Doing research in the RDCs
RDCs give researchers access to microdata from population and household surveys, censuses and administrative files in a secure setting in universities across the country. The centres are staffed by Statistics Canada employees and are operated under the provisions of the Statistics Act in accordance with all the confidentiality rules and are accessible only to researchers with approved projects who have been sworn in under the Statistics Act as 'deemed employees.'
To access the microdata housed in the Research Data Centres (RDCs), researchers submit a project proposal to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and Statistics Canada. Individual researchers or research teams led by a principal applicant may apply. The principal applicant is responsible for submitting application forms on behalf of the team.
Application process and guidelines
Contact your local RDC for further information on data access, and for assistance with your application
NB Before submitting an application for access to an RDC, make sure that Statistics Canada public use files, available in most educational institutions through the DLI programme, are not sufficient for your research needs. To help you decide...