Some Recent Developments in the Dominion Bureau of Statistics
In: Canadian journal of economics and political science: the journal of the Canadian Political Science Association = Revue canadienne d'économique et de science politique, Band 21, Heft 1, S. 52-63
In a discussion of recent developments it is well to keep in mind that the new grows out of and is founded on the old; that, in statistics as in other fields, our achievements of the present evolve from the endeavours of the past. Similarly our future gains will represent a further stage growing out of our present and past accomplishments.In Canada we have had a well-developed statistical system for many years. The decennial population and distribution censuses, annual industrial censuses, foreign trade and balance of payments statistics, price and agricultural statistics, to mention only some of the more prominent examples, had been securely established as "going concerns" prior to the Second World War. From this substantial base, the war and events in the post-war years hastened the process of extension into new statistical fields and the qualitative improvement of our whole statistical system.While our present achievements stem from past accomplishments, one can discern a substantially different attitude toward statistics now than in pre-war years, by public and private bodies alike. There appears to be a much more widespread awareness of the importance of quantitative data in the solution of problems of various sorts than formerly. This is a natural concomitant of an advancing industrial society. The rapid expansion of the Canadian economy, the vigorous emphasis on social welfare, the increasing complexity of our social structure, and the broader role in economic and social affairs that governments have been forced to assume, all find expression in pressing and persistent demands for more statistics of the highest quality by business, governments, and the public at large. In addition, the work of the United Nations Statistical Commission, the Statistical Office of the Economic and Social Council, and other international bodies have created new demands for statistical information.
