Re-referencing and change of industry classification system

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Monthly gross domestic product (GDP) by industry

On October 31, 2007, with the release of the data for August 2007, the monthly gross domestic product (GDP) by industry estimates will use the North American Industry Classification System, NAICS 2002 instead of NAICS 1997, and will convert to reference year 2002 instead of 1997 for its volume estimates. The change in reference year will affect the levels but not the growth rates of the series for the period 1981 to 2001 inclusive, as it essentially consists of a rescaling of the already published data. However, levels and growth rates for 2002 onward will undergo the regular monthly GDP annual revision process. CANSIM tables 379-0017 to 379-0022 will be terminated and replaced with a monthly CANSIM table 379-0027. For a concordance between the old and new CANSIM vector numbers see Monthly gross domestic product by industry: Conversion to NAICS 2002 and to reference year 2002.

For more information please contact the dissemination officer in Industry Accounts Division (toll-free 1-800-887-4623; 613-951-4623; IAD-Info-DCI@statcan.gc.ca).

Provincial Economic Accounts

Effective with the 2006 Provincial Economic Accounts release on November 8, 2007, the expenditure-based gross domestic product (GDP) and associated components will be converted from a 1997 reference year to a 2002 reference year for its volume and price estimates. Adopting a new reference year will not affect chained GDP growth rates, as it represents a scaling of the 1997-based data. More information on methodology is available at Chain Fisher volume index - Methodology.

Estimates for CANSIM tables 379-0025 and 379-0026 will be converted from a 1997 reference year to a 2002 reference year. The chained estimates for the 1997 reference year will be terminated. For a concordance between the old and new CANSIM vector numbers see CANSIM series numbers for expenditure-based gross domestic product.

Also effective with this release, industry data will be converted from North American Industry Classification System, NAICS 1997 to NAICS 2002.

For CANSIM table 384-0002, the chained estimates for the 1997 reference will be replaced with a 2002 reference year; the constant price estimates for the 1997 reference year will be terminated and a new set of constant price estimates for 2002 will be added. Associated price indexes in CANSIM table 384-0036 will be expressed in terms of 2002 prices.

The national counterpart to the Provincial Economic Accounts, the Income and Expenditure Accounts, were re-referenced to 2002 on May 31, 2007. See Canadian Economic Accounts re-referencing.

For more information please contact an information officer in the Income and Expenditure Accounts Division (613-951-3640; iead-info-dcrd@statcan.gc.ca).

Canadian Productivity Accounts

With the release of the third quarter of 2007 Canadian productivity accounts (CPA) on December 13, 2007, quarterly estimates will be revised from 1997 to 2007. This release will introduce new estimates based on revised historical data since 2001 from the Survey of Employment, Payroll and Hours (SEPH) that were published on March 30, 2007; the gross domestic product (GDP) revisions from 2002 to 2006 released on October 31, 2007 by the Industry Accounts Division; and the new annual benchmarks on hours worked released on November 27, 2007. In light of these revisions, the industry data on productivity and other related variables will be revised back to the first quarter of 1997.

In addition, labour productivity and associated variables in CANSIM tables 383-0008 and 383-0012 will be converted from a 1997 reference year to a 2002 reference year for their index number estimates. This change will affect index data from the first quarter of 1981 to date. Adopting the new 2002 base year will not affect productivity growth rates, as it represents a re-scaling of the 1997-based data. Consequently, the existing CANSIM vector identifiers for the CPA estimates will be retained.

In CANSIM table 383-0012, industry classifications have been converted from the North American Industry Classification System, NAICS 1997 to NAICS 2002.

For more information, contact Jean-Pierre Maynard of the Income and Expenditure Accounts Division at 613 951-3654 or productivity.measures@statcan.gc.ca.