metadata; number of elements = 7; length = 260 bytes)
The Institution Course (IC) file contains course code and course name (IC3000, IC3020), course credits normally awarded and course credit units (IC3090, IC3091) and other characteristics of each course offered by the postsecondary institution. The IC file is an inventory of the courses offered by the postsecondary institution. One (1) IC record for each of the courses offered during the twelve (12) month cycle should be reported.
Please note that there is a logical link between this file and the Student Course (SC) file. The SC file contains one (1) record for each combination of student and course. Each course code reported on the SC file must be present on the IC file. (For more detailed information, please refer to the Institution Course (IC) file section of this document.)

Student Metadata

4. Student Description (SD) file

(Student metadata; number of elements = 37; length = 1018 bytes)
The Student Description (SD) file contains demographic and other descriptive information about the students attending the various postsecondary institutions. Among others, it contains student name (SD4040 to SD4050), birth date (SD4230), gender (SD4240), Social Insurance Number (SIN) (SD4020), contact information (SD4060 to SD4180), and characteristics such as whether or not the student has self-identified as an Aboriginal person (SD4210).This file contains one (1) record per student per postsecondary institution.

Please note that there is a logical link between this file and the Student Program (SP) file. The SD file contains one (1) record per student enrolled in a program or who has graduated from a program. (For more detailed information, please refer to the Student Description (SD) file section of this document.)

5. Student Program (SP) file

(Student metadata; number of elements = 17; length = 402 bytes)
The Student Program (SP) file contains one (1) record for each program in which the student was enrolled during the reporting cycle. The student program record includes the original dates in which the student started/ended a program (SP5010, SP5090), student status in program at end of report cycle (SP5100), specialization or major field of study (SP5015 and SP5016), total transfer credits (SP5220), cumulative credits for program (SP5230) and other characteristics of the student's program as recorded by the postsecondary institution.

Please note that there is a logical link between this file and the Institution Program (IP) file. Each program code reported on the SP file must be present on the IP file. In addition, there is a logical link between this file and the Student Description (SD) file. Each student record reported on the SD file must be associated with at least one (1) program record on the SP file. (For more detailed information, please refer to the Student Program (SP) file section of this document.)

6. Student Course (SC) file

(Student metadata; number of elements = 10; length = 258 bytes)
The Student Course (SC) file contains one (1) record for each course in which the student was enrolled during the reporting cycle. Also, include one (1) course record for students that are registered either in a CO-OP work term, writing a thesis, or performing any other academic activities related to their program but not structured as a course. The student course record includes the dates which the student started/ended the course (SC6020, SC6021) and status in course at end of report cycle (SC6030).

Please note that there is a logical link between this file and the Institution Course (IC) file. Each course code reported on the SC file must be present on the IC file. In addition, there is a logical link between this file and the Student Program (SP) file. Each program in which the student was enrolled (SP file) must be associated with at least one (1) course record on the SC file. The SP record for a student who graduates during the report cycle and for which the student did not have any course registrations during the report cycle (e.g., the student applies for and is granted a credential during the current report cycle for work completed in an earlier cycle) should not have an associated SC record. (For more detailed information, please refer to the Student Course (SC) file section of this document.)

Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS)
Institution Description (ID) File

The following data elements are required to identify unique records: Start date of report cycle (ID1005), Institution Code (ID1025), Period Code (ID1035), and Sub-period Code (ID1036)

Record Layout, Files and Data Element Descriptions

First, select your start date of report cycle and store it in element ID1005. Please see the description of ID1005 for guidance on how to select your report cycle.

The Institution Description (ID) file lists and describes the different periods of academic activity by which programs and courses are organized. Specifically, the records contained on the ID file describe how a postsecondary institution divides its year into periods (sessions, terms, or other components) during which courses are commonly offered. Postsecondary institutions provide one (1) ID record for each period that begins or ends during the twelve (12) month report cycle. Periods can be of any length (although not many courses span twelve (12) consecutive months or more). Periods include the time allocated for exams. Your periods can begin before your report start date and can extend beyond the end of your report cycle. See data element ID1035, (Period Code) for suggestions on how to report periods.

Institution Code (element 1025 on all six (6) PSIS files)

You will find your code(s) on the list of postsecondary institution codes supplied by Statistics Canada.

Each eight (8)-digit code comprises a two (2)-digit province, a three (3)-digit postsecondary institution and a three (3)-digit campus. The list contains one (1) code for the parent postsecondary institution and one (1) for each campus. The parent institution code has 000 in the last three (3) digits, while the campuses are numbered sequentially beginning with 001. Postsecondary institutions without campuses have only a parent institution code. Examples: Postsecondary institution XXX in province P1 has two (2) campuses and postsecondary institution YYY in province P2 has none. Their codes would appear on the code list as follows: Postsecondary institution XXX includes P1XXX000 for Parent Institution; P1XXX001, Campus 1; P1XXX002; Campus 2; and Postsecondary institution YYY includes P2YYY000 for Parent Institution.

If your postsecondary institution has campuses, you can choose to report your PSIS data at the campus level or at the parent (000) level depending on how you store your postsecondary institution metadata and student metadata on your own administrative systems. We recommend reporting at the lowest level available, as more detailed analysis can potentially be done.

The following combinations of reporting level and file type are valid. Choose one (1) reporting level for all three (3) postsecondary institution metadata files and one (1) for all three (3) student metadata files; (i.e., do not combine parent- and campus-level reporting within the three (3) postsecondary institution metadata files or within the three (3) student metadata files).

Postsecondary institution metadata (ID, IP, IC) Parent Institution and Campus is paired with Student metadata (SD, SP, SC) Parent Institution and Campus.

Table 1
Institution Code - ID Files
Table summary
This table displays the results of Institution Code - ID Files. The information is grouped by Element Number (appearing as row headers), Mnemonic, Name, Description, Codes, Alternate Codes, Core, Type, Position and Size (appearing as column headers).
Element Number Mnemonic Name Description Codes Type Position Size
1005 RepstartDate Start date of report cycle Your report cycle should start on the day after the end of your previous year's winter session (or academic year if you do not have a winter session), including the time allocated for exams.  If your institution has no activity during the summer, only use September 1 as the start of your report cycle if your academic year ends on August 31.

Possible scenarios (for illustrative purposes only; your data may vary) for the 2019/2020 report:
  • if last year's winter session ended on April 15, use April 16, 2019 (20190416) as your start date  and April 15, 2020 (20200415) as your end date, or
  • if the academic year ends on June 30 then use July 1, 2019 (20190701) as your start date and June 30, 2020 (20200630) as your end date.
If your institution changes its report cycle, (i.e., if your winter session now ends on a different date such as April 30 instead of May 31 or your academic year now ends on August 1 instead of July 31), this will affect your start date of report cycle  (RepStartDate).  Be aware of any gaps between, or overlaps of, reporting periods that will occur from the previous year's PSIS submission.  Please make the necessary adjustments to this year's PSIS submission to ensure the data is complete but not duplicated.

Postsecondary institutions that deliver programs only by non-traditional methods such as distance education, and therefore do not have a defined academic year or sessions, should use May 1 as their start date (or another date close to May 1 if more appropriate).

Repeat the same value on all ID records.
YYYYMMDD (YearMonthDay) Text 1-8 8
1025 Instit Institution code Reporting PSIS postsecondary institution code Refer to the Postsecondary Institution Codes in Section 4 of the document titled "PSIS Reporting Documentation 2019/2020". Text 9-16 8
1035 Period Period code The ID file describes how the postsecondary institution divides its year into periods (sessions, terms, or other components) during which courses are commonly offered. Periods can be of any length (although, not many courses span twelve (12) consecutive months or more). Periods include the time allocated for exams.

Provide one (1) ID record for each of your periods. Periods can start before the beginning of your report cycle (ID1005 above) and/or continue beyond the end of your report cycle.

Use this element and the next one to record your own code or name you use to describe the period and sub-period. You can use both elements if a period is divided into shorter units.  If not, leave the next element blank. Elements ID1035 and ID1036 are also used in the Student Course (SC1035 and SC1036) File to specify the period in which the student took the course.

Example 1: a university offers courses during a spring/summer session, which it designates as SS, comprising an intersession (I) and a summer term (S); and during a fall session (F); and during a winter session (W); and during an academic year (AY). The university would report six (6) ID records having the following codes in this element and the next one:
The ID file describes how the postsecondary institution divides its year into periods (sessions, terms, or other components) during which courses are commonly offered. Periods can be of any length (although, not many courses span twelve (12) consecutive months or more). Periods include the time allocated for exams.

Provide one (1) ID record for each of your periods. Periods can start before the beginning of your report cycle (ID1005 above) and/or continue beyond the end of your report cycle.

Use this element and the next one to record your own code or name you use to describe the period and sub-period. You can use both elements if a period is divided into shorter units.  If not, leave the next element blank. Elements ID1035 and ID1036 are also used in the Student Course (SC1035 and SC1036) File to specify the period in which the student took the course.

Example 1: a university offers courses during a spring/summer session, which it designates as SS, comprising an intersession (I) and a summer term (S); and during a fall session (F); and during a winter session (W); and during an academic year (AY). The university would report six (6) ID records having the following codes in this element and the next one:  Period SS, no Sub-period; Period SS, Sub-Period I; Period SS, Sub-Period S; Periods F, W, AY; no Sub-period.

Example 2: a college offers courses during a fall session, which it designates as FALL; a winter session (WIN); and the academic year (YEAR). The college also offers courses during two (2) half-semesters in the fall, which it designates FALL1 and FALL2, and, for the summer period, one six (6)-weeks and two (2) 4-week periods, which it designates SUM1, SUM2 and SUM3. The college would report a total of eight (8) ID records having the following period codes in this element and sub-period codes for the next element: Period SUM, Sub-period 1; Period SUM, Sub-period 2; Period SUM, Sub-period 3; FALL, no sub-period; FALL, sub-periods, 1, 2; Period WIN, no Sub-period; YEAR, no sub-period.     
The shorter periods could alternatively be coded SUM1, SUM2, SUM3, FALL1 and FALL2 in this element and the next element (Sub-period) will be blank.
The postsecondary institution's code or name of the period within which courses are offered. Text 17-22 6
1036 Sub_period Sub-period code Sub-period code during which courses are commonly offered. See previous element for more details. The postsecondary institution's code or name of the sub-period. Text 23-28 6
1100 ProvID Provincial ID elements Provincial ministries wanting to define additional elements for provincial reporting can use this composite element. Leave any unused portion of the 80 characters blank. Components and codes as defined by provincial ministry. Text 53-132 80

Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS)
Institution Program (IP) File

The following data elements are required to identity unique records: Year of Start of Report Cycle (IP1000), Institution Code (IP1025), Program Code (IP2000), and Credential Type (IP2010)

Record Layout, Files and Data Element Descriptions

The Institution Program (IP) file contains program code and program name (IP2000, IP2020), program duration (IP2060 to IP2071), credential type (IP2010, IP2011), educational entrance requirements (IP2150 to IP2155) and other characteristics of each program offered by the postsecondary institution. The IP file is an inventory of the programs offered by the postsecondary institution. It contains one (1) IP record for each program offered during the twelve (12) month cycle.

There is a logical link between this file and the Student Program (SP) file. The SP file contains one (1) record for each combination of student and program. Each program code reported on the SP file must be present on the IP file.

If students are taking courses without registration in a program, create as many non-program records on the IP file for each of the non-program categories appropriate to your institution (see element IP2015). This will involve:

  1. putting a program name in element IP2020;
  2. putting a program code in element IP2000;
  3. putting a value of "98 - Not applicable" in element IP2010;
  4. assigning the students to this program in the SP file; and
  5. following the instructions in the other elements for the assignment of "Not Applicable" code for this non-program record.

Please refer to the "Program type" and "Non-credit" entries of the Reporting Guide for Program Type and Credential Type for additional information on the non-programs.

Universities that store their program data with separate fields for degree and specialization(s) or major field(s) of study may be able to report just the degree code in element SP2000 and the student's specialization(s) or major field(s) of study in elements SP5015, SP5016 and SP5017 on the SP file. For example, if all BA programs have the same duration, credit requirement, provincial funding code, entrance requirements, on-the-job training (OJT) components, etc., then you could report only one (1) IP record for all BA's, with element IP2000 = "BA", and then show the different majors on the SP records of individual students. But if some of the BA programs have different durations or credit requirements, etc., then you must provide separate IP records for them. In these cases, you could combine the degree code and the specialization(s) or major field(s) of study in element IP2000 of the IP and SP records.

For programs that award two (2) credentials, please refer to the "Joint credential program" entry of the Reporting Guide for Program Type and Credential Type.

For programs that may lead to the option of several qualifications in terms of successful outcomes, such as one program (same code) which leads to a certificate or a diploma, please refer to the "programs with multiple exit options" entry of the Reporting Guide for Program Type and Credential Type.

For apprenticeship programs, provide one (1) IP record for each year or level of the program.

For the entire reporting period, describe all the programs offered during the twelve (12) months beginning on your Report Cycle Start Date.

Table 2
Institution Program (IP) codes
Table summary
This table displays the results of Institution Program (IP) codes. The information is grouped by Element Number (appearing as row headers), Mnemonic, Name, Description, Codes, Alternate Codes, Core, Type, Position and Size (appearing as column headers).
Element Number Mnemonic Name Description Codes Type Position Size
1000 RepStartYear Year of start of report cycle The year in which the current report cycle starts. Assign the same first four (4) digits of the start date of the report cycle (as found in element ID1005 on the ID file). YYYY (Year) Text 1-4 4
1025 Instit Institution code Reporting PSIS postsecondary institution code. Refer to the Postsecondary Institution Codes in Section 4 of the document titled "PSIS Reporting Documentation 2019/2020". Text 5-12 8
2000 ProgCode Program code A program is a structured collection of educational activities (courses and other learning activities) arrayed to meet a set of learning objectives.

A program "proxy" may be used in PSIS to identify educational activities which fall outside the definition of "program."

Note: For degrees granted in Canadian universities, programs should fall within the parameters detailed in the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) Ministerial Statement on Quality Assurance of Degree Education in Canada (2007), which uses similar descriptors as those used in the Bologna process.
Please refer to the Reporting Guide for Program Type and Credential Type for additional information on how to report programs.

Please report the program code as stored in the postsecondary institution's administrative files.  For more details, refer to element SP2000 on the SP file. All program codes on the SP file must be present on this file including the non-program record(s) as element Program Code is used as a key field to match record on IP and SP files. Universities that store their program data with separate fields for degree and specialization(s) or major field(s) of study may be able to report just the degree code in element IP2000 and the students' specialization(s) or major field(s) of study in elements SP5015, SP5016 and SP5017 on the SP file. For example, if all BA programs have the same duration, credit requirement, provincial funding code, entrance requirements, co-op requirements, etc., you could report only one (1) IP record for all BA's, with element IP2000 = "BA", and then show the different majors on the SP records of individual students. But if some of the BA programs have different durations or credit requirements etc., then you must provide separate IP records for them. In these cases, you would combine the degree code and the specialization(s) or major field(s) of study in element 2000 of the IP and SP records.

The combination of the previous element (IP1025), this one and the next one (IP2010) constitute a key and therefore must be unique. Do not report duplicate combinations of these three (3) elements.
None Text 13-32 20
2010 CredenTyp Credential type The type of formal qualification awarded for successful completion of a program, excluding certificates of attendance.

A "qualification" acknowledges successful completion of a program of study containing evaluative components. A "formal qualification" is a qualification that is recognized by an official body such as ministries of education, boards of governors or other ministry appointed bodies, federal departments or ministries, industry associations or sectors, apprenticeship and trades commissions, regulatory bodies or licensing agencies. 
Definitions of the categories:
01: A non-postsecondary credential awarded as a high school diploma or its equivalent.
02: A credential awarded and recognized by official bodies as a "certificate".
03: A credential awarded and recognized by official bodies as a "diploma".
04: This category must only be used to assign "degree" credentials which are supported by the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) Ministerial Statement on Quality Assurance of Degree Education in Canada.
10: Formal qualifications granted upon successful completion of programs that are shorter than programs where a certificate is the formal qualification awarded.
11: A credential granted upon completion of sixty (60) transferable credits of an undergraduate program.
97: A credential from programs that do not fit in any of the other categories.
98: This category is used for non-programs (where no formal qualification can be obtained), credentials for programs where the learning or performance is not measured or evaluated, such as for certificates of attendance, as well as for any other program where no formal qualification is offered.

Please refer to the "Credential type" entry in the Reporting Guide for Program Type and Credential Type for inclusions, exclusions and additional information on each of the categories.

If the same program can award two (2) credentials, one for completing a certain level and a higher one for completing a longer version of the program, then provide two (2) records having the same program code (element IP2000) but different values in this element; e.g., a program awarding a certificate after one (1) year or a diploma after two (2) years would have two (2) records for this data element, the first with code "02 - Certificate" and the second with code "03 - Diploma".  

For joint programs in which a student normally receives two (2) credentials, please refer to the "Joint credential program" entry in the Reporting Guide for Program Type and Credential Type to code the credential type.

For programs offered under an agreement with another (other) institution(s), please refer to the "Programs offered under an agreement" entry of the Reporting Guide for Program Type and Credential Type to code the credential type.

Please refer to Appendix B for acceptable reporting combinations between Credential type (IP/SP2010) and Program type (IP2015).
01 - General Equivalency Diploma/high school diploma
02 - Certificate
03 - Diploma
04 - Degree (includes applied degree)
10 - Attestation and other short program credentials
11 - Associate degree
97 - Other type of credential associated with a program
98 - Not applicable
Text 33-34 2
2015 ProgType Program type A classification of programs that is based on a combination of factors such as the general purpose of the program; the type of instruction offered in terms of educational content; and the expected outcome of the program.
Definition of the categories:
01: Non-postsecondary programs that are offered in postsecondary institutions.
10: In-class or technical components of apprenticeship training when offered in postsecondary institutions.
20: Postsecondary programs that prepare students for entry into career, technical or pre-university programs.
21: Postsecondary skills programs that usually lead to a specific career path and into the labour market that is neither apprenticeship, pre-university, undergraduate nor graduate program. Educational requirements for this program are usually not greater than the secondary school diploma.
22: Postsecondary skills programs that usually lead to a specific career path and into the labour market and requires a certificate or a diploma from a career, technical or professional training program.
30: Postsecondary programs that prepare students for undergraduate studies but is not an undergraduate program.
40: Programs that prepare students for entry into a bachelor's degree program. It is an access or bridging option for a student who does not fully meet the requirements for entry into a bachelor's degree program. While this program does not generally lead to a qualification, some credits may be granted towards a bachelor's degree.
46: These are programs that are more academically-based programs which normally require a secondary school diploma or a college diploma in Quebec. Educational activities in these programs can be counted towards a bachelor's degree (applied, general or honours) or a professional degree. Undergraduate degrees normally allow entry into a second cycle graduate program.
47: Postsecondary programs that are not graduate programs and require a bachelor's degree for admission either explicitly or implicitly, such as is the case for concurrent bachelor's degree programs (where the outcome of these programs is equivalent to a program requiring a bachelor's degree, but the degree is not a requirement because of the concurrent nature of the program).
In Saskatchewan and British Columbia, this category also captures postsecondary programs at the undergraduate level for which degree completion requires a scope beyond a bachelor's degree due to its breadth and depth of learning.
50: Postsecondary programs that prepare students for entry into a master's degree program. A bachelor's degree is normally required for entry into this program.
53: Postsecondary programs that prepare students for entry into a doctoral degree program, without the student being admitted to the doctoral program.
58: This category covers health-related residency programs. At a minimum, these programs require undergraduate degrees for entry.
59: Graduate programs that normally require a bachelor's degree. Educational activities in these programs can be counted towards a master's degree. Degrees from second cycle graduate programs normally allow entry into third cycle graduate programs.
62: Graduate programs that normally require a master's degree. Educational activities in these programs can be counted towards a doctoral degree.
63: Graduate programs that normally require a doctoral degree. Post-doctorate activities that do not meet the definition of a "program," such as those in the labour market, are excluded from this category.
89: Any postsecondary program that does not fit in any of the program categories listed above.
91, 92, 93 and 94: Categories that serve to identify students registered in educational activities without being registered in a program. It includes students enrolled in courses who have not declared a program of intent.
91: These are courses or other educational activities that are not within a program and have no evaluative component.
92: These are undergraduate courses or other educational activities not within a program and have an evaluative component.
93: These are graduate courses or other educational activities that are not within a program and have an evaluative component.
94: These are postsecondary courses or other educational activities that are neither undergraduate nor graduate, are not within a program and have an evaluative component.

Please refer to the Reporting Guide for Program Type and Credential Type for inclusions, exclusions and additional information on each of the categories. Please refer also to Appendix B for acceptable reporting combinations between Credential type (IP/SP2010) and Program type (IP2015).

For joint programs in which a student normally receives two (2) credentials, please refer to the "Joint credential program" entry in the Reporting Guide for Program Type and Credential Type.
01 - Basic education and skills program
10 - Apprenticeship program
20 - Qualifying program for career, technical or pre-university
21 - Career, technical or professional training program
22 - Post career, technical or professional training program
30 - Pre-university program
40 - Undergraduate qualifying program
46 - Undergraduate program
47 - Post-baccalaureate non-graduate program
50 - Graduate qualifying program (second cycle)
53 - Graduate qualifying program (third cycle)
58 - Health-related residency program
59 - Graduate program (second cycle)
62 - Graduate program (third cycle)
63 - Graduate program (above the third cycle)
89 - Other programs
91 - Non-program (non-credit)
92 - Non-program (credit, undergraduate)
93 - Non-program (credit, graduate)
94 - Non-program (credit, other postsecondary)
Text 37-38 2
2020 ProgName Program name The program name as stored in the postsecondary institution's own administrative files. None Text 41-140 100
2070 ProgDur Program duration The normal instructional time to complete the course work for the entire program for a full-time student by traditional program delivery.

Use the next element (IP2071) to specify which unit of measure you are using. Use half-semesters (code 10), quarters or trimesters (code 12) or semesters or trimesters (code 15) if possible. Use weeks or months (code 08 or 09) only for programs shorter than one (1) year or for programs specifically organized in weeks or months. Use academic years or years (code 25 or 30) only if the program's courses are not delivered in shorter periods such as semesters or half-semesters or quarters.

Exclude program segments that are mainly on-the-job training or field placement or co-op work terms.

Leave this element blank only for non-program records and programs having no set duration, such as graduate programs.
Blank or numeric value including decimal point and two (2) decimal places.
e.g.,
1016.50 = 1016.5 units required
1.00 = 1 unit required
Numeric 160-165 6
2071 ProgDurUnit Program duration units Identifies the unit of measure used in the previous element (IP2070). Assign "98 - Not applicable" only for non-program records and programs having no set duration, such as graduate programs. 06 - Hours
08 - Weeks
09 - Months (a period of about 30 days)
10 - Half-semesters (a period of about 2 months)
12 - Quarters or trimesters (a period of about 3 months)
15 - Semesters or trimesters (a period of about 4 months)
25 - Academic years (a period of about 8 months)
30 - Years (a period of about 12 months)
98 - Not applicable
Text 166-167 2
2080 ProgCred Credits needed to graduate The number of credits or units of academic achievement required for graduating from or completing the entire program.  Credits refer to the value that a postsecondary institution attaches to successful completion of a formal course of instruction and that can be applied by the recipient towards the requirements for a credential.

Use the next element (IP2081) to specify which unit of measure you are using. If the program is not organized by credits but instead requires the successful completion of some number of courses, report the number of courses here and assign code "06 - Courses" in the next element (IP2081). Exclude credits for on-the-job training (OJT) segments that cover most or all of a semester or other period (e.g., co-op work terms).

Leave this element blank only for non-credit programs or programs with no set credit or course requirements, such as graduate programs.
Blank or numeric value including decimal point and two (2) decimal places.
e.g.,
1.00 = 1 unit required
1016.50 = 1,016.5 units required
10000.00 = 10,000 units required
Numeric 168-175 8
2081 ProgCredUnit Program credit units Identifies the unit of measure used in the previous element (IP2080).

Assign code "98 - Not applicable" only for non-credit programs or programs with no set credit or course requirements, such as graduate programs.
01 - Credits
02 - Credit hours
03 - Semester hours
04 - Course hours
05 - Credit points
06 - Courses
07 - Student contact hours
96 - Other units
98 - Not applicable (non-credit program or no set credit requirement)
Text 176-177 2
2400 ProvIP Provincial IP elements Provincial ministries wanting to define additional elements for provincial reporting can use this composite element. Leave any unused portion of the 80 characters blank. Components and codes as defined by provincial ministry Text 235-314 80

Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS)
Institution Course (IC) File

The following data elements are required to identify unique records: Year of Start of Report Cycle (IC1000), Institution Code (IC1025), and Course Code (IC3000)

Record Layout, Files and Data Element Descriptions

The Institution Course (IC) file contains course code and course name (IC3000, IC3020), course duration and course duration units (IC3080, IC3081), course credits normally awarded and course credit units (IC3090, IC3091) and other characteristics of each course offered by the postsecondary institution. The IC file is an inventory of the courses offered by the postsecondary institution. One (1) IC record for each of the courses offered during the twelve (12) month cycle should be reported.

There is a logical link between this file and the Student Course (SC) file. The SC file contains one (1) record for each combination of student and course. Each course code reported on the SC file must be present on the IC file.

For the entire reporting period, describe all the courses offered during the twelve (12) months beginning on your Report Cycle Start Date.

Table 3
Institution Course (IC) File Codes
Table summary
This table displays the results of Table 3: Institution Course (IC) File Codes. The information is grouped by Element Number (appearing as row headers), Mnemonic, Name, Description, Codes, Alternate codes, Core, Type, Position and Size (appearing as column headers).
Element Number Mnemonic Name Description Codes Type Position Size
1000 RepStartYear Year of start of report cycle The year in which the current report cycle starts. Assign the first four (4) digits of the start date of the report cycle (as found in element ID1005 on the ID file). YYYY (Year) Text 1-4 4
1025 Instit Institution code Reporting PSIS postsecondary institution code. Refer to the Postsecondary Institution Codes in Section 4 of the document titled "PSIS Reporting Documentation 2019/2020". Text 5-12 8
3000 CourCode Course code The unique code for the course as it is stored in the postsecondary institution's administrative files; e.g., the course code "CHEM 101" might represent "Introduction to Chemistry".

Include non-credit courses.

In cases where a lab and a lecture have independent course codes in the postsecondary institution's administrative system, report separate courses on the IC file, e.g., "CHEM 101 Lecture" would be a different course from "CHEM 101 Lab".

All course codes in element SC3000 on the SC file must also be present on this file.
None Text 13-32 20
3020 CourName Course name The course name as it is stored in the postsecondary institution's administrative files. In the above example for "CHEM 101", "Introduction to Chemistry" would be recorded here. None Text 33-132 100
3090 CourCred Course credits normally awarded The number of course credits or units of academic achievement normally awarded for successful completion of the course. Use the next element (IC3091) to specify which unit of measure you are using. If possible, use the same unit of measure as in elements IP2080 or IP2081 on the IP file.

For non-credit courses or courses having no credit or course value assigned, leave this element blank and assign code "98 - Not applicable" in the next element. Also, leave blank for continuing education courses that do not count for academic credit.

In some cases, the credits awarded for a course will vary from student to student depending on the student's program. In those cases, report the normal number of credits here and show the variation on the students' course records in element SC6060.
Blank or numeric value including decimal point and two (2) decimal places.
e.g.,   1.00 = 1 unit awarded
16.50 = 16.5 units awarded
Numeric 145-152 8
3091 CourCredUnit Course credit units Identifies the unit of measure used in the previous element (IC3090). 01 - Credits  
02 - Credit hours
03 - Semester hours
04 - Course hours
05 - Credit points
06 - Courses
07 - Student contact hours
96 - Other units
98 - Not applicable (non-credit course or course having no credit or course value assigned)
Text 153-154 2
3200 ProvIC Provincial IC elements Provincial ministries wanting to define additional elements for provincial reporting can use this composite element. Leave any unused portion of the 80 characters blank. Components and codes as defined by provincial ministry Text 181-260 80

Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS)
Student Description (SD) File

The following data elements are required to identity unique records: Year of Start of Report Cycle (SD1000), Institution Code (SD1025), and Institution's Student Identifier (SD4000)

Record Layout, Files, and Data Elements Descriptions

The Student Description (SD) file contains demographic and other descriptive information about the students attending the various postsecondary institutions. Among others, it contains student name (SD4040 to SD4050), birth date (SD4230), gender (SD4240), Social Insurance Number (SIN) (SD4020), contact information (SD4060 to SD4180), and characteristics such as whether or not the student has self-identified as an Aboriginal (SD4210). This file contains one (1) record per student per postsecondary institution.

You are requested to provide one (1) record for each student registered at the postsecondary institution at any time between your Start Date of report cycle (ID1005) and the end of your winter term, or the end of your academic year if your postsecondary institution does not have a winter term. Also, include one (1) SD record for a student who graduates during the report cycle, even if the student did not have any course registrations during the report cycle (e.g., the student applies for, and is granted a credential during the current report cycle for work completed in an earlier cycle).

Also, include any students who were last registered in the previous report year and whose status in the program was "Unknown" at the time the previous year's Report was produced. The "Unknown" status refers to element SP5100 on the SP file: Status was unknown (under review or not yet determined or dependent on the completion or grading of courses that normally would have ended by the end of the report cycle). These students should be included in the Report to ensure that Statistics Canada can update their end status.

If the student was registered in more than one (1) program during the report cycle, provide only one (1) SD record and multiple Student Program (SP) records.

There is a logical link between this file and the Student Program (SP) file. The SD file contains one (1) record per student enrolled in a program or who has graduated from a program in the current reporting year.

Table 4
Student Description (SD) File Codes
Table summary
This table displays the results of Table 4: Student Description (SD) File Codes. The information is grouped by Element Number (appearing as row headers), Mnemonic, Name, Description, Codes, Alternate codes, Core, Type, Position and Size (appearing as column headers).
Element Number Mnemonic Name Description Codes Type Position Size
1000 RepStartYear Year of start of report cycle The year in which the current report cycle starts. Assign the same first four (4) digits of the start date of report cycle (as found in element ID1005 on the ID file). YYYY (Year) Text 1-4 4
1010 RepTyp Report type Report F for an entire Full-year reporting period (twelve (12) months). F - Entire Full Year reporting period Text 5 1
1025 Instit Institution code Reporting PSIS postsecondary institution code. Refer to the Postsecondary Institution Codes in Section 4 of the document titled "PSIS Reporting Documentation 2019/2020". Text 6-13 8
4000 StudID Institution's Student Identifier The postsecondary institution's permanent identifier for the student while in this postsecondary institution. Use the same number for this student from year to year. None Text 14-27 14
4010 TStudID Type of Student I.D. Indicates the type of I.D. number reported in the previous element (SD4000). 01 - I.D. number assigned by postsecondary institution independently of any provincial or national numbering system
02 - Provincial student Identification number
Text 28-29 2
4020 SIN Social Insurance Number The student's Social Insurance Number (SIN) if the student is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. Otherwise, leave blank. Do not report dummy SIN's. SIN's failing the check-digit routine will be deleted at Statistics Canada. 9-digit SIN Text 30-38 9
4030 PSIS_NSN PSIS National Student Number The PSIS respondents currently using this data element to report the provincial student number can continue to use it.    Text 39-68 30
4040 FirstName First name Student's first (given) name. None Text 69-108 40
4041 MidName Middle name(s) and/or initials Student's middle name(s) and/or initials.

If your postsecondary institution stores first name and middle name(s)/initials together as one (1) field, enter both in the previous element (SD4040) and leave this element blank.
None Text 109-148 40
4042 Surname Surname Student's surname (last name). None Text 149-188 40
4050 PrevSurname Previous surname Student's previous surname; e.g., name prior to marriage. If the postsecondary institution stores more than one (1) previous surname report the most recent only. None Text 189-228 40
4060 CurrPostal Current postal/zip code Student's postal or zip code while enrolled in the program or course(s). None Text 229-238 10
4070 CurrCntry Current country of residence Student's country of residence (where the student is living) while enrolled in the program or course(s).

For most students this is Canada, but some students live in the U.S. and commute to Canada for classes, and others study by Distance Education from other countries.
Refer to the Standard Classification of Countries and Areas of Interest Codes in Section 4 of the document titled "PSIS Reporting Documentation 2019/2020". Text 239-243 5
4071 CurrCntryTxt Current country of residence (Text) Student's country of residence (where the student is living) as reported in the postsecondary institutions administrative records. Leave this element blank if the country code is reported in the previous element (SD4070). None Text 244-273 30
4080 CurrPhone Current telephone number Student's telephone number while enrolled in the program or course(s). Include the area code. None Text 274-293 20
4090 CurrEmail Current e-mail address Student's Internet e-mail address while enrolled in the program or course(s). None Text 294-373 80
4100 PermLine1 Permanent address line 1 Line 1 of the permanent address reported by the student on their application for admission or the most current address maintained by the postsecondary institution for follow-up surveys of students after graduation. Ensure that city/town, county, province, country and postal or zip code are reported in their own respective elements (SD4110 onwards) and not included in this element or the subsequent address lines. None Text 374-428 55
4101 PermLine2 Permanent address line 2 If applicable, line 2 of the permanent address. Lines 1 and 2 should contain all the address information up to but not including the city/town. See element SD4100 for more details. None Text 429-483 55
4102 PermLine3 Permanent address line 3 If applicable, line 3 of the permanent address. Note that this element is smaller than lines 1 and 2. See element SD4100 for more details. None Text 484-513 30
4103 PermLine4 Permanent address line 4 If applicable, line 4 of the permanent address.  Note that this element is smaller than lines 1 and 2. See element SD4100 for more details. None Text 514-543 30
4104 PermLine5 Permanent address line 5 If applicable, line 5 of the permanent address. Note that this element is smaller than lines 1 and 2. See element SD4100 for more details. None Text 544-573 30
4110 PermCity City or town of permanent address City or town of the permanent address reported by the student on their application for admission or the most current city or town of the permanent address maintained by the postsecondary institution for follow-up surveys of students after graduation. None Text 574-608 35
4130 PermProvUpdt Province or state of permanent address (updated) Province or state of the permanent address reported by the student on their application for admission or the most current province or state of the permanent address maintained by the postsecondary institution for follow-up surveys of students after graduation.

Assign ZY (Not applicable) for addresses outside Canada and the U.S.
Refer to the Province and State Codes in Section 4 of the document titled "PSIS Reporting Documentation 2019/2020". Text 648-649 2
4150 PermCntry Country of permanent address Country of the permanent address reported by the student on their application for admission or the most current country of the permanent address maintained by the postsecondary institution for follow-up surveys of students after graduation. Refer to the Standard Classification of Countries and Areas of Interest Codes in Section 4 of the document titled "PSIS Reporting Documentation 2019/2020". Text 685-689 5
4151 PermCntryTxt Country of the permanent address  (text) Country (text) of the permanent address reported by the student on their application for admission or the most current country (text) of the permanent address maintained by the postsecondary institution for follow-up surveys of students after graduation.

Leave this element blank if the code is reported in the previous element (SD4150).
None Text 690-719 30
4160 PermPostal Postal or zip code of permanent address Postal or zip code of the permanent address. None Text 720-729 10
4180 PermPhone Telephone number at permanent address Telephone number at the permanent address reported by the student on their application for admission or the most current telephone number at the permanent address maintained by the postsecondary institution for follow-up surveys of students after graduation.  Area code must be included. None Text 730-749 20
4200 SensRec Sensitive record Identifies sensitive records. Report Code "1 - Yes" only for deceased students or students who might be endangered by being included in a follow-up survey, such as students who are under the witness protection program. If you do not carry this information, assign code "2 - No". 1 - Yes, sensitive record
2 - No
Text 750 1
4210 Aboriginal Indigenous identity Indicates the self-declared Indigenous identity of the student as defined by the Canadian Constitution which recognizes three groups of Indigenous peoples: First Nations (North American Indians), Métis and Inuk (Inuit).

Depending on how your institution collects data on Indigenous students, First Nations (North American Indians) could include those who are 'Status' or 'Non-Status' Indians/First Nations.

If the student reported being an Indigenous person without specifying the group, use code 7-Indigenous, group not specified.

If the student did not report being an Indigenous, use code "8"-Not self-declared Indigenous".
4 - First Nations (North American Indians)
5 - Métis
6 – Inuk (Inuit)
7 –Indigenous, group not specified
8 - Not self-declared Indigenous
9- Unknown
Text 751 1
4230 Birth Birth date Student's birth date. If your postsecondary institution uses a fictitious date to represent "Unknown" (e.g., 19010101 or 19000101), do not report the fictitious date here. Leave blank if unknown. YYYYMMDD (YearMonthDay) Text 754-761 8
4240 Gender Gender Student's gender.  1 - Male 
2 - Female
3 - Gender diverse
9 - Unknown
Text 762 1
4250 Tongue Mother tongue Mother tongue, defined as the language first learned at home in childhood and still understood.  001 - English 
002 - French
123 - Other language
124 - English and French
125 - English and non-official language(s)
126 - French and non-official
language(s)
127 - Eng.,Fr. and non-official
language(s)
999 - Unknown
Text 763-765 3
4280 Citiz Country of citizenship Country of citizenship as of the end of the report cycle (end of winter term).

For permanent resident (formerly called "landed immigrant"), code the country of which the student is currently a citizen, not Canada.

For students with dual citizenship, one of which is Canadian, code Canada.

For students from a colony or a dependency, code the colony or dependency and not the parent country; for example, code St. Pierre-et-Miquelon as the country of citizenship for students from that dependency even though France is the country from which they hold citizenship.

If a student is registered in a department, faculty or division of continuing education or adult training extension, and the information on the country of citizenship is not available, code Canada as country of citizenship.
Refer to the Standard Classification of Countries and Areas of Interest Codes in Section 4 of the document titled "PSIS Reporting Documentation 2019/2020". Text 792-796 5
4281 CitizTxt Country of citizenship (text) Country (text) of citizenship as stored in the postsecondary institution's files. Leave this element blank if the code is reported in the previous element (SD4280). N/a Text 797-826 30
4290 ImmStat Immigration status of student The student's immigration status as of the end of the report cycle (end of winter term).

If a student is registered in a department, faculty or division of continuing education or adult training extension, and the information on the immigration status of the student is not available, code "0 - Canadian citizen" as immigration status of the student.
0 - Canadian citizen  (including Inuit, North American Indian and Métis)
1 - Permanent resident (formerly called landed immigrant)
2 - Student Visa: a permit obtained by a student to enter Canada for the sole purpose of attending an educational postsecondary institution
3 - Other visa: including students who are in Canada on diplomatic, trade or other missions
4 - Non-Canadian, status unknown: refugees and other foreign students in Canada whose status is unknown
5 - Non-Canadian, no visa status (as student is studying outside Canada; e.g., by Internet or at an offshore campus).
6 - Refugee
7 - Non-Canadian, status unknown
9 - Unknown
Text 827 1
4370 PermProv1st Permanent province of residence declared upon admission Permanent province or state of residence reported by the student on their application at admission.

For Canadian citizens and permanent residents, report the permanent home province in Canada as follows:
(a) For those students entering your institution immediately after high school/Cégep completion (i.e., within the last twelve (12) months), report the province of the last high school/Cégep attended.
(b) For all other students (i.e., not coming immediately after high school/Cégep completion), report the province of permanent home address on the date of application for admission.

The information should not be updated for students who were enrolled at the reporting postsecondary institution within the last twelve (12) months (returning/on-going students).  However, the information for this element should be updated for students who were not enrolled at the reporting postsecondary institution within the last twelve (12) months but had attended the reporting postsecondary institution at some time in the past (re-entering students).

This element may or may not be the same as Province or state of the permanent address (element SD4130) declared on the SD file. 

The element SD4130 requires the permanent address maintained by the postsecondary institution for follow-up surveys of students after graduation.

No blanks permitted.
Refer to the Province and State Codes in Section 4 of the document titled "PSIS Reporting Documentation 2019/2020". Text 937-938 2
4400 ProvSD Provincial SD elements Provincial ministries wanting to define additional elements for provincial reporting can use this composite element.

Leave any unused portion blank.
Components and codes as defined by provincial ministry Text 939-1018 80

Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS)
Student Program (SP) File

The following data elements are required to identity unique records: Year of Start of Report Cycle (SP1000), Institution Code (SP1025), Institution's Student Identifier (SP4000), Student's Program Code (SP2000), Credential Type (SP2010), and Original Start Date in Program (SP5010)

Record Layout, Files, and Data Elements Descriptions

The Student Program (SP) file contains one (1) record for each program in which the student was enrolled during the reporting cycle. The student program record includes the original dates in which the student started/ended a program (SP5010, SP5090), student status in program at end of report cycle (SP5100), specialization or major field of study (SP5015 to SP5021), total transfer credits (SP5220), fees billed (SP5190 to SP5200), cumulative credits for program (SP5230) and other characteristics of the student's program as recorded by the postsecondary institution.

Report one (1) SP record for each program in which the student is registered at any time during the report cycle. Also, include one (1) SP record for a student who graduates during the report cycle, even if the student did not have any course registrations during the report cycle (e.g., the student applies for and is granted a credential during the current report cycle for work completed in an earlier cycle).

If the student was registered in more than one (1) program during the report cycle, provide only one (1) SD record and multiple Student Program (SP) records.

There is a logical link between this file and the Institution Program (IP) file. Each program code reported on the SP file must be present on the IP file. In addition, there is a logical link between this file and the Student Description (SD) file. Each student record reported on the SD file must be associated with at least one (1) program record on the SP file.

Universities that store their program data with separate fields for degree and specialization(s) or major field(s) of study should report the student's degree in element SP2000 and the student's specialization(s) or major field(s) of study in elements SP5015, SP5016 and SP5017.

For programs that award two (2) credentials, please consult the "Joint credential program" entry of the Reporting Guide for Program Type and Credential Type.

If the student is taking courses without being registered in a program, do not omit the student from the SP file. Create one (1) SP record with a non-program code in element SP2000 to match the non-program record created on the IP file. Follow the instructions in the other elements of the SP file for the assignment of "Not applicable" codes for this non-program record. Please refer to the "Program type" and "Non-credit" entries of the Reporting Guide for Program Type and Credential Type for additional information on the non-program records.

Table 5
Student Program (SP) File
Table summary
This table displays the results of Table 5: Student Program (SP) File. The information is grouped by Element Number (appearing as row headers), Mnemonic, Name, Codes, Alternate codes, Core, Type, Position and Size (appearing as column headers).
Element Number Mnemonic Name   Codes Type Position Size
1000 RepStartYear Year of start of report cycle The year in which the current report cycle starts. Assign the same first four (4) digits of the start date of the report cycle (as found in element ID1005 on the ID file). YYYY (Year) Text 1-4 4
1025 Instit Institution code Reporting PSIS postsecondary institution code. Refer to the Postsecondary Institution Codes in Section 4 of the document titled "PSIS Reporting Documentation 2019/2020". Text 6-13 8
4000 StudID Institution's Student Identifier The postsecondary institution's permanent identifier for the student while in this postsecondary institution. Use the same identifier for this student from year to year.

There must be a record on the SD file for this student.

Report one (1) SP record for each program in which the student is registered at any time during the report cycle.
None Text 14-27 14
2000 ProgCode Student's program code The student's program code as stored in the postsecondary institution's administrative files. There must be one (1) record on the IP file for this program; i.e., this code must be present in element IP2000 on the IP file.

For students taking courses without being registered in a program, create one (1) SP non-program record for each of the appropriate non-program categories. Note that there must be a corresponding record on the Institution program (IP) file in element IP2000. Follow the instructions in the other elements for the assignment of "Not applicable" codes. Please refer to the "Program type" and "Non-credit" entries of the Reporting Guide for Program Type and Credential Type for additional information on the non-program records.

Universities that store their program data with separate fields for degree and specialization(s) or major field(s) of study should report the student's degree in element IP/SP2000 and the student's specialization(s) or major field(s) of study in elements SP5015, SP5016 and SP5017.
None Text 28-47 20
2010 CredenTyp Credential type The type of formal qualification awarded for successful completion of a program, excluding certificates of attendance.

A "qualification" acknowledges successful completion of a program of study containing evaluative components. A "formal qualification" is a qualification that is recognized by an official body such as ministries of education, boards of governors or other ministry appointed bodies, federal departments or ministries, industry associations or sectors, apprenticeship and trades commissions, regulatory bodies or licensing agencies.

See element IP2010 for more details.

The combination of information of the previous data element (SP2000) and this one must also be present on the IP file in data elements IP2000 and IP2010.
01 - General Equivalency Diploma/high school diploma
02 - Certificate
03 - Diploma
04 - Degree  (includes applied degree)
10 - Attestation and other short program credentials
11 - Associate degree
97 - Other type of credential associated with a program
98 - Not applicable
Text 48-49 2
5010 ProgStart Original start date in program The date the student started (first enrolled or registered) in the program as defined in element SP2000 above. Report the date the student originally started in the program, not the date the student continued in the current report cycle. The start date will remain unchanged for subsequent enrolments by the same student in the same program, even if the student quits the program and then resumes it. For a student who completed a common first year and is now enrolled in the next phase of the program, report the start date of the common first year.

Do not leave this data element blank.

For students in non-programs, report the first date the student registered for courses in the non-program.
YYYYMMDD (YearMonthDay) Text 50-57 8
5015 Major1 First specialization or major field of study The student's first specialization or major field of study code as stored in the postsecondary institution's administrative files. Do not report "minors".
Postsecondary institutions that assign unique program codes for each combination of Degree and Specialization/Major(s) should report those codes as part of element SP2000 and leave elements SP5015, SP5016 and SP5017 blank.

Leave this data element blank for students in non-programs.
None Text 58-67 10
5016 Major2 Second specialization or major field of study The student's second specialization or major field of study code as stored in the postsecondary institution's administrative files. Do not report "minors".
Postsecondary institutions that assign unique program codes for each combination of Degree and Specialization/Major(s) should report those codes as part of element SP2000 and leave elements SP5015, SP5016 and SP5017 blank.

Leave this data element blank for students in non-programs.
None Text 68-77 10
5070 Co_op Co-op program indicator Indicates whether the student was classified as a Co-op student in this program as of the end of the report cycle (end of winter term).  A co-operative education program is a program that formally integrates a student's academic studies with work experience in their field of study.  Students in a co-op program will alternate periods of time spent in school with paid work in business, industry, or government.
Assign "1 - Yes" for all Co-op students whether they are on work terms or in class at the end of the report cycle.

For students in non-programs, report code "8 - Not applicable".
1 - Yes
2 - No
8 - Not applicable (non-program)
9 - Unknown
Text 238 1
5085 RegStat Student's registration status  Registration status (full-time/part-time) of all students enrolled at the postsecondary institution at the time of the fall snapshot date, that is, a single date chosen by the institution which falls from September 30 to December 1. A student is considered to be enrolled if they are registered in at least one (1) educational activity (course or other learning activity) on the day of the fall snapshot.

The designation of full-time versus part-time registration status is defined by the reporting postsecondary institution.

If a student is not registered on the fall snapshot date, assign code "98 - Not applicable".

For students in non-programs, they are unlikely to be coded to "01 - Full-time".
01 - Full-time student
02 - Part-time student
98 - Not applicable (not registered on this date)
Text 246-247 2
5090 ProgEnd End date in program The date the student completed or withdrew from the program or else transferred to another program. This element refers to the entire program, not just the component taken during the report cycle.

If the next element (SP5100) is coded "02 - Successfully completed" or "04 - Graduated from program", give the date the program was completed. If SP5100 is coded 05, 06, 07 or 08, give the date the student ended the program or transferred to another program. Otherwise, leave this element blank.
YYYYMMDD (YearMonthDay) Text 250-257 8
5100 ProgEndStat Status in program at end of report cycle The student's status in the program as of the end of the report cycle, as known by the postsecondary institution.

If the student completed the program during the report cycle by meeting the minimum academic requirements to receive credit for the whole program, and the graduation date is more than one (1) month after the end of the report cycle, assign code "02 - Successfully completed" and report the program end date in element SP5090 ProgEnd.  

If the graduation date is before or within one (1) month of the end of the report cycle, assign code "04 - Graduated from program" and report the program end date in element SP5090 ProgEnd as well as graduation date in element SP5120 GradDate.

If the student's status was under review or dependent on the completion or grading of courses which would normally have ended by the end of the report cycle, assign "99 - Status Unknown".  Note: A student with "99 - Status Unknown" is to be included in the next report cycle with an updated program end status.

If the student enrols in the next phase of program (e.g. at the end of report cycle, the student is registered to return next fall), assign code "01- Eligible to enrol in next phase of program".  Note: For students completing a prerequisite program (e.g., common first year), assign code 01.

If the student is enrolled in a program and the current year registration continues through the end of the report cycle, assign code "03 - Still enrolled in program".

If the student has not completed the program and will probably not be continuing in or returning to the program, assign code 05, 06, 07 or 08.  For students who have transferred to another program within the same faculty or to another faculty, assign code "06 - Withdrew from program" and report the transfer date in SP5090 ProgEnd.  Students under suspension as of the end of the report cycle should be coded "07 - Not eligible to enrol at same institution" even if the suspension is likely to be lifted later.

If a student is enrolled in a non-program, assign code '98 - Not-applicable".
01 - Eligible to enrol in next phase of program
02 - Successfully completed course-work requirements for whole program but had not officially graduated as of date PSIS files were produced
03 - Still enrolled in program (registration continued through end date of report cycle)
04 - Graduated from program (officially received qualification at the end of the report cycle)
05 - Not eligible to enrol in same program
06 - Withdrew from program (e.g., discontinued studies in program) or transferred to another program within the same faculty or not, at the same institution
07 - Not eligible to enrol at same institution or under suspension
08 - Student deceased
96 - Other
98 - Not applicable (non-program)
99 - Status unknown (under review or not yet determined when the PSIS files were produced)
Text 258-259 2
5120 GradDate Convocation or graduation date The date the student received the degree, diploma or certificate for completing the program. The graduation date reported must be within the reporting cycle or within one (1) month of the end of the report cycle.  Students coded "04 - Graduated from program" in the previous element (SP5100 ProgEndStat) must have a convocation or graduation date reported.

Leave blank if the student is not in a program that leads to a credential.
YYYYMMDD (YearMonthDay) Text 260-267 8
5220 TotTranCred Total transfer credits The total number of credits or units of academic achievement granted by this postsecondary institution toward this program for education taken at other postsecondary institutions, including prior learning assessment (PLA). Report the total number granted from the time the student first enrolled in the program until the end of the report cycle. Use the same units of measure as reported in elements IP2080 or IP2081 on the IP file (credits needed to graduate). Leave blank for students not in a program or in non-credit programs or programs with no set credit or course requirements. Blank or numeric value with decimal point and two (2) decimal places. Numeric 300-307 8
5230 TotCred Cumulative credits for program The cumulative number of credits or units granted to the student for this program as of the end of the report cycle. Report the total number granted from the time the student first enrolled in the program until the end of the current report cycle. Include credits earned at this postsecondary institution and transfer credits reported in the previous element (SP5220). Use the same units of measure as reported in element IP2080 or IP2081 on the Institution Program (IP) File (credits needed to graduate). Leave blank for students not in a program or in non-credit programs or programs with no set credit or course requirements. Blank or numeric value with decimal point and two (2) decimal places. Numeric 308-315 8
5300 ProvSP Provincial SP elements Provincial ministries wanting to define additional elements for provincial reporting can use this composite element. Leave any unused portion of the 80 characters blank. Components and codes as defined by provincial ministry Text 316-395 80
5400 CIPCodeRep Classification of Instructional Programs code reported The CIP code assigned to the student's program by the provincial ministry or other administrative body to identify the field of study of the program according to the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Canada 2016 (Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Canada 2016)
Leave this element blank in the following cases:
  • If you do not assign these codes
  • For students in non-programs.
CIP codes reported here may be referred to along with other program information in finalizing the CIP code that Statistics Canada will assign to the student program.
It will not necessarily be used as the final code, unless specific discussions and agreements have first taken place with Statistics Canada.
Verify if codes reported by provincial ministry correspond with the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Canada 2016  Text 396-402 7

Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS)
Student Course (SC) File

The following data elements are required to identity unique records: Year of Start of Report Cycle (SC1000), Institution Code (SC1025), Institution's Student Identifier (SC4000), Student's Course Code (SC3000), Date Student Started Course (SC6020), and Number or Code of Student's Course Section (SC6070)

Record Layout, Files, and Data Elements Descriptions

The Student Course (SC) file contains one (1) record for each course in which the student was enrolled during the reporting cycle. Also, include one (1) course record for students that are registered either in a CO-OP work term, writing a thesis, or performing any other academic activities related to their program but not structured as a course. The student course record includes the dates which the student started/ended the course (SC6020, SC6021), status in course at end of report cycle (SC6030), the credits student would receive for course (SC6060), tuition fees billed for course (SC6040) and other characteristics of the student's course as recorded by the postsecondary institution.

Report one (1) SC record for each course in which the student is registered at any time during the report cycle after the final day for course additions and deletions (as defined by your postsecondary institution: usually about two (2) weeks after classes begin). Exclude courses for which the student is wait listed. Also, exclude courses for which the student was not registered and did not actually attend, even if the student received credit for the course by means of a challenge or by some other administrative method.

There is a logical link between this file and the Institution Course (IC) file. Each course code reported on the SC file must be present on the IC file. In addition, there is a logical link between this file and the Student Program (SP) file. Each program in which the student was enrolled (SP file) must be associated with at least one (1) course record on the SC file. The SP record for a student who graduates during the report cycle and for which the student did not have any course registrations during the report cycle (e.g., the student applies for and is granted a credential during the current report cycle for work completed in an earlier cycle) should not have an associated SC record.

Table 6
Student Course (SC) File
Table summary
This table displays the results of Table 6: Student Course (SC) File. The information is grouped by Element Number (appearing as row headers), Mnemonic, Name, Codes, Alternate codes, Core, Type, Position and Size (appearing as column headers).
Element Number Mnemonic Name   Codes Type Position Size
1000 RepStartYear Year of start of report cycle The year in which the current report cycle starts. Assign the same first four (4) digits of the start date of the report cycle (element ID1005 on the ID file). YYYY (Year) Text 1-4 4
1025 Instit Institution code Reporting PSIS postsecondary institution code. Refer to the Postsecondary Institution Codes in Section 4 of the document titled "PSIS Reporting Documentation 2019/2020". Text 6-13 8
4000 StudID Institution's Student Identifier The postsecondary institution's permanent identifier for the student while in this postsecondary institution. Use the same number for this student from year to year.
There must be a record on the Student Description (SD) File for this student.
None Text 14-27 14
3000 CourCode Student's course code The unique code for the course as it is stored in the postsecondary institution's administrative files. All course codes on this file must also be present in element IC3000 on the IC file.  Include a course record for students that are registered either in a CO-OP work term, writing a thesis, or performing any other academic activities related to their program but not structured as a course. Also include non-credit courses. See element IC3000 on the IC file for more details.

Report each course the student was enrolled in after the final day for course additions and deletions (as defined by the postsecondary institution: usually about two (2) weeks after classes begin). Exclude courses for which the student is wait listed. Also, exclude courses for which the student was not registered and did not actually attend, even if the student received credit for the course by means of a challenge or by some other administrative method.

Include courses taken under a formal brokering agreement (see element SC6080) only if the course is present in your postsecondary institution's inventory of courses as given on the IC file. Exclude courses taken at another postsecondary institution for which you do not have a course record on your IC file.
None Text 28-47 20
1035 CourPer Period in which course was delivered to student The period (session, term or other interval) that describes when the course was delivered to the student. Use your code or name as defined in element ID1035 of the ID record. This element combined with the next one (ID1036) must be present on the ID file. The postsecondary institution's code or name of the period as reported in element ID1035 of the ID file Text 48-53 6
1036 CourSubPer Sub-period in which course was delivered to student The sub-period that best describes when the course was delivered to the student. Use your code or name as defined in element ID1036 of the ID record. This element combined with the previous one (ID1035) must be present on the ID file. The postsecondary institution's code or name of the period as reported in element ID1036 of the ID file Text 54-59 6
6020 CourStart Date student started course The date the student started the course. This date may be before the start of the report cycle.
Do not leave this element blank. If the actual date the student started the course is not recorded in the postsecondary institution's student record, use the start date of the course as it appears in the postsecondary institution's timetable.
YYYYMMDD (YearMonthDay) Text 60-67 8
6021 CourEnd Date student ended course The date for which the student withdrew from, has completed or will complete the course. If the course extends beyond the end of the report cycle, report the date the course will end.

If the date for which the student has completed or will complete the course is not recorded in the postsecondary institution's student record, use the end date of the course as it appears in your timetable or calendar, or estimate when the course would end for a full-time student taking the course by traditional course delivery. Leave this element blank only if the student has not yet completed the course and the end date cannot be predicted because the course has no set duration, such as a thesis or a course in which the student continues until achieving a certain mastery level.
YYYYMMDD (YearMonthDay) Text 68-75 8
6030 CourEndStat Status in course at end of report cycle The student's status in the course at the end of the report cycle. A student who completes a course and has met the minimum academic requirements to receive credit for the course should be assigned code "01 - Successfully completed". If the course extends beyond the end of the report cycle, assign code "02 - Still enrolled". If the student is repeating the course to improve his grade, report the end status as if the student were taking the course for normal credit.
Assign code "98 - Not applicable" only for non-credit courses.
01 - Successfully completed
02 - Still enrolled
03 - Withdrew without academic penalty
04 - Did not complete (failed course or withdrew with academic penalty)
05 - Not applicable (student audited course)
07 - Student deceased
96 - Other
98 - Not applicable (non-credit course)
99 - Status unknown (incomplete or under review or not yet determined)
Text 76-77 2
6300 ProvSC Provincial SC elements Provincial ministries wanting to define additional elements for provincial reporting can use this composite element. Leave any unused portion of the 80 characters blank. Components and codes as defined by provincial ministry Text 179-258 80
Table B
Reporting of acceptable combinations between Credential type (IP2010/SP2010) and Program type (IP2015)
Program Type (IP2015) Credential type (IP2010/SP2010)
1 2 3 4 10 11 97 98
1 Yes Yes Yes No Yes No Yes Yes
10 No Yes Yes No Yes No Yes Yes
20 No Yes Yes No Yes No Yes Yes
21 No Yes Yes No Yes No Yes Yes
22 No Yes Yes No Yes No Yes Yes
30 No Yes Yes No Yes No Yes Yes
40 No Yes Yes No Yes No Yes Yes
46 No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
47 No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes
50 No Yes Yes No Yes No Yes Yes
53 No Yes Yes No Yes No Yes Yes
58 No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes
59 No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes
62 No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes
63 No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes
89 No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes
91 No No No No No No No Yes
92 No No No No No No No Yes
93 No No No No No No No Yes
94 No No No No No No No Yes

For the 2019/2020 report cycle, the submission deadline is February 1, 2021.

If you have any questions, please contact us by e-mail at statcan.PSIS-SIEP.statcan@canada.ca