Administrative Files Obtained from Federal Government Departments for Statistical Purposes
The Statistics Act, under which Statistics Canada operates, gives the Agency the authority to access records maintained in any federal department or municipal office, corporation, business or organization where the information sought relates to the mandate of the Agency. Accordingly, Statistics Canada has entered into a number of arrangements with other federal government departments to access administrative files of those departments for the purpose of extracting data for statistical purposes. This has allowed Statistics Canada to exempt many respondents, particularly small businesses, from the filing of regular questionnaires.

The following is a list of the files obtained from each department. Statistics Canada may receive the entire file, or only part, depending on its requirements.

Canada Revenue Agency

CRA PPU 005 Individual Income Tax Return

CRA PPU 040 Taxation Taxpayer Master File

CRA PPU 043 Traveller Declaration Cards

Citizenship and Immigration Canada

CIC PPU 039 International Services: Overseas Immigration Case Files

CIC PPU 042 Immigration Case File

CIC PPU 053 Permanent Resident Data System

CIC PPU 055 Visitor Case File

Human Resources and Social Development Canada

HRSDC PPU 116 Old Age Security (OAS), Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS), Allowance (formerly Spouse's Allowances) (Individual)

HRSDC PPU 140 Canada Pension — Record of Earnings

HRSDC PPU 146 Canada Pension Plan — Retirement, Disability, Survivors and Death Benefits (Individual)

HRSDC PPU 150 Insurance Claim File — Local Office

HRSDC PPU 180 Benefit and Overpayment File

HRSDC PPU 210 Automated Earnings Reporting System

HRSDC PPU 293 Employment Benefits and Support Measures

HRSDC PPU 385 Record of Employment (Second Copy)

HRSDC PPU 390 Identity Management Services and Social Insurance Number Register

Justice Canada

JUS PPU 005 Central Registry of Divorce Proceedings

Business Statistics
The business database contains information which relates to the major industrial and services sectors of the economy. The information is obtained from establishments within companies through surveys, and from administrative records. It is used to describe the whole range of business activity in Canada, the goods and services produced, the cost structure of each industry and the location of industrial activity. It measures the kind and quality of goods produced, the costs of materials, labour and capital employed and the prices of both material and final products. The information is also a vital input to the System of National Accounts. As some of the businesses surveyed are unincorporated, there is personal information in this database relating to owners of unincorporated businesses who can be identified by a social insurance number. The business databank may contain personal information with respect to unincorporated businesses in the forestry, mining, energy and resource and manufacturing sectors; retail and wholesale trade; rail, road and water transportation industries; services, communications and tourism industries; general and trade contractors; and importers and exporters.