It is a pleasure to outline Statistics Canada's accomplishments over the 2021–22 fiscal year in this Departmental Results Report.
As the country continued to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges, Statistics Canada accelerated its delivery of data-driven insights to Canadians to inform an inclusive and sustainable recovery.
Specifically, the agency has delivered results for Canadians on the following priorities for 2021–22:
- Carry out the 2021 Census: The agency's flagship statistical program, the Census of Population, was a virtually contact-free operation. We are grateful for the participation of Canadians and the contribution of our census employees who enable us to achieve a record-high response rate of 98%, with an online response rate of 84%. The first results were released in February 2022, and results will continue to be released throughout the year, providing a snapshot of Canada's increasing diversity and assisting in measuring the country's recovery from the pandemic. The 2021 Census of Agriculture achieved an even higher online response rate despite numerous challenges, reflecting the strong relations the agency has built with industry partners in recent years. The agency also released an initial study from its new Census of Environment. This will help track Canada's performance toward becoming a world leader in sustainable economic growth.
- Deliver user-centric products and services: To ensure that statistical information reaches more Canadians in ways that allow them to better understand the data, Statistics Canada is making its products available in a variety of user-friendly, technology-based formats. This year, the agency launched a new official release vehicle to tell data stories and communicate with Canadians more frequently; a mobile app that provides easy access to insights, expert analysis and fun facts; and a podcast series that puts the people behind statistics in the spotlight.
- Use leading-edge methods during the pandemic: The agency responded to the increased demands for health-related information to support urgent public health decisions and developed economic programs to provide key labour market data and business conditions by launching new surveys, dashboards and portals and rapidly integrating data from different sources. It also provided more timely data and real-time analysis of trends, including more disaggregated data on socioeconomic factors that the agency is collecting as part of its Disaggregated Data Action Plan. Additionally, Statistics Canada began releasing nowcast estimates while continuing to provide key monthly economic indicators in its Canadian Economic Dashboard and COVID-19.
- Use leading-edge methods beyond COVID-19: Statistics Canada has scaled up its use of data science and open science to deliver sound statistics more efficiently, effectively and accessibly than ever. Modernized survey tools have brought increased flexibility to data collection, while a new, multi-year initiative aims to improve the international framework for recognizing environmental accounting. Text-to-speech was also piloted on selected Statistics Canada web pages to determine the best approach to providing this enhanced service to Canadians.
- Collaborate and engage with Canadians: In 2021‒22, Statistics Canada expanded its engagement with key partners to ensure that the data collected from, and with, them serve their needs while helping to enrich the data ecosystem in this country. Collaborations included encouraging citizen development, launching new data labs, partnering with research groups and universities, and sharing information and building statistical capacity with Indigenous groups across the land, municipalities, and chambers of commerce. Moreover, the agency continues to be a data stewardship leader in the federal public service, ensuring that departments can effectively govern and manage their data assets to better serve all Canadians.
- Collaborate and lead internationally and foster data literacy: Statistics Canada is leading international data standards to make it easier to create, share and integrate partner data and other forms of publicly available data. The agency collaborated with Apolitical and was awarded the Public Service Team of the Year 2021: Data and Digital Champions for the Data Literacy Training Initiative. Statistics Canada continues to play a leadership role in various United Nations expert groups and networks and is preparing to welcome data leaders to the World Statistics Congress 2023, which will be held in Ottawa, Ontario.
- Build an agile workforce and culture: Against the backdrop of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Statistics Canada built on its Modern Workforce and Flexible Workplace initiative to create a Statistics Canada hybrid workplace model for shaping our future together. The hybrid model leverages the benefits of on-site work and telework, allowing for a broader, national presence and giving more flexibility for employees to work where they are most effective. This new, modernized way of working will improve employee experience, operations, business processes and productivity, which will enhance the agency's already strong delivery of high-quality statistical information.
In addition to its high-velocity communications and the dissemination of its high-quality statistical information, Statistics Canada's commitment to privacy and transparency continues to be strengthened through ethical frameworks and its Trust Centre. I invite Canadians to provide feedback using the Trust Centre and to learn more about how Statistics Canada responsibly collects and uses their data to provide them with the evidence they need to make informed decisions.
The level of success we experienced this year could not have been completed without the strong collaboration efforts of many different groups who provided advice and support for the work undertaken by this agency. I would like to thank the Canadian Statistics Advisory Council, all the advisory committees, partners in all levels of government and the private, academic and not-for-profit sectors who played a key role in this past year's accomplishments.
The need for timely and accurate data has never been greater in revealing whether Canada is on the right track as the nation—and its economy and society—gradually recovers from the pandemic.
Anil Arora
Chief Statistician of Canada