CANADA REVAMPING THE SURVEY OF ENVIRONMENTAL GOODS AND SERVICES (SEGS) SO THAT IT INCLUDES A BROADER RANGE OF CLEAN TECH GOODS

As part of Budget 2016, the Government of Canada announced funding of $2.1 million to enhance clean technology data. Enhanced data is required to support efforts to monitor the contributions of the clean technology sector to the Canadian economy. This initiative will supplement prior investments made by Statistics Canada to improve programs in these areas, including securing access to a number of relevant administrative databases, the development of centralized systems and processes, and investments in both the energy and environment statistics programs.

Statistics Canada and Natural Resources Canada are currently working to develop a common definition of clean technology goods and services. This lack of core concepts and a statistical framework means that there are no clean technology statistics that adequately support the development of clean technology and environmental policy.

The funding allocated in Budget 2016 will be provided over two years to Natural Resources Canada, in collaboration with Statistics Canada, and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.

Statistics Canada is working with Natural Resources Canada to address emerging data needs in clean technology. To address the data needs, Statistics Canada will:

Develop a clean technology economic (satellite) account. This product will provide, for the first time, an estimate of the clean technology sector’s overall contribution to the Canadian economy. This set of accounts will be the first of its kind and will provide Canadian policy makers with strategic information to monitor and promote investment in this increasingly important sector.
Redesign the Survey of Environmental Goods and Services to increase the coverage of the clean technology sector, add employment data and geographic detail.

These initiatives will result in a statistical framework that provides regularly published information on the clean technology sector’s contribution to the Canadian economy.

For additional information visit: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/eng/about/bp