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Steps:
Government access is arranged through the Statistics Canada Virtual Data Lab (VDL) by contacting statcan.dad-frdcadmin-admindad-cfrd.statcan@statcan.gc.ca. However, if you are working with an academic team and you are unsure about any part of the application process, you can contact CRDCN (Assistant Director Research & Evaluation, CRDCN) for help.
RDC access is available as part of a suite of offerings through Statistics Canada’s Data Access Division (DAD). Before you begin the process of applying for access to confidential microdata, you should ensure that no other Statistics Canada data sources are suitable for your research. These include Statistics Canada’s public use files, real-time remote access program, and custom tabulations. Custom tabulations are available by contacting the appropriate subject matter division at Statistics Canada. More information on these offerings is available here.
The project proposal provides a detailed outline of what data you are requesting and how you plan to analyze it. Please download and make use of the Project proposal template.
Research conducted by or on behalf of a federal or provincial government requires a letter of support from the sponsoring department outlining the reason for the partnership.
You will need to provide details of your proposal.
Research for government agencies will generally require payment of a fee to access RDC data. For details, please refer to the CRDCN Access and Fee-for-Service Policy.
The Canadian Research Data Centre Network (CRDCN) has updated its Access and Fee-for-Service Policy, as of October 1, 2024.
Once your proposal is approved by Statistics Canada, you must pass a security clearance check required by the Treasury Board. If you already have a security clearance, it remains valid for 10 years and does not need to be renewed for every new project you undertake in the RDC.