Statistics Canada

Statistics Canada
Statistique Canada
Agency overview
FormedMay 1, 1971 (May 1, 1971)
Preceding agency
HeadquartersOttawa, Ontario, Canada
Employees6,890 (March 2019)[1]
Annual budgetCA$507.7 million (2018–19)[2]
Minister responsible
Agency executive
Websitewww.statcan.gc.ca

Statistics Canada (StatCan; French: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in Ottawa.[3]

The agency is led by the chief statistician of Canada, currently Anil Arora, who assumed the role on September 19, 2016.[4] StatCan is accountable to Parliament through the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, currently François-Philippe Champagne.

Statistics Canada acts as the national statistical agency for Canada, and Statistics Canada produces statistics for all the provinces as well as the federal government. In addition to conducting about 350 active surveys on virtually all aspects of Canadian life, the Statistics Act mandates that Statistics Canada has a duty to conduct a country-wide census of population every five years and a census of agriculture every ten years.[5]

It has regularly been considered the best statistical organization in the world by The Economist,[6] such as in the 1991[7] and 1993[8] "Good Statistics" surveys. The Public Policy Forum and others have also recognized successes of the agency.[9]

  1. ^ "GC InfoBase". tbs-sct.gc.ca. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  2. ^ "GC InfoBase". tbs-sct.gc.ca. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  3. ^ "Contact us". StatCan. nd. Retrieved 4 August 2015.Statistics Canada, 150 Tunney's Pasture Driveway Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0T6; Statistique Canada 150, promenade du pré Tunney Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0T6
  4. ^ "Anil Arora appointed chief statistician at StatsCan".
  5. ^ Government of Canada (12 December 2017). "Statistics Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. S-19)". Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  6. ^ "Canadian Initiative on Social Statistics". Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. 11 July 2006. Retrieved 5 November 2006.
  7. ^ "Economist Good Statistics Guide Assesses Accuracy of Figures". The Economist. 7 September 1991.
  8. ^ "Economics Brief – Good Statistics Guide". The Economist. 11 September 1993.
  9. ^ 75 Years and Counting: A History of Statistics Canada. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1993. ISBN 0-662-62187-5.