Following an unauthorized disclosure of the April 2020 Labour Force Survey (LFS) results on May 8, 2020, the advance release of information from that monthly survey and other key economic indicators was suspended until further notice. Following an internal investigation and a thorough review of its policy and procedures, the agency amended its Policy on Official Release and made changes to the procedures to further ensure the protection of sensitive data. For more information, please visit Investigation Report: Monthly Labour Force Survey - Release May 8, 2020.
Following the revisions to the Policy on Official Release introduced in 2021, a phased pilot project was undertaken to ensure the effective implementation of the amended procedures. The first phase of the pilot started in May 2021 for the publication of the April 2021 LFS results. This phase provided Finance Canada and the Privy Council Office advance access to the LFS results. The pilot was expanded in February 2022, with the Bank of Canada being given advance access to data from two economic programs: gross domestic product (GDP), income and expenditure; and GDP by industry. The agreement with the Bank of Canada supports the timely and thorough analysis of data for monetary policy purposes. It ensures that the content of interest rate announcements and other public communications by the Bank of Canada consider the latest GDP figures.
The pilot project, which allowed the agency to assess the implementation of the amended policy, is now completed, and the Policy on Official Release is fully in effect. The provision of advance release information remains subject to strict controls to safeguard this information, as outlined in the Policy on Official Release. New requests for advance access to sensitive datasets will continue to require authorization by the Chief Statistician on the advice of the Clerk of the Privy Council. The security of sensitive data remains of the utmost importance to Statistics Canada.