Manufacturing and Wholesale Trade Division: Environmental Scan

Abstract

In 2015, the Manufacturing and Wholesale Trade Division conducted an environmental scan of its products and services. The objective of the exercise was to ensure the ongoing relevance of the statistical information produced by the division for data users. This report highlights the key data gaps and deficiencies identified through the process, as well as the projects planned to bridge them.

Table of contents

• Executive summary
• Introduction
  • Manufacturing and wholesale trade in Canada
  • Context
  • Process
• Data gaps and deficiencies
  • Users want more detail at the provincial and sub-provincial levels
  • Users want more information on business dynamics
  • Users have questions on emerging trends
  • Users want to better understand the manufacturing and wholesale sectors within the global context
  • Users want to leverage Statistics Canada's subject-matter expertise
• Dimensions of information quality
  • Accuracy
  • Timeliness
  • Accessibility
  • Interpretability
  • Coherence
• What's next?
• Conclusion
• Appendix
  • Manufacturing and wholesale trade statistics
  • Potential projects according to type of stakeholder
  • Participating organizations
  • Additional discussion questions

Note of appreciation

The environmental scan for the Manufacturing and Wholesale Trade Division (MWTD) would not have been possible without the important contributions of a number of people.

Andy Kohut, director of MWTD until his retirement in 2015, offered guidance and inspiration for this project.

Great thanks and appreciation go out to Elizabeth Richards, who authored various drafts of this report and participated in a number of meetings with stakeholders and data users.

A number of staff in MWTD participated in meetings with stakeholders, key clients, and data users across Canada. Their effort and enthusiasm for organizing meetings, attending them, compiling notes and following up when required are greatly appreciated. Indeed, the scan project highlighted the dedication and commitment of MWTD employees to producing high quality statistical information that matters.

Finally, MWTD extends thanks to everyone who took the time to meet and share their thoughts on MWTD programs. Their comments on data gaps, deficiencies, and ways that MWTD data products could be more relevant or otherwise improved are greatly appreciated. A full list of data users and stakeholders who were consulted for the environmental scan can be found in the Appendix.

Executive summary

Statistics Canada's mission is to serve Canadians with high-quality statistical information that matters. Ensuring the relevance of programs is key to accomplishing that mission. From March to June 2015, the manufacturing and wholesale programs at Statistics Canada conducted an environmental scan of products and services by meeting with key stakeholders to review their needs and thereby identify data gaps and deficiencies. We consulted a variety of data users to ensure that different perspectives were well represented. The provincial and federal governments were consulted, as well as users in the private sector, crown corporations and academia.

As a result of the environmental scan, we were able to conduct a strategic review of the manufacturing and wholesale programs and are moving forward with improvements. This report highlights some of the key recommendations from users and provides a list of the projects planned for 2016/2017 to bridge high-priority data gaps.

Highlights of recommendations:

• Users want more information on the manufacturing and wholesale trade sectors at the provincial and sub-provincial levels, including interprovincial trade. Multiple data points are suppressed at the provincial level to protect the confidentiality of respondents, and those suppressions limit analysis at the provincial level. The manufacturing and wholesale programs need to explore how to publish additional information while respecting the confidentiality of reported data. Users also recommended that data be published at the local or sub-provincial level, as they want an understanding of local trends.
• Users want more information on business dynamics to better understand structural changes in the economy. For example, it was recommended that the manufacturing and wholesale programs publish data on firm creation for manufacturing, or a measure of the indirect labour associated with the sector.
• Users have questions on emerging trends and activities that cannot be answered by currently available products. For example, their analysis would benefit from data on price-deflated sales at the industry level or information on emerging products, such as green goods or high technology content goods.
• Users need a stronger understanding of how manufacturing and wholesale trade sectors are evolving in a globalized economy. They anticipate that measuring offshoring activity for the manufacturing sector will become increasingly important, as Canadian businesses become more likely to specialize in design, and to move the manufacturing portion of their operations offshore.
• Finally, users want to leverage Statistics Canada's subject-matter expertise through additional analytical products and context to complement data products.

As a result of the environmental scan feedback, a number of projects are planned for 2016/2017 to bridge some of the data gaps identified by users.

Highlights of planned projects:

• Constant dollar series at the industry level will be developed and published on a monthly basis for the manufacturing and wholesale industries.
• The manufacturing program will research and implement strategies to reduce confidentiality suppressions at the provincial level to improve the analysis of provincial trends.
• An analytical paper was published on manufacturing sales and employment in various census metropolitan areas, and additional research will be conducted to explore publishing local-level manufacturing data on an ongoing basis.
• The manufacturing and wholesale programs will provide more contextual information to support data products by adding information on prices or the impact of economic events in The Daily, and by publishing a number of longer analytical pieces.

These projects will add substantial value to the manufacturing and wholesale programs; however, they do not address all of the data gaps and deficiencies identified through the environmental scan. Additional recommendations, which will lead to more extensive updates to the programs, will require further planning. Over the next year, both programs will develop a five-year plan to address these gaps and deficiencies in the future.

Introduction

Manufacturing and wholesale trade in Canada

The manufacturing and wholesale trade sectors in Canada are a high priority for government, businesses, investors and Canadians. Both sectors are important to the overall health of the economy. In 2015, the manufacturing sector represented 10.5% of Canada's total gross domestic product, while the wholesale trade sector accounted for 5.8%. In that same year, manufacturers employed 9.5% of the working population and wholesalers employed 5.0%—a total of 2.3 million jobs. Canadian manufacturers and wholesalers also contribute significantly to international trade. For example, motor vehicle manufacturers export roughly 85% of vehicles assembled in Canada.

Description of Chart 1

Pie chart: Gross domestic product for manufacturing and wholesale trade, percentage of all industries (2015), at basic prices

• Manufacturing: 10.5%
• Wholesale trade: 5.8%
• All other sections: 83.7%

Source(s): Gross domestic product at basic prices, CANSIM table 379-0031

The manufacturing and wholesale trade sector information is a key input for data on gross domestic product. Data from the manufacturing and wholesale programs are used by Finance Canada and the Bank of Canada in developing fiscal and monetary policies. Data are also employed by a variety of other users, such as provincial, territorial and federal departments, as well as banks and private sector users to support their decision-making processes.

Both the manufacturing and wholesale programs publish monthly and annual surveys (see the Appendix for a list of published statistics). The monthly surveys provide important current economic indicators, which produce a timely snapshot of the health of both sectors about 45 days after the reference month. The media, policy-makers and industry analysts track the monthly survey results to measure the performance of manufacturers and wholesalers. The annual surveys are published roughly 15 months after the reference calendar year and provide a more comprehensive and detailed understanding of the sectors, including financial information, business characteristics and commodity level detail.

Context

As part of the Corporate Business Plan, the Chief Statistician of Canada identified responding to the evolving information needs of users and stakeholders as a priority for the agency over the next few years. In order to align our resources to meet the most important priorities of users, we need to engage and connect with stakeholders to improve our understanding of their needs (Corporate Business Plan, 2015/2016 to 2017/2018).

Our goals in conducting an environmental scan were to:

• engage users
• review their data needs
• identify data gaps and deficiencies
• gather information on emerging demands and priorities.

By conducting the environmental scan, the manufacturing and wholesale programs are renewing their relationships with users, expanding contacts and ensuring that the programs remain useful and relevant. It is important that we understand how our data are used and the questions policy-makers and researchers will have to answer in the next few years on the manufacturing and wholesale trade sectors. With a strategic review of the recommendations received through the consultations, both programs will develop a mid- to long-term vision.

Process

The manufacturing and wholesale programs consulted a variety of users to ensure that different perspectives were well represented in the environmental scan findings. In an effort to gather feedback from as many stakeholders as possible, consultations were advertised on the Statistics Canada website. The objectives and contact information were posted in the Consulting Canadians module.

Consultations started with internal users, who shared their perspectives on efficiencies and emerging trends. Meetings were held with one of the key data users, the Canadian System of Macroeconomic Accounts, as well as with other subject-matter divisions within Statistics Canada. Participants discussed potential collaborations with consulted divisions, as well as efficiencies related to methodology and systems.

Description of Chart 2

A diagram of a pyramid with the following labels, from top to bottom:

• StatCan internal users
• Provinces and territories
• Banks
• Federal departments
• Academics
• Industry associations
• Private sector

We were able to consult various ministries within provincial governments thanks to support from provincial statistical focal points, a network of 13 provincial/territorial official representatives who collaborate with Statistics Canada to determine data requirements, who consult on current statistical activities and who coordinate the dissemination of Statistics Canada's products to provincial and territorial governments. Consultations were held with private banks, as well as the Bank of Canada and Industry Canada. Academics in the economics and business faculties of several universities were also consulted; they expressed a unique perspective and were keen to provide feedback on our confidentiality and dissemination policies. Finally, we met with a variety of other users, such as industry associations and private sector analysts. For a complete list, please see the list of consulted organizations in the Appendix.

Description of Chart 3

Developing a vision and a strategic plan

• March to June 2015: Consultations throughout Canada
• August 2015: Feedback from senior management
• Fall 2015: Project proposals
• Winter 2016: Final report
• 2016/ 2017: Project implementation
• Beyond: Renewal of strategic plan

Staff assigned to the manufacturing and wholesale programs travelled throughout Canada to meet with users from March to June 2015. They also sought feedback through teleconference calls and email correspondence. The feedback gathered from participants was documented and the key recommendations were presented to senior management at Statistics Canada in August 2015. As a result of the feedback, project proposals were developed to meet the most pressing needs of users, concurrent with the continuing development of a strategic plan and vision for both programs. These projects will be implemented in 2016/2017 and are documented in Approved projects.

Data gaps and deficiencies

The feedback and recommendations from users are summarized in this section and organized in five different themes:

• users want more detail at the provincial and sub-provincial levels
• users want more information on business dynamics
• users have questions on emerging trends
• users want a better understanding of Canadian manufacturing and wholesaling in a global context
• users want to leverage Statistics Canada's subject-matter expertise.

The data gaps described in this section speak to the relevance of the manufacturing and wholesale programs and how products can be improved. The subsequent section will address deficiencies in the other dimensions of information quality: accuracy, timeliness, accessibility, interpretability and coherence.

Users want more detail at the provincial and sub-provincial levels

Confidential suppressions at the provincial level

To protect the confidentiality of respondents, Statistics Canada applies a confidentiality mask prior to disseminating information to ensure that confidential data cannot be identified. As a result, data on some industries at the national and provincial level may be suppressed. Secondary suppressions are made to prevent users from calculating suppressed data through subtraction from totals. Reducing both primary and secondary suppressions for industry data at the provincial level was a high priority for provincial ministries.

Users communicated that the suppressions limit their ability to fully understand the manufacturing and wholesale trade sectors in their province. For example, in British Columbia, clothing manufacturing has grown in recent years. For confidentiality reasons, Statistics Canada does not publish data for the industry and, therefore, users are unable to fully understand the extent of the growth. In the Atlantic provinces, most industry-level data for manufacturing and wholesaling industries are not public. It was suggested that the data be combined for multiple provinces to allow Statistics Canada to publish the series. Data for some industries, such as food manufacturing in New Brunswick, have been confidential for years, despite the fact that they are vital to understanding employment and output fluctuations related to seafood in the province.

Users also communicated that changing confidentiality patterns impede their ability to understand trends at the industry level, as data for some industries will shift between published and confidential over time.

Sub-provincial level data, by census metropolitan area or regional development area

Users want to understand dynamics for cities and economic regions at the industry level. Depending on the province, the importance of manufacturing or wholesale trade will vary from one region to another. Publishing local level data would benefit users and allow them to better understand different sub-provincial economies.

Data on inter-provincial and intra-provincial trade

For provincial departments, understanding inter-provincial and intra-provincial trade is becoming an increasingly important policy topic as provincial trade agreements are being renegotiated. During the consultations, some users highlighted the importance of data on commodity-level shipments, mode of transportation and the weight of the shipments between provinces, illustrating the desire to have information that can be related across different sectors of the economy.

Users want more information on business dynamics

Additional data

Our users stressed the importance of collecting data on direct and indirect employment figures, as well as the number of establishments in the manufacturing sector, to better understand business dynamics. Although the Business Register currently publishes a snapshot of the number of manufacturing establishments on a monthly basis, this dataset is not recommended for longitudinal analysis, because of multiple operational updates and changes to Statistics Canada's methodology or collection systems.

Business dynamics and competitiveness

Users want a better understanding of business dynamics for the manufacturing and wholesale trade sectors. For example, users are interested in data related to firm creation. They are interested in assessing how competitive Canadian manufacturers are in buying inputs for their production compared with those in the United States. Users also recommended more information on different aspects of competitiveness.

Users have questions on emerging trends

Constant dollars by industry

Obtaining constant dollar data at industry and provincial levels was another top priority for users. Users want to understand whether trends are related to price or volume changes.

High technology content goods or green goods

Users expressed interest in understanding the performance of companies that produce high technology content goods and green goods. They are also interested in tracking the value of those products. Identifying industries that are likely to produce a certain type of commodity is not detailed enough for users. They would like data on certain high-profile commodities to determine emerging demand.

Small and medium enterprises

Users are also interested in understanding small and medium enterprises. In most industries, some larger manufacturers will play a significant part in determining monthly or annual trends. Therefore, it is important to be able to isolate small and medium enterprises to understand their performance. Users have different definitions of what constitutes a small or medium enterprise, most of which are based on the number of employees. Given that the sampling methodology for the manufacturing and wholesale surveys is based on the value of sales, there are a number of conceptual or methodological challenges in producing data on small and medium enterprises.

Online sales for manufacturers and wholesalers

Users want to capture online sales for manufacturers and wholesalers, because of their growing importance.

Users want to better understand the manufacturing and wholesale sectors within the global context

How are global value chains evolving?

Some academics are studying the relationship between manufacturing and wholesale trade to gain a better understanding of global supply chains. The relative importance of the manufacturing sector within the Canadian economy has declined in recent years, and researchers are looking to understand how Canadian manufacturing is evolving in a global economy. Are manufacturers shifting their business model to outsourcing manufacturing activity and undertaking more design work in Canada? Are wholesalers buying and reselling a product abroad without it ever entering Canada? Do firms hold inventories abroad?

Trade and economic statistics

Users want to understand the relationship between manufacturing growth and export trends. There is currently no concordance list between the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) and the North American Product Classification System (NAPCS). This limits the ability of users to link industry and commodity level data.

Additional gaps and deficiencies

Some users expressed a need for seasonally adjusted wholesale data by industry and by province. Currently, data on wholesale sales by province are not seasonally adjusted. In addition, manufacturing sales are only seasonally adjusted for larger industries. Other users expressed interest in the possibility of publishing inventory and unfilled orders at the provincial level. This would improve the quality of their gross domestic product calculations and forecasts.

Clarify questionnaire for Sawmills Program

Currently, there are issues in terms of understanding how to report shipments as transfers for companies that are vertically integrated. Companies sometimes report their output as transfers instead of shipments. The concepts used in the Survey of Sawmills need to be clarified, and the reporting guide for respondents needs to be updated.

Users want to leverage Statistics Canada's subject-matter expertise

The Daily

Users want to leverage subject-matter expertise from Statistics Canada, whether in The Daily or through analytical products. In terms of The Daily, some of the smaller provinces mentioned that they are rarely included in the monthly analysis published by the Monthly Survey of Manufacturing (MSM) or the Monthly Wholesale Trade Survey (MWTS). Users also indicated that they value analysis that pertains to additional indicators or longer-term trends.

Other analytical products

In addition to The Daily, users find longer or descriptive analytical pieces helpful in providing context or explaining trends. MWTD's annual article on the manufacturing sector is well received.

Capacity utilization

In January 2016, the manufacturing program began collecting information on capacity utilization at the plant level through the MSM. Once the response rates stabilize and the quality of the data is considered acceptable for dissemination, the information will be published. Capacity utilization data will provide context at the industry level and help explain trends. They will also be used in The Daily to provide more insight on economic events affecting industries.

During the consultations, users were presented with the capacity utilization questions to be added to the MSM questionnaire. The feedback on the new questions was positive.

Dimensions of information quality

Accuracy

During the consultations, a number of users challenged trends or values in our data. We encouraged users to send in data inquiries with their concerns or specific questions. Given that users have a significant amount of subject-matter expertise, the consultations showed that we need to improve our ability to leverage their expertise, while maintaining the integrity of our confidentiality policies.

Timeliness

Users were asked to provide feedback on the timeliness of releases. The provincial departments have a few hours to analyze the monthly releases after publication. They brief their ministers or senior managers the same day as the release. They are satisfied with the timing of the monthly releases. However, users are not satisfied with the timeliness of the annual releases; they asked that the data be released sooner.

Accessibility

Greater access to business sector microdata

Academics and some industry analysts expressed interest in greater access to the linked microdata files produced by the Economic Analysis Division (EAD). Currently, a Canadian Centre for Data Development and Economic Research (CDER) application must be filed and the researchers must travel to Ottawa (they need to work directly at Statistics Canada) to access the microdata. EAD is aware of this limitation and is working towards a long-term plan for easier microdata access. Academics also suggested that Statistics Canada create a synthetic database with all the attributes of the real database, such as dimensions and variables, but with false data. The database could then be used to create a model, and the code could be run at Statistics Canada with the results sent back for further study. For more information on CDER applications, please refer to our website.

In addition to greater access to microdata, academics also communicated a need for additional data files to be linked with manufacturing establishments, such as data on pollution and greenhouse gases. EAD is responsible for giving researchers access to its linked microdata files. The division is aware of these needs and is working toward meeting some of them in the future.

Statistics Canada Website

Generally, once users are familiar with CANSIM and with the tables that they need to access each month, they find the Statistics Canada website easy to navigate. However, new users find it very difficult to obtain the data they need. Users communicated that they often had difficulty searching for specific data sets using the search tool on CANSIM.

A break in the publication of CANSIM series will also create challenges for users. Users asked that terminated series be linked with new series, despite conceptual or methodological changes. They also asked for warning prior to CANSIM matrix changes. Many users access our data directly with statistical software and need to adapt those programs to perform their analyses.

Interpretability

Key users are well versed in concepts and methodology. However, users want more information than we currently provide. More specifically, they asked Statistics Canada to provide more information on methodology, such as sampling and imputation methods.

Users asked for advance warning when we publish data that are subject to methodology changes, with measures such as flagging changes in the relevant Daily article. They also asked if it might be possible for Statistics Canada to keep key stakeholders informed of upcoming methodology changes.

Coherence

In terms of coherence between surveys, users requested more information on the conceptual and methodological differences between surveys, especially between the Annual Survey of Manufacturing and Logging Industries (ASML), and the MSM. Users asked for explanations of the differences in levels or trends between the two surveys.

Along the same line, users would like more information on the conceptual differences between employment data previously published by the ASML, the Labour Force Survey and the Survey for Employment, Payrolls and Hours.

What's next?

A number of projects are underway to address data gaps identified during the consultations.

Constant dollars by industry

The manufacturing and wholesale programs currently publish estimates for constant, or price-deflated, estimates at the sector level for manufacturing and wholesale trade. Conditional on a review of quality, the manufacturing program will add the industry level detail to its monthly publication.

Maximize the number of published data points

A review of the current confidentiality processes will be undertaken to determine whether there is a potential for increasing the amount of published data. This will include a scrutiny of the methods, the software used to apply them and other avenues, such as obtaining wavers from respondents.

Publish small area estimates

In November 2016, an analytical paper based on ASML data and analyzing trends in manufacturing sales and employment in large cities was published. A study will be conducted in 2016 to assess the possibility of developing an estimation method for small-area manufacturing using data from the MSM.

Expand analytical capacity

Some of the environmental scan findings point to a greater need for analysis. In addition to the Annual Review of Manufacturing, which provides information on recent trends from the MSM, there are a number of other external publications planned for upcoming months, including an Annual Review of Wholesale Trade and an analytical paper describing diversity within the manufacturing sector. Increasing analytical output is a key priority for Statistics Canada.

Improving the Sawmills Survey

The content and respondent guide for the Monthly Survey of Sawmills will be reviewed with the objective of clarifying the concept of shipments as transfers. Funds have been allocated for user consultations in 2016.

Update seasonal adjustment

The wholesale program will start to publish seasonally adjusted data at the provincial level before the end of March 2017. Publishing seasonally adjusted data at the provincial level will help remove some of the volatility from seasonal and calendar effects to provide a better indicator for the trend-cycle.

Reinstate the publication of employment data from the Annual Survey of Manufacturing and Logging Industries

The ASML will reinstate data on direct and indirect manufacturing employment for the 2015 reference year. This series was deemed essential for users to fully understand structural changes in the manufacturing sector.

Capacity utilization

The intent is to begin publishing estimates for capacity utilization in late 2016 or early 2017 once the information is deemed of acceptable quality.

E-Commerce module

Modules on e-commerce were added to the ASML and the Annual Survey of Wholesale Trade for the 2015 reference year, with collection beginning in early 2016. The module will add a question on the value of e-commerce, as well as some contextual questions.

Long-term strategic plan

The projects described above will fill the high-priority data gaps identified by users. A longer-term vision will be developed to ensure that work will continue beyond next year to address the remaining needs that were identified during the consultations.

Conclusion

The environmental scan was insightful. Through the consultations, we received feedback that will shape the direction of the manufacturing and wholesale programs going forward. It was also an opportunity to renew the relationship with key users and develop a better understanding of how the data are used. The projects approved for 2016/2017 will bridge a number of data gaps identified in the environmental scan process and add significant value to the existing suite of statistical products.

Since the consultations, we have answered a number of the questions that were asked by the data users that were consulted. Many users are subject-matter experts and it is important to have a two-way exchange of information with them. All parties can benefit from sharing industry information and news from their respective programs. Feedback mechanisms will be incorporated into the production processes to address data concerns and questions post-release, such as question and answer sessions (perhaps twice per year for monthly surveys) and discussion sessions following annual releases. By continuing to engage and connect with users, the manufacturing and wholesale programs will continue to serve Canadians with high-quality statistical information that matters.

Appendix

Manufacturing and wholesale trade statistics

Chart 6: Data published by the Manufacturing and Wholesale Trade Division

Potential projects according to type of stakeholder

The following chart lists the most popular recommendations, as well as the users would support the project.

Participating organizations

Additional discussion questions

Discussion questions

1. Tell us about the nature of the work that you do.
   1. What subject matter and topics do you work on, and what questions do you try to answer?
   2. What types of analysis is conducted using STC data?
   3. What kinds of material do you prepare (decks, briefing notes, etc.)
   4. What timeframe do you usually have to conduct research?
   5. What indicators do you develop using STC data?
   6. What types of analysis would you like to be able to conduct?
2. Are the manufacturing and wholesale trade programs useful for you?
   1. What data are being used? For what purpose? How are they being used?
   2. What are the most important data, for their purposes?
3. Other than STC data, are you using any other external data, to complement or supplement STC data? What about any external analysis?
   1. Are you creating any databases from multiple STC sources?
   2. Are you using any external performance indicators for industries?
   3. Where do you get information on industry performance?
4. Are there gaps or deficiencies in the current data that are collected? What other data would you like to have?
   1. Are there gaps in the current statistical programs? If so, what kinds of gaps are there:
      1. Need greater granularity/level of detail by industry? By geography?
      2. What other data should be collected?
      3. Any suppressed industries that are important to you?
5. What are the key policy issues and questions in the manufacturing and wholesale sectors that you foresee being asked to address over the next five years?
   1. Do you foresee any changes in the data that you will need going forward?
      1. Are there industries that will become more important in size and will need to be measured or tracked?
6. Are there other products and services that you require? (e.g., special tabulations, data sharing agreements, workshops about available data, analytical pieces).
   1. Are there products you would be willing to pay for?
   2. Would you be willing to pay for an expansion of our surveys in any area?
7. Are there any improvements we can make in terms of accuracy, timeliness, accessibility, interpretability, coherence or objectivity?
   1. Accuracy:
      1. How would you judge the quality of available data?
      2. Do you analyze the data quality when using data sets?
      3. Are the data able to measure what they are intended to measure?
      4. Do you see bias or systematic errors in the data? Are there unacceptable levels of variance (random error) in the data?
      5. Do you see problems with coverage, sampling, response, non-response?
   2. Timeliness:
      1. Are the data and products available on a timely basis (i.e. minimal delay between the end of the reference period and the date of release)?
      2. How much time do you have between our monthly and annual releases to produce an analytical report or briefing?
   3. Accessibility:
      1. Do you use CANSIM regularly?
      2. Are you familiar with our CANSIM tool and comfortable using it?
      3. Do you use any other data sources regularly?
      4. How often do you need special tabulations for data? What variables do you need?
      5. What other data sites do you like to use, or are easy to access and manipulate?
      6. What are the barriers you have to accessing STC data? Are costs a barrier?
   4. Is the contextual information / background documents provided sufficient to meet your needs?
      1. Do STC confidentiality requirements provide problems for you?
      2. How easy is it to find out about available data?
      3. How easy is it to find/get the data from Statistics Canada that you need?
      4. How do you get/access the data? Where do you go? How do you get the data? (e.g. CANSIM, special tables from the Manufacturing and Wholesale Trade Division?)
      5. Are there barriers to access (e.g., cost, technology, difficult to use CANSIM)?
      6. Do confidentiality rules reduce the availability of data (e.g. through over-suppression)?
   5. Interpretability:
      1. Can you find the necessary metadata or documentation to be able to understand and use the data appropriately?
      2. Do you use the information available on concepts, variables, classifications used, methodology of data collection and processing, indicators of accuracy or quality, etc.?
      3. Should we include more information on how the data are produced or how the data compare with other surveys?
   6. Coherence:
      1. Are the data coherent over time?
      2. Do the data adhere to standard concepts, classifications, target populations, and methodology?
      3. Do the classifications meet your needs? Do you create any special tabulation for industries as per your own definitions?
      4. Can the data be used with other data from Statistics Canada or other statistical sources? For example, in conjunction with employment or investment data?
   7. Objectivity:
      1. Are the data considered credible, objective, impartial? Do you trust the data from these programs?
8. What would you say are the three most important issues that should be addressed by the manufacturing and wholesale trade statistics programs? If you could pick three areas to focus on, what would you do/fix/add?