Our organization

The Institut de la statistique du Québec provides reliable, objective statistical information on all aspects of Québec society. The Institut produces, analyzes and disseminates statistical information for government departments and agencies, with the exception of information produced by them for administrative purposes. It is responsible for conducting all statistical surveys of general interest.

The Institut’s mission is also to ensure the communication, for research purposes, of information held by public organizations to researchers linked to a public organization.

As a government statistical agency, the Institut represents Québec in dealings with Statistics Canada and with statistical officials from the other Canadian provinces and territories.

“Statistics at the service of society: the reference in Québec”

The Institut de la statistique du Québec aims to be the main source of reliable, objective statistical information about Québec.

Through its products, the Institut contributes to raising awareness about Québec and informing public policies. It is the preferred source of information for experts, researchers and the general public who wish to learn more about the many aspects that define Québec today.

The Institut carries out statutory mandates in the areas of compensation, demography, sustainable development, and the occupancy and vitality of territories. It maintains long-standing partnerships on economic, social, cultural and health issues. It carries out surveys of public interest for Québec, produces numerous publications, and disseminates reliable, relevant data on Québec’s reality so that the population is better informed and decision-makers can make informed decisions.

In addition to the five fundamental values of the Québec public service (PDF), the Institut adheres to its own set of values:

Rigour: Application of standards that ensure the quality, reliability, representativeness and clarity of the information provided to the public.

Objectivity: Constant effort to define, measure, describe, report on and explain as accurately as possible the phenomena underlying the data produced.

Innovation: Continuous monitoring of major trends and changes in the field of statistics.

The Institut de la statistique du Québec was established by the Act respecting the Institut de la statistique du Québec, which was passed on June 19, 1998 by the Assemblée nationale du Québec. This Act brought together into one new organization four separate administrative entities/bodies:

• the Bureau de la statistique du Québec;
• the Institut de recherche et d’information sur la rémunération;
• Santé Québec; and
• members of the personnel of the Ministère du Travail who were assigned to carrying out the Total Compensation Survey.