This survey provides information on the performance of the wholesale trade sector and when combined with other statistics, represents an important indicator of the Canadian economy. The business community uses the data to analyze market performance and developments.
Your information may also be used by Statistics Canada for other statistical and research purposes.
Collection period:
Collection methods:
Survey participation:
Confidentiality
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 and record linkage
Data sharing agreements
To reduce response 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. A list of the organizations with which Statistics Canada has data sharing agreements with will be sent to you on an occasional basis.
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.
Topics covered in the survey
This survey asks questions about
- sales and inventories.
Published data
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.
Survey-specific questions
- What is the Monthly Wholesale Trade Survey?
- Who is surveyed?
- Why was my company selected for this survey?
- How will the information be used?
- When will the survey results be available?
What is the Monthly Wholesale Trade Survey?
This survey provides estimates of monthly sales and inventories of wholesale merchant establishments classified by trade groups. Data are available for Canada, and in aggregate form (sales only) for each province and for each of the three territories.
Who is surveyed?
Each month the sample size includes approximately 8,000 companies.
Why was my company selected for this survey?
Using the Statistics Canada's Business Register, your company was selected because it represents other businesses of similar size and characteristics. Some firms were selected because they contribute significantly to the wholesale in their province or territory. Because your business represents other businesses, it is important that you complete the survey for the results to be representative.
How will the information be used?
Survey results are used by Statistics Canada for the System of National Accounts, the Bank of Canada, federal and provincial governments and agencies, as well as by trade associations, market research firms, businesses and private users. They are frequently used for developing industrial policies, doing economic and market share analysis, and for monitoring and forecasting general trends in the economy.
When will the survey results be available?
Results from the survey are released each month in The Daily, Statistics Canada's official release bulletin.