This is Conservative mismanagement at its worst

The case of the disappearing Statistics Canada data

The problem of missing and incomplete data at Statistics Canada goes far deeper than that botched labour report

The Great Statistics Canada 200-Jobs Mystery is generating loads of headlines, as it should. The botched labour report for July, which, initially, and erroneously, claimed Canada produced just 200 jobs that month, has once again sparked questions about the quality of Canada’s statistical data. (Revised figures are due Friday).

 

But this is far from the only thing troubling regular StatsCan users. I made the following chart to illustrate one of the great frustrations that journalists, economists and academics have with StatsCan. One minute, the agency, tasked with measuring the tick tock of the economy and society, tracks seemingly vital data (such as detailed breakdowns of public sector employment and wages by all levels of government, or the total value of government transfer payments to persons by province and type of transfer), the next, *poof*, they’re terminated.

 

Good thing StatsCan still tracks the square footage of fungi production.

http://www.macleans.ca/economy/economicanalysis/the-case-of-the-disappearing-statistics-canada-data/