Government Information MIT 026B Winter 2002

Under what circumstances are there likely to be useful government publications on your topic?

Scientific or Social Research Funded by the Government Canadian Institute for Scientific Information (CISTI) National Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)

An issue discussed within a government body, particularly within a legislative context Gun control, same-sex spousal benefits, –Statutes and Regulations –Hansard Debates

A complex social issue, particularly one on which the government will have to make policy Information infrastructure, reproductive technologies, crime, aboriginal rights –Government department reports –Royal Commissions

Statistical Data Economic indicators –Changes in the Gross Domestic Product –Unemployment rates –Interest rates Census data

Federal Government Information National Library of Canada Depository System Canada Site Statistics Canada

The National Library of Canada AMICUS: The Catalogue of the National Library Canadiana: The National Bibliography Canadian Information by Subject

Federal Depository Services Providing Canadians with equal and ready access to federal government information –Legislative Guides –Background Information

Canada Site: The central website for the Government of Canada –Websites for individual departments, agencies and government bodies –Legislative information Bills in the House of Commons Consolidated Statutes

“There are lies, damned lies, and statistics” -attributed to Benjamin Disraeli

Statistics in Canada 1608:First Census 1666/67:Census in New France: Persons Areas under cultivation Livestock 1867:BNA Act: Statistics are a federal jurisdiction

Statistics in Canada, cont. 1918:Statistics Act creates the “Dominion Bureau of Statistics” 1971:Name changes to “Statistics Canada” 1980s:Cost Recovery

2 Purposes: 1.Collect, compile, analyze, abstract, publish statistical information -commercial, industrial, financial, social, economic, general activities of the people 2. Take the Census of Canada -formerly every 10 years, now every 5 years

CANSIM Database “Canadian Socio-Economic Information Management System” Main databank of Statistics Canada

What’s Terrific About Statistics Canada HUGE RELIABLE DETAILED EXTENSIVELY CATALOGUED PUBLISHED IN A WIDE RANGE OF FORMATS

BUT………. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ What do you do when the world changes?

Government Information Classification Schemes United States:SuDOC Canada: CODOC

SuDOCS C 13.1: CGov. Dept/Agency 13Agency/Subordinate Agency. 1Series or category grouping : Individual items in a series

Codoc CA2 ON LC R26 CACountry 2Level of government ONIdentification of government LCMain organization/department - -Subordinate body - -Date R26Cutter number 1= Federal 2=Provincial

Government departments, in their drive to conserve costs, are increasingly by-passing the depository system and mounting their information independently on their own websites.