Monthly Survey of Manufacturing (MSM)

Data are collected under the authority of the Statistics Act, Revised Statutes of Canada, 1985, Chapter S-19.

By law, Statistics Canada is prohibited from releasing any information it collects that 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 only.

Data sharing agreements

To reduce respondent burden, Statistics Canada has entered into data sharing agreements with provincial and territorial statistical agencies and other government organizations, which have agreed to keep the data confidential and use them only for statistical purposes. Statistics Canada will only share data from this survey with those organizations that have demonstrated a requirement to use the data.

Section 11 of the Statistics Act provides for the sharing of information with provincial and territorial statistical agencies that meet certain conditions. These agencies must have the legislative authority to collect the same information, on a mandatory basis, and the legislation must provide substantially the same provisions for confidentiality and penalties for disclosure of confidential information as the Statistics Act. Because these agencies have the legal authority to compel businesses to provide the same information, consent is not requested and businesses may not object to the sharing of the data.

For this survey, there are Section 11 agreements with the provincial and territorial statistical agencies of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, and the Yukon.

The shared data will be limited to business establishments located within the jurisdiction of the respective province or territory.

Section 12 of the Statistics Act provides for the sharing of information with federal, provincial or territorial government organizations. Under Section 12, you may refuse to share your information with any of these organizations by writing a letter of objection to the Chief Statistician and returning it with the completed questionnaire. Please specify the organizations with which you do not want to share your data.

For this survey, there are Section 12 agreements with the statistical agencies of Prince Edward Island, Northwest Territories and Nunavut as well as with the New Brunswick Department of Environment and Local Government, the Conseil de l’industrie forestière du Québec, the ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs du Québec, the ministère des Finances du Québec, the ministère de l'économie, de l'innovation et de l'énergie du Québec, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, the Manitoba Department of Agriculture, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Energy and Resources, the British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and the Canada Energy Regulator.

For agreements with provincial and territorial government organizations, the shared data will be limited to business establishments located within the jurisdiction of the respective province or territory.

Record linkage

To enhance the data from this survey and reduce response burden, Statistics Canada may combine the information you provide with data from other surveys or administrative sources.

The survey asks questions about

• revenues
• inventories
• unfilled orders
• production capacity.

Statistics Canada publishes the results of its surveys in many formats. To find all the documents related to this survey, follow the links below and type the name of the survey in the search engine located at the left of your screen to filter the results.

Data: You will find tables, profiles of a community or region, thematic maps, public use microdata files, and data visualization tools.

Analysis: You will have direct access to Stats in brief (e.g., releases from The Daily, fact sheets), articles and reports, and journals and periodicals.

• What is the purpose of the Monthly Survey of Manufacturing?
• Why was my company selected for this survey?
• I have a small business, why can you not just survey the big companies?
• Who uses this information? Why is it important?
• When will the survey results be available?

What is the purpose of the Monthly Survey of Manufacturing?

The Monthly Survey on Manufacturing collects information on sales of goods manufactured, inventories (raw materials, goods in process and finished products) and unfilled orders. The survey produces accurate and reliable data to monitor the monthly performance of the Canadian manufacturing sector.

Why was my company selected for this survey?

Most businesses are randomly selected to represent other businesses with similar characteristics, such as size, industry, revenue or number of employees. However, some companies must be included because they contribute substantially to their industry or region.

Statistics Canada surveys businesses across the country to produce statistics on the economy. By accurately reporting your firm's activity in the manufacturing industry, you are contributing to the measure of the countries worth ― the gross domestic product (GDP). All information collected helps provide a clearer picture of the Canadian economy.

I have a small business, why can you not just survey the big companies?

Although Statistics Canada always collects information from large businesses, we cannot overlook the importance of smaller businesses. Small businesses, like yours, have different characteristics from large businesses and make a significant contribution to the economy, particularly at the provincial and territorial level.

Who uses this information? Why is it important?

Statistics Canada's business surveys provide both the private and public sectors with vital information that is used in their decision making processes. Many businesses and organizations need accurate information to track growth and changes in this industry.

Statistics Canada uses the data as indicators of the economic condition of manufacturing industries and as inputs of the GDP.

The manufacturing community, business analysts and investors use the data to better understand rapidly evolving business environments, such as new technologies and trade opportunities as well as investments in new product lines.

Individual businesses use the information to monitor their performance against industry averages.

Schools and universities use survey results to study the Canadian economy.

Other government departments need the information to make decisions about labour and fiscal policies and business assistance programs for industries.

When will the survey results be available?

Survey results are released each month in The Daily, Statistics Canada's official release bulletin. The information is available approximately 45 days after the calendar month.

Consult Published data for more data and analysis.