Statistics Canada

Statistics Canada ( _fr. Statistique Canada) is the Canadian federal government department commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. The bureau is commonly called StatCan or StatsCan. It has regularly been considered the best statistical organization in the world by "The Economist", [cite web |publisher=Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada |url=http://www.sshrc.ca/web/apply/background/ciss_about_e.asp |title=Canadian Initiative on Social Statistics |accessdate=2006-11-05 |date=2006-07-11] Public Policy Forum and others.Fact|date=February 2007

Statistics is a federal responsibility in 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, Statistics Canada undertakes a country-wide census every five years on the first and sixth year of each decade. By law, every household must complete the census form. [cite web |title=The Census and University and College Students |url=http://www22.statcan.ca/ccr08/ccr08_004_e.htm |date=2006-03-13 |accessdate=2006-12-01 |publisher=Statistics Canada] The last Canadian census was held in May 2006, when an Internet version was made widely available for the first time. However, the Statscan website often requires users to pay a fee to view some data.

Statistics Canada was formed in 1971, replacing the Dominion Bureau of Statistics.

Leadership

The head of Statistics Canada is the "Chief Statistician of Canada". The heads of Statistics Canada and the previous organization, the Dominion Bureau of Statistics, are:

* Munir Sheikh (2008 - present)
* Ivan P. Fellegi (1985 - 2008)
* Martin B. Wilk (1980 - 1985)
* James L. Fry (1980)
* Peter G. Kirkham (1975 - 1980)
* Sylvia Ostry (1972 - 1975)
* Walter E. Duffett (1957 - 1972)
* Herbert Marshall (1945 - 1956)
* Sedley A. Cudmore (1942 - 1945)
* Robert H. Coats (1918 - 1942)

Legislation

Statistics Canada is governed by:

* Statistics Act, Revised Statutes of Canada 1985

Publications

Statistics Canada publishes numerous documents covering a range of statistical information about Canada, including census data, economic and health indicators, immigration economics, income distribution, and social and justice conditions. A press release on April 24, 2006, indicated that "effective today, all electronic publications on Statistics Canada's Web site will be available free of charge."cite web |url=http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/060424/b060424a.htm |title=Access to Statistics Canada's electronic publications at no charge |publisher=Statistics Canada |date=2006-04-24 |accessdate=2006-12-01] though these free publications are only overviews of the raw data, which can often be only available under CANSIM, a fee based service. Statistics Canada does not consider CANSIM to be part of its electronic publications, even though it is also available electronically.

Terms

Statistics Canada uses a variety of terms to designate regions in Canada for statistical purposes:
*Census Agglomeration - Metropolitan areas where the core city is greater than 10,000 but smaller than 100,000 people
*Census Metropolitan Area - Metropolitan areas where the core city is greater than 100,000 people
*Census division - Collection of census subdivisions
*Census subdivision - Cities, towns, municipalities, etc.
**City
**Chartered community - found in the Northwest Territories
**County municipality - rural territories in Alberta
**Community - villages in Prince Edward Island
**Canton - Townships in Quebec
**United cantons - Townships which have been united in Quebec
**District municipality - Rural or urban territories of British Columbia
**Hamlet - Small communities in the territories
**Improvement district - Rural territories in Alberta
**Indian government district - found in British Columbia
**Inuit land - found in Quebec
**Island municipality
**Local government district - found in Manitoba
**Municipality - Rural territories in Quebec
**Municipal district - Rural territories in Alberta and Nova Scotia
**Northern hamlet - found in Saskatchewan
**Nisga'a land
**Northern village - found in Saskatchewan and Quebec (Village nordique)
**Nisga'a village - found in British Columbia
**Parish - rural territories in Quebec (Parish municipalities) and New Brunswick
**Indian reserve
**Rural community
**Regional district electoral area - Unorganized rural areas in British Columbia
**Region
**Regional municipality - At the CSD level, an amalgamation of a large region. Found in Alberta and Nova Scotia
**Rural municipality - rural territories in Manitoba and Saskatchewan
**Resort village - found in Saskatchewan
**Indian settlement
**Special area - rural territories in Alberta
**Subdivision of county municipality - rural territories of Alberta
**Settlement - small communities in the territories
**Subdivision of unorganized - unorganized rural territories of Newfoundland and Labrador
**Summer village - found in Alberta
**Town
**Township - At the CSD level, only in Ontario
**Township and royalty - Rural territories in Prince Edward Island
**Teslin land
**Reserve lands - found in Quebec
**Unorganized area
**Ville - cities and towns in Quebec
**Cree village - found in Quebec
**Naksapi village
**Village
*Urban area
*Designated place

References and notes

External links

* [http://www.statcan.ca/ Statistics Canada website]
* [http://www.census2006.ca 2006 Census]