From Disaggregation to Intersectionality: Canada’s Experience Advancing Inclusive Data

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Executive Summary

This case study examines how Canada integrates intersectionality into its national data system. Drawing on a desk review of official documents and public resources from Statistics Canada and the wider government institutions, it outlines the enabling environment, institutional frameworks, and major initiatives supporting intersectional data. A subsequent research phase will include interviews with government and civil society representatives to deepen these findings.

Canada’s case study begins with setting the foundation of its enabling environment, by introducing findings from Open Data Watch’s ODIN 2022/2023 and Gender Data Compass 2024, along with the World Bank’s Statistical Performance Indicator for 2023. The case study also introduces Canada’s government-wide work on intersectionality, such as the government of Canada’s Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) framework, which guides the integration of intersectional perspectives into government policies, while the Transformational Approach to Indigenous Data promotes Indigenous data sovereignty. Together with civil society organizations such as the First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNICG) and other partners, these initiatives reinforce both government-led and community-driven approaches to inclusion in data systems.

At the national statistical level, Statistics Canada’s Disaggregated Data Action Plan (DDAP), a five-year, CAD 172 million initiative, focuses on improving the availability and use of disaggregated and intersectional data across key population groups. Supported by strong quality standards and engagement with data users, the DDAP reflects Canada’s commitment to embedding intersectionality across statistical production and use.

Key Highlights

• Canada demonstrates a strong enabling environment for intersectional data, supported by high scores in ODIN, SPI, and the Gender Data Compass.
• The GBA Plus framework and Transformational Approach to Indigenous Data operationalize intersectionality across government and Indigenous data governance.
• The DDAP advances systematic collection and use of disaggregated and intersectional data at the national level.
• Collaboration among government, civil society, and Indigenous organizations strengthens Canada’s inclusive approach to data.

Enabling Environment for Intersectional Data

Canada’s overall data capacity is strong and well-established, as reflected in multiple international indexes of assessing openness, statistical performance, and gender data systems.

The Open Data Inventory (ODIN), developed by Open Data Watch measures the coverage and openness of official statistics across 197 countries to identify gaps, promote open data policies, and strengthen dialogue between national statistical offices and data users. While ODIN explicitly assesses the availability of sex-disaggregated data and other relevant characteristics, it does not fully account for intersectional data. In the 2024/25 ODIN results, Canada ranked 21^st globally with an overall score of 78 out of 100, reflecting its strong commitment to open and accessible data.

The World Bank’s Statistical Performance Indicators (SPI) evaluate national statistical systems across five dimensions: data use, data services, data products, data sources, and data infrastructure. Both ODIN and SPI contribute to monitoring SDG indicator 17.18.1 on statistical capacity.In 2023, Canada’s overall SPI score was 93.46 out of 100, which demonstrates a robust and well-functioning national statistical system.

Open Data Watch’s Gender Data Compass provides further insights into the enabling environment for gender data in 185 countries. The Compass assesses not only data availability and openness but also the broader ecosystem, including institutional foundations, technical capacity, and financing. In its inaugural 2024 edition, Canada ranked 9^th overall, with a total availability and openness score of 54, underscoring its advanced approach to gender data governance.

Understanding Canada’s strong data capacity also requires examining the institutional frameworks that sustain it. The 2024 Gender Data Compass highlights Canada’s solid institutional foundations: While the Statistical Data Disclosure Regulations (SOR/2006-246) do not specifically mandate the production of gender statistics, they establish coordination mechanisms that support statistical production. Canada’s Departmental Plan (2022-2023) further integrates gender considerations within national planning and coordination mechanisms for gender statistics. Moreover, the Department for Women and Gender Equality plays a central role in promoting the collection and use of gender data across government. In the international arena, Canada is recognized as a leader in financing for development data. Its official development assistance for statistics focuses on strengthening gender data, health information systems, civil registration and vital statistics, and overall statistical capacity. In 2022, Canada disbursed 11.4 million USD in support of development data.

Key Government Frameworks and Initiatives

Through the Department of Women and Gender Equality, the government of Canada developed the GBA Plus Framework which “provides a framework to contextualize the range of personal attributes such as sex, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, age and mental or physical disability and ensure that these factors do not limit success and inclusion.” GBA Plus is designed to guide public servants in applying an intersectional perspective to the design, implementation and evaluation of government programs and policies.

For Canada, indigeneity is a key component of intersectionality. The Government of Canada’s 2023–2026 Data Strategy for the Federal Public Service highlights the importance of Indigenous data sovereignty and introduces a Transformational Approach to Indigenous Data. This is a multi-year government commitment to support First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Nations in developing the capacity to collect, manage, and use their own data for the benefit of their communities.

Beyond government-wide initiatives, civil society organizations and academic institutions contribute to advancing Indigenous data sovereignty. The FNICG focuses on ensuring that high quality data are used to achieve meaningful outcomes, including improving the socio-economic wellbeing of First Nations peoples. Data sovereignty is central to FNIGC’s mission. Academic institutions such as the University of Toronto and the University of Calgary also provide research and resources on Indigenous data sovereignty in the Canadian context.

Together, these initiatives demonstrate how Canada integrates intersectionality within its data ecosystem. GBA Plus provides a framework for applying intersectional perspectives across government programs and policies, while Indigenous data sovereignty initiatives strengthen community ownership and participation in data governance.

Disaggregated Data Action Plan (DDAP)

Launched in 2021, the DDAP is a five-year government-wide initiative led by Statistics Canada, with a total budget of CAD 172 million. The plan aims to improve the availability and quality of data on Indigenous peoples, women, visible minorities and/or racialized populations, and persons with disabilities.

The DDAP is led by four guiding principles:

• Disaggregation: Provide data at the lowest possible level while maintaining confidentiality and using the GBA Plus framework as a reference.
• Intersectionality: Promote analysis that consider multiple identity attributes jointly (for example young Black women) rather than in dual combinations (young women, Black women).
• Standards: Apply existing and approved Statistics Canada standards when disaggregating data.
• Geography: Release data at the lowest level of geographic disaggregation while ensuring confidentiality.

While frameworks on intersectionality often extend beyond disaggregated or gender data, some countries do not establish stand-alone intersectional policies. Instead, intersectionality is frequently embedded within broader or multi-sectoral data strategies. In Canada, intersectionality is addressed through the DDAP as part of Statistics Canada’s wider efforts to strengthen inclusive and representative data systems.

Sources and Linkages of Disaggregated Data

The DDAP builds on existing data sources, including censuses, surveys, and administrative records. Statistics Canada combines these sources through data linkages, enabling more comprehensive analysis and reducing the need for additional data collection from Canadians. This approach facilitates the production of more detailed and intersectional data, integrating variables such as sex, ethnicity/race, sexual orientation, disability status, and geography.

According to the Disaggregated Data Action Plan Accomplishments Report 2023-2024, 49 percent of Statistics Canada’s statistical products now include data disaggregated by Indigenous identity, sex, visible minorities and/or racialized group, or disability status. The report also notes the expansion of the DDAP Administrative Data Fund, which supports Statistics Canada and partner institutions in improving the disaggregation of administrative data.

Elements of citizen generated data are also incorporated into the DDAP. For example, Statistics Canada developed a special survey module that non-governmental organizations can administer to help assess community impacts and capture the diversity of Canada’s non-profit sector.

Data Management and Stewardship Practices

A core principle of the DDAP is adherence to established standards and practices. Statistics Canada maintains dedicated resources on standards, data quality, and methods of quality assurance, which are accessible through its public website.

The Statistics Canada Trust Centre provides transparent information on data collection, processing, anonymization, and confidentiality practices, helping to strengthen public trust and understanding of statistical processes. Statistics Canada also applies a whole-of-government approach to data stewardship, as outlined in its institutional data strategy. This strategy, distinct from the Government of Canada Data Strategy for the Federal Public Service, focuses on four key areas: data discovery, data digitization, data interoperability, and data management. are governed responsibly, used effectively, and shared securely across federal departments.

In addition, Statistics Canada engages with data users and stakeholders through regular consultations, including discussion tables and usability testing. For instance, in 2023, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada and Statistics Canada launched a consultation on the data standards related to missing persons. The objective of this initiative was to improve the information collected on missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, 2SLGBTQQIA+ persons, and other marginalized populations.

Agency and Data Ownership

While Statistics Canada’s DDAP does not explicitly address data agency, the Government of Canada’s 2023–2026 Data Strategy for the Federal Public Service highlights the importance of Indigenous data sovereignty. The strategy emphasizes the government’s commitment to supporting Indigenous-led data governance and capacity development. Under the DDAP, Statistics Canada funded the Environmental, Social and Governance Project and Indigenous Peoples Engagement Report which documented the perspectives of the Environmental, Social and Governance Project and Indigenous Peoples Engagement Report (2022), which documented the perspectives of Indigenous organizations on data access and sovereignty. More than half of the organizations consulted expressed concerns about Indigenous data ownership and control, emphasizing that access to tabulated data should not be monetized and that data use must be culturally appropriate and relevant to Indigenous communities.

Many organizations also raised questions such as: What do Indigenous communities need and want? Beyond government-led initiatives, civil society organizations such as the FNIGC play a central role in advancing Indigenous data collection and sovereignty. FNIGC leads large-scale surveys on topics such as health, well-being, education, and employment in First Nations communities across Canada. These efforts strengthen Indigenous agency data production and use, ensuring that data collection aligns with community priorities and values.

Integration of Data into Policy and Monitoring

In 2023 and 2024, Statistics Canada established an advisory panel to assess the use and needs of disaggregated data among policy analysts in federal and provincial governments. Based on the panel’s findings, Statistics Canada developed a series of training courses to strengthen public servants’ understanding of disaggregated and intersectional data and their relevance for evidence-based policymaking. The Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Statistics Hub managed by Statistics Canada provides a centralized platform where users can access disaggregated and intersectional data on a range of topics, including 2SLGBTQ+ populations, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, racialized groups, and women. The Hub also publishes data snapshots and reports. In recognition of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2024, the Hub published a Snapshot of Canadian Veterans with Disabilities, using data from the 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability, illustrating how intersecting factors shape experiences and outcomes.

Other federal departments also integrate intersectional and disaggregated data into their policy and monitoring frameworks:

• The Indigenous Services Canada’s Indigenous Community Development National Strategy emphasizes the use of data for monitoring progress and supporting evidence-based decision-making in Indigenous communities. The strategy also identifies ongoing challenges in addressing data gaps and improving access to relevant information.
• The Women and Gender Equality Canada’s 2023-27 Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy includes performance indicators and recognizes the contribution of the Gender-Based Violence Research Program in addressing data gaps on gender-based violence.
• Canada’s Disability Inclusion Action Plan incorporates disaggregated data as part of its monitoring framework and aligns with the Federal Data and Measurement Strategy for Accessibility (2022-2027), which is guided by six principles: “nothing without us,” collaboration, intersectionality, data stewardship, accessible by design, and innovation.
• The Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan also commits to strengthening national data collection, analysis and research on 2SLGBTQI+ communities, addressing the limited availability of systematically collected and disaggregated data for sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and additional intersecting factors of exclusion.

Together, these initiatives illustrate how Canada’s federal departments are integrating disaggregated and intersectional data into their policy and monitoring systems to promote more inclusive and responsive decision-making.

Looking Ahead

This case study provides an overview of Canada’s current practices and institutional arrangements for implementing intersectionality within its data systems. The next phase of research will involve deeper examination of these practices through interviews with key national stakeholders. Planned interviews will include representatives from Statistics Canada, particularly those involved in the DDAP, as well as data users within the government agencies responsible for monitoring gender equality, 2SLGBTQI+ inclusion, disability and Indigenous rights. The research team will also engage with civil society organizations, including those focused on Indigenous data sovereignty to understand how community-led data initiatives align with or complement government efforts. Future analysis will explore the relationship between political commitment, institutional stability, and the continued implementation of intersectional approaches within Canada’s statistical system. This work aims to identify the enabling factors that sustain intersectional data initiatives and highlight lessons that may inform similar efforts in other national contexts.

 

For questions about this case study or the Intersectionality in Development Data Work led by Open Data Watch, contact us at: info@opendatawatch.com

Cover photo credit: ACHPF | Shutterstock.com

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Annex I – Actors and Partners in the Canadian Intersectional Data Ecosystem

Several government agencies, civil society organizations, and academic institutions contribute to advancing intersectional data in Canada:

• Statistics Canada is the lead agency on intersectional data, primarily through the DDAP, which improves the availability and use of disaggregated data across population groups.
• Other government departments, including Indigenous Services Canada, Women and Gender Equality Canada, and Employment and Social Development Canada integrate intersectional and disaggregated data into their policy design and monitoring frameworks focusing on Indigenous identity, gender, sexual orientation and disability status.
• Women and Gender Equality Canada plays a central role in advancing gender data and supporting evidence-based policymaking across federal government. Civil society organizations such as FNIGC promote Indigenous data governance and serve as key data producers for First Nations communities.
• Academic institutions such as the University of Toronto and the University of Calgary provide research and training on Indigenous data sovereignty in the context of Canada.

Together, these actors form a diverse ecosystem that supports the integration of intersectionality across Canada’s data landscape

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