Statistics Canada's Financial Statements, March 31, 2024

1. Authority and objectives

Statistics Canada (the agency) was established in 1918, pursuant to the Statistics Act. The agency received full departmental status by order-in-council in 1965.

The agency is a division of the public service named in Schedule I.1 of the Financial Administration Act. The minister responsible for Statistics Canada is the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, who represents the agency in Parliament and in Cabinet.

The agency's mandate derives primarily from the Statistics Act. The act requires the agency — under the direction of the minister — to collect, compile, analyze, and publish statistical information on the economic, social, and general conditions of the country and its citizens. Statistics Canada has a mandate to coordinate and manage the country's statistical system.

The agency's mandate has two primary objectives:

• Provide statistical information and analysis of the economic and social structure and functioning of Canadian society as a basis for the development, operation and evaluation of public policies and programs. This information is used for public and private decision-making, and for the general benefit of all Canadians.
• Promote the quality, coherence, and international comparability of Canada's statistics through collaboration with other federal departments and agencies, with the provinces and territories, and in accordance with sound scientific standards and practices.

The agency reports on the two core responsibilities described below.

• Statistical information - The agency has a responsibility to produce objective high-quality statistical information for the whole of Canada. The statistical information produced relates to the commercial, industrial, financial, social, economic, environmental, and general activities and conditions of the people of Canada.
• Internal services - Internal services are groups of related activities and resources that are administered to support the needs of programs and other corporate obligations of an organization.

2. Summary of significant accounting policies

These financial statements are prepared using the agency's accounting policies stated below, which are based on Canadian public sector accounting standards. The presentation and results using the stated accounting policies do not result in any significant differences from Canadian public sector accounting standards.

The significant accounting policies are as follows:

(a) Parliamentary authorities

The agency is financed by the Government of Canada through Parliamentary authorities. Financial reporting of authorities provided to the agency do not parallel financial reporting according to generally accepted accounting principles since authorities are primarily based on cash flow requirements. Consequently, items recognized in the Statement of Operations and Departmental Net Financial Position and in the Statement of Financial Position are not necessarily the same as those provided through authorities from Parliament. Note 3 provides a reconciliation between the bases of reporting. The planned results amounts in the "Expenses" and "Revenues" sections of the Statement of Operations and Departmental Net Financial Position are the amounts reported in the Future-oriented Statement of Operations included in the 2023-24 Departmental Plan. Planned results are not presented in the "Government funding and transfers" section of the Statement of Operations and Departmental Net Financial Position and in the Statement of Change in Departmental Net Debt because these amounts were not included in the 2023-24 Departmental Plan.

(b) Net cash provided by Government

The agency operates within the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF), which is administered by the Receiver General for Canada. All cash received by the agency is deposited into the CRF, and all cash disbursements made by the agency are paid from the CRF. The net cash provided by the Government is the difference between all cash receipts and all cash disbursements, including transactions between departments of the Government.

(c) Amounts due from or to the CRF

Amounts due from or to the CRF are the result of timing differences at year-end between when a transaction affects authorities and when it is processed through the CRF. Amounts due from the CRF represent the net amount of cash that the agency is entitled to draw from the CRF without further authorities to discharge its liabilities.

(d) Revenues and deferred revenues

Revenues are comprised of revenues earned from non-tax sources. They include exchange transactions where goods or services are provided for consideration where a performance obligation exists, and non-exchange transactions where no performance obligations exist to provide a good or service. These transactions can be recurring or non-recurring in nature. Recurring transactions are viewed as ongoing, routine activities that form part of the normal course of operations and can be used to indicate if they can be reasonably expected to be earned again in future years.

Deferred revenue consists of amounts received in advance of the delivery of goods and rendering of services that will be recognized as revenue in a subsequent fiscal year as it is earned. Other revenues are recognized in the period the event giving rise to the revenues occurred.

Revenues that are non-respendable are not available to discharge the department's liabilities. While the chief statisticien is expected to maintain accounting control, he or she has no authority regarding the disposition of non-respendable revenues. As a result, non-respendable revenues are earned on behalf of the Government of Canada and are therefore presented as a reduction of the entity's gross revenues. Revenues earned on behalf of Government consist of the sale of services and gains on the sale of assets. These are recognized when earned.

(e) Expenses

• Transfer payments are recorded as an expense in the year the transfer is authorized, and all eligibility criteria have been met by the recipient.
• Vacation pay and compensatory leave are accrued as the benefits are earned by employees under their respective terms of employment.
• Services provided without charge by other government departments for accommodation, employer contributions to the health and dental insurance plans, and workers' compensation are recorded as operating expenses at their carrying value.

(f) Employee future benefits

1. Pension benefits — Eligible employees participate in the Public Service Pension Plan, a multi-employer pension plan administered by the Government. The agency's contributions to the Plan are charged to expenses in the year incurred and represent the total departmental obligation to the Plan. The agency's responsibility with regard to the Plan is limited to its contributions. Actuarial surpluses or deficiencies are recognized in the financial statements of the Government of Canada, as the Plan's sponsor.
2. Severance benefits — The accumulation of severance benefits for voluntary departures ceased for applicable employee groups. The remaining obligation for employees who did not withdraw benefits is calculated using information derived from the results of the actuarially determined liability for employee severance benefits for the Government as a whole.

(g) Financial instruments

A contract establishing a financial instrument creates, at its inception, rights, and obligations to receive or deliver economic benefits. The financial assets and financial liabilities portray these rights and obligations in the financial statements. The Department recognizes a financial instrument when it becomes a party to a financial instrument contract.

Financial instruments consist of accounts receivable, and accounts payable and accrued liabilities. All financial assets and liabilities are recorded at cost. Any associated transaction costs are added to the carrying value upon initial recognition. When necessary, an allowance for valuation is recorded to reduce the carrying value of accounts receivable to amounts that approximate their net recoverable value.

(h) Non-financial assets

• The costs of acquiring land, buildings, equipment, and other capital property are capitalized as tangible capital assets and, except for land, are amortized to expense over the estimated useful lives of the assets, as described in Note 8. All tangible capital assets and leasehold improvements having an initial cost of $10,000 or more are recorded at their acquisition cost. Tangible capital assets do not include immovable assets located on reserves as defined in the Indian Act, works of art, museum collection and Crown land to which no acquisition cost is attributable, and intangible assets.
• Purchased intangibles are identifiable non-monetary economic resources without physical substance that are acquired in exchange transactions from arm's length third parties. Purchased intangibles exclude software, which is included in tangible capital assets. Commencing April 1, 2023, the cost of a purchased intangible is capitalized as an asset when the department controls the intangible and the intangible contributes to the capacity of the government to deliver services and products, generate future cash inflows or reduce cash outflows. Purchased intangible assets are amortized to expense over the estimated useful life of the assets. Prior to April 1, 2023, purchased intangibles were expensed as incurred.
• Consumable supplies include items held for future program delivery and are not intended for resale. These supplies are recorded at the acquisition cost. If there is no longer a service potential, the supplies are valued at the lower of cost or net realizable value.

(i) Contingent liabilities

Contingent liabilities are potential liabilities which may become actual liabilities when one or more future events occur or fail to occur. If the future event is likely to occur or fail to occur, and a reasonable estimate of the loss can be made, a provision is accrued, and an expense recorded to other expenses. If the likelihood is not determinable or an amount cannot be reasonably estimated, the contingency is disclosed in the notes to the financial statements.

(j) Contingent assets

Contingent assets are possible assets which may become actual assets when one or more future events occur or fail to occur. If the future event is likely to occur or fail to occur, the contingent asset is disclosed in the notes to the financial statements.

(k) Transactions involving foreign currencies

Transactions involving foreign currencies are translated into Canadian dollar equivalents using rates of exchange in effect at the time of those transactions. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into Canadian dollars using the rate of exchange in effect at March 31. The Government has elected to recognize gains and losses resulting from foreign currency translation, including those arising prior to settlement or derecognition of the financial instrument, directly on the Statement of Operations and Departmental Net Financial Position according to the activities to which they relate.

(l) Measurement uncertainty

The preparation of these financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported and disclosed amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes at March 31. The estimates are based on facts and circumstances, historical experience, general economic conditions and reflect the Government's best estimate of the related amount at the end of the reporting period. The most significant items where estimates are used are the liability for employee future benefits and the useful life of tangible capital assets. Actual results could significantly differ from those estimated. Management's estimates are reviewed periodically and, as adjustments become necessary, they are recorded in the financial statements in the year they become known.

(m) Related party transactions

Related party transactions, other than inter-entity transactions, are recorded at the exchange amount. Inter-entity transactions are transactions between commonly controlled entities. Inter-entity transactions, other than restructuring transactions, are recorded on a gross basis and are measured at the carrying amount, except for the following:

1. Services provided on a recovery basis are recognized as revenues and expenses on a gross basis and measured at the exchange amount.
2. Certain services received on a without charge basis are recorded for departmental financial statement purposes at the carrying amount.

3. Parliamentary authorities

The agency receives most of its funding through annual parliamentary authorities. Items recognized in the Statement of Operations and Departmental Net Financial Position and the Statement of Financial Position in one year may be funded through parliamentary authorities in prior, current, or future years. Accordingly, the agency has different net results of operations for the year on a government funding basis than on an accrual accounting basis. The differences are reconciled in the following tables:

(a) Reconciliation of net cost of operations to current year authorities used

(b) Authorities provided and used

4. Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

The following table presents details of the agency's accounts payable and accrued liabilities:

5. Revenues

The department has the following major types of revenues: special statistical services, miscellaneous revenues, and revenues earned on behalf of the Government. Miscellaneous revenues include gains on sales of assets, other gains on foreign exchange valuations and other fees and charges. These are recorded when as performance obligations are satisfied.

(a) Disaggregated revenues

6. Deferred revenue

The agency has the authority to expend revenue received during the fiscal year. Deferred revenue represents the balance at year-end of unearned revenues stemming from amounts received from external parties, which are restricted for specific statistical services. Revenue is recognized in the period in which these expenditures are incurred or in which the service is performed. Details of the transactions related to this account are as follows:

7. Employee future benefits

(a) Pension benefits

The agency's employees participate in the Public Service Pension Plan ("the Plan"), which is sponsored and administered by the Government of Canada. Pension benefits accrue up to a maximum period of 35 years at a rate of 2 percent per year of pensionable service, times the average of the best five consecutive years of earnings. The benefits are integrated with Canada/Québec Pension Plan benefits and they are indexed to inflation.

Both the employees and the agency contribute to the cost of the Plan. Due to the amendment of the Public Service Superannuation Act following the implementation of provisions related to Economic Action Plan 2012, employee contributors have been divided into two groups – Group 1 relates to existing plan members as of December 31, 2012, and Group 2 relates to members who joined the Plan as of January 1, 2013.  Each group has a distinct contribution rate.

The 2023-2024 expense amounts to $59,169 thousand ($63,369 thousand in 2022-2023). For Group 1 members, the expense represents approximately 1.02 times (1.02 times in 2022-2023) the employee contributions and, for Group 2 members, approximately 1.00 times (1.00 times in 2022-2023) the employee contributions.

The agency's responsibility with regard to the Plan is limited to its contributions. Actuarial surpluses or deficiencies are recognized in the Consolidated Financial Statements of the Government of Canada, as the Plan's sponsor.

(b) Severance benefits

Severance benefits provided to the agency's employees were previously based on an employee's eligibility, years of service and salary at termination of employment. However, since 2011 the accumulation of severance benefits for voluntary departures progressively ceased for substantially all employees. Employees subject to these changes were given the option to be paid the full or partial value of benefits earned to date or collect the full or remaining value of benefits upon departure from the public service. By March 31, 2024, substantially all settlements for immediate cash out were completed. Severance benefits are unfunded and, consequently, the outstanding obligation will be paid from future authorities.

The changes in the obligations during the year were as follows:

8. Accounts receivable and advances

The following table presents details of the agency's accounts receivable and advances balances:

The following table provides an aging analysis of accounts receivable from external parties and the associated valuation allowances used to reflect their net recoverable value

9. Tangible capital assets

Amortization of tangible capital assets is done on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of the asset as follows:

Assets under construction and software assets under development are recorded in the applicable asset class in the year that they become available for use and are not amortized until they are available for use.

10. Contractual obligations and contractual rights

(a) Contractual obligations

The nature of the agency's activities may result in some large multi-year contracts and obligations whereby the agency will be obligated to make future payments when the services/goods are received. Significant contractual obligations that can be reasonably estimated are summarized as follows:

(b) Contractual rights

The activities of the agency sometimes involve the negotiation of contracts or agreements with outside parties that result in the agency having rights to both assets and revenues in the future. They involve sales of goods and services. The agency does not have significant contractual rights to disclose as of March 31, 2024.

11. Related party transactions

The agency is related as a result of common ownership to all government departments, agencies, and Crown corporations. Related parties also include individuals who are members of key management personnel or close family members of those individuals, and entities controlled by, or under shared control of, a member of key management personnel or a close family member of that individual.

The agency enters into transactions with these entities in the normal course of business and on normal trade terms.

(a) Common services provided without charge by other federal government departments

During the year, the agency received services without charge from certain common service organizations related to accommodation, the employer's contribution to the health and dental insurance plans and workers' compensation coverage. These services provided without charge have been recorded at the carrying value in the agency's Statement of Operations and Departmental Net Financial Position as follows:

The Government has centralized some of its administrative activities for efficiency, cost-effectiveness purposes and economic delivery of programs to the public. As a result, the Government uses central agencies and common service organizations so that one department performs services for all other departments and agencies without charge. The costs of these services, such as the payroll and cheque issuance services provided by Public Services and Procurement Canada and audit services provided by the Office of the Auditor General are not included in the agency's Statement of Operations and Departmental Net Financial Position.

(b) Other transactions with other federal government departments and agencies

Expenses and revenues disclosed in (b) exclude common services provided without charge, which are already disclosed in (a).

12. Segmented information

Presentation by segment is based on the agency's core responsibilities. The presentation by segment is based on the same accounting policies as described in the Summary of significant accounting policies in note 2. The following table presents the expenses incurred and revenues generated for the main core responsibilities, by major object of expense and by major type of revenue. The segment results for the period are as follows:

1. Introduction

This document is attached to Statistics Canada's (StatCan) Statement of Management Responsibility Including Internal Control over Financial Reporting for the 2023-2024 fiscal year. This annex provides summary information on the measures taken by StatCan to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting (ICFR), as well as information on internal control management, assessment results and related action plans.

Detailed information on the agency's authority, mandate and core responsibilities can be found in the 2024-25 Departmental plan and the 2022–2023 Departmental Results Report.

2. Departmental system of internal control over financial reporting

2.1 Internal control management

StatCan has a well-established governance and accountability structure to support departmental assessment efforts and oversight of its overall system of internal control. A departmental internal control management framework, approved by the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), is in place and comprises:

• organizational accountability structures as they relate to internal control management to support sound financial management, including roles and responsibilities of senior managers for control management in their areas of responsibility;
• values and ethics;
• ongoing communication and training on the legislative and policy requirements for sound financial management and control; and
• monitoring and regular updates on internal control management, as well as provision of related assessment results and action plans to the Chief Statistician and senior departmental management and, as applicable, to the Departmental Audit Committee (DAC).

The DAC provides advice to the Chief Statistician on the adequacy and effectiveness of the agency's risk management, control and governance frameworks and processes.

2.2 Service arrangements relevant to financial statements

StatCan relies on other organizations for the processing certain transactions that are recorded in its financial statements, as follows:

2.2.1 Common service arrangements

• Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) administers the payment of salaries, the procurement of goods and services, and provides accommodation services;
• Shared Services Canada (SSC) provides information technology (IT) infrastructure services;
• The Department of Justice Canada provides legal services; and
• The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) provides information on public service insurance and centrally administers payment of the employer's share of contribution toward statutory employee benefit plans.

2.2.2 Specific arrangements

• PSPC provides StatCan with the Common Departmental Financial System platform to capture and report financial and material management transactions, as well as procurement information.

Readers of this annex may refer to the annexes of the above-noted departments for a greater understanding of the systems of internal control over financial reporting (ICFR) related to these specific services.

3. StatCan assessment results for the 2023 to 2024 fiscal year

StatCan adopted an ongoing, rotational, risk-based monitoring approach to support testing of internal control over financial reporting. In 2024, StatCan updated its Internal Control over Financial Management Ongoing Monitoring Framework, which replaced its previous version from 2020. According to the new strategy, the ongoing monitoring cycle was extended to a five-year period and the plan is adjusted through an annual environmental scan process.

The following table summarizes the status of the ongoing monitoring activities according to the previous fiscal year's rotational plan under ICFR.

In addition to the ongoing monitoring plan for ICFR, in 2023-2024 StatCan completed the ongoing monitoring testing of Investment Planning and started the Forecasting and Budgeting process as part of the broader Internal Control over Financial Management (ICFM) business processes.

New or significantly amended key controls are summarized in section 3.1. The areas of the departmental system of internal controls that were reviewed this fiscal year are summarized in section 3.2.

3.1 New or significantly amended key controls

In the current fiscal year, there were no significantly amended key controls in existing processes that required a reassessment. A full risk assessment was conducted in 2023-24 and a 2024-25 to 2028-29 ICFM Ongoing Monitoring Framework was developed based on the results.

3.2 Ongoing monitoring program

As part of its rotational ongoing monitoring plan, the agency started its reassessment of Information Technology General Controls (ITGCs) as well as other fraud monitoring activities.

4. Statistics Canada action plan for the next fiscal year (2024-2025) and subsequent fiscal years

Statistics Canada's rotational ongoing monitoring plan over the next three years is shown in the following table. The ongoing monitoring plan is based on:

• an annual validation of high-risk processes and controls; and
• related adjustments to the ongoing monitoring plan as required.

An annual risk assessment is conducted to validate the high-risk controls and to adjust the ongoing monitoring plan as required. Action plans from previous years will be followed-up on to ensure that remedial actions have been taken.

Rotational ongoing monitoring plan

Stage of monitoring