National Balance Sheet Accounts

Detailed information for 2001

Status:

Active

Frequency:

Annual

Record number:

1806

The National Balance Sheet Accounts provide a stock dimension to the System of National Accounts. Incomes, expenditures, investments in financial assets and funds raised in a given period are cumulated to produce balances. The accounts are centered on the measurement of activities associated with production of goods and services, and the sales of goods and services in final markets.

Data release - April 19, 2002

Description

The National Balance Sheet Accounts provide a stock dimension to the System of National Accounts. Incomes, expenditures, investments in financial assets and funds raised in a given period are cumulated to produce balances. These balances - assets, liabilities and net worth - are the result of economic and financial activity. The National Balance Sheet Accounts are presented in an economy-wide framework. Links between sectors and major shifts in the economy are reflected in the composition and changes in the structure of sector balance sheets. Domestic sector balance sheets can be aggregated to produce the National Balance Sheet, from which National Wealth and National Net Worth are derived.

The National Balance Sheet Accounts provide data on the assets, liabilities and net worth for 42 sectors and sub-sectors of the Canadian economy as well as for the nation as a whole, at a point in time. They also provide information on the national wealth and on credit market debt in the economy.

Statistical activity

The Canadian System of National Accounts (CSNA) provides a conceptually integrated statistical framework for studying the state and behavior of the Canadian economy. The accounts are centered on the measurement of activities associated with the production of goods and services, the sales of goods and services in final markets, the supporting financial transactions, and the resulting wealth positions.

To produce financial statistics, the CSNA measures the economic dimensions of the public sector of Canada, including the financial inter-relationships among the thousands of entities that make up the three levels of government in Canada (federal, provincial and territorial, and local). In order to carry out this program, the CSNA maintains a universe of all public sector entities including their complex inter-relationships.

Collection period: About 3 months after the reference year

Subjects

  • Economic accounts
  • Financial and wealth accounts

Data sources and methodology

Target population

The Canadian economy (households, non-profit institutions serving households', governments, financial corporations, non-financial corporations, and non-residents).

Instrument design

This methodology does not apply.

Sampling

This methodology does not apply.

Data sources

Data are collected from other Statistics Canada surveys and/or other sources.

A large amount of information from various survey divisions within the bureau, along with other data, are compiled, integrated and analysed as part of the process of producing balance sheet estimates for the Canadian economy.

Major suppliers of data within Statistics Canada include Income and Expenditure Accounts Division, Balance of Payments Division, Industrial Organization and Finance Division, Public Sector Statistics Division, Income Statistics Division, Agriculture Division, Investment, Science and Techology Division and Census Operations Division. There are also a number of external and administrative sources of data used.

Error detection

This methodology type does not apply to this statistical program.

Imputation

This methodology does not apply.

Quality evaluation

Data are analysed for time series consistency, links to current economic events, issues arising from the source data, and finally with respect to coherence.

It is not possible to produce an equivalent to National Wealth or National Net worth; nor is it possible to construct a balance sheet for the household sector, except periodically from household surveys. However, certain sub-sectors of the NBSA are largely comparable to estimates produced by source data divisions (e.g., pension funds, levels of government).

Disclosure control

Statistics Canada is prohibited by law from releasing any information it collects that could identify any person, business, or organization, unless consent has been given by the respondent or as permitted by the Statistics Act. Various confidentiality rules are applied to all data that are released or published to prevent the publication or disclosure of any information deemed confidential. If necessary, data are suppressed to prevent direct or residual disclosure of identifiable data.

In order to prevent any data disclosure, confidentiality analysis is done using the Statistics Canada Generalized Disclosure Control System (G-Confid). G-Confid is used for primary suppression (direct disclosure) as well as for secondary suppression (residual disclosure). Direct disclosure occurs when the value in a tabulation cell is composed of or dominated by few enterprises while residual disclosure occurs when confidential information can be derived indirectly by piecing together information from different sources or data series.

Revisions and seasonal adjustment

Revisions are done annually and usually cover the last four years. Historical revisions are also carried out when needed.

Data accuracy

The accounts are designed in a matrix format, using two constraints: Assets less liabilities equal net worth; and, financial assets (by type) equal liabilities (by type). There are no explicit discrepancies, however analysis of the discrepancies in the Financial Flow Accounts provides one gauge of reliability; and, a stock-flow reconciliation provides another. However, these are partial and insufficient measures.

No direct measures of the margin of error in the estimates can be calculated. The quality of the estimates can be inferred from analysis of revisions and from a subjective assessment of the data sources and methodology used in the preparation of the estimates.

Documentation

  • Latest Developments in the Canadian Economic Accounts
    For further information please refer to "Latest developments in the Canadian economic accounts", Statistics Canada, Catalogue no. 13-605-X.

    The side bar menu of this electronic publication includes: chronology of events, conceptual changes, classification changes, and data revisions.
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