392:
Best
Diversity Employers in 2021 and 2023, National Capital Region's Top Employers in 2019–2023, and Canada's Top Employers for Young People in 2019 and 2021–2023. His focus has been on modernizing the agency's workforce and workplace culture, growing Statistics Canada's reach among stakeholders, partners and the public to better meet the needs of all Canadians, and strengthening the agency's position as the nation's data steward and leading expert on all things data related. With employee equity and diversity both an agency and personal priority, Arora has also served as the Statistics Canada Champion for Visible Minorities for over a decade and continues to champion those causes today.
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across the country. In addition, he led his staff in successfully implementing the 2021 census, in spite of the fact that the 2021 Census program had to change course at the last moment to go completely contactless in order to meet necessary pandemic protocols. The final overall response rates of 96.9% and 95.7% for the short-form and the long-form questionnaires respectively were slightly lower than those of the 2016 census, which fell at 97.4% and 96.9%, but the 2021 census distinguished itself by having a record online response rate of approximately 84%, compared to 68% for 2016.
490:(2022), Governor General's Leadership Conference (2022), the World Bank High-Level Seminar Series (2022), Government of Canada's Diversity and Inclusion Conference (2022), European Conference on Quality in Official Statistics (2022), 37th Meeting of Voorburg Group on Service Statistics (2022), Ontario Council on University Research (2022), Infonex Conference on Big Data and Analytics (2022), Government of Canada Data Conference (2023),
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implementing ethical and responsible use of machine learning and artificial intelligence within the agency, along with capitalizing on
Statistics Canada's role as the nation's data steward, to bring greater value of official statistics to Canadians. Many of these changes were designed to be investments in a strengthened national statistical system in an increasingly data-driven society.
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establish roots in their new country. Leveraging on a strong work ethic and values, he graduated from the
University of Alberta in 1985, and then worked in the Oil and Gas sector, upgrading his skills in management and computing sciences with further studies. He joined Statistics Canada's regional operations in late 1988 and moved to Ottawa with his own family in 1997.
307:, and for more than a year, simultaneously headed up the Corporate Sector as Assistant Deputy Minister. In 2013, he was appointed Assistant Deputy Minister of Science and Policy Integration, responsible for the department and portfolio's major policy files. He led a number of business sector missions internationally, including to India, China, Israel and Japan.
25:
314:, responsible for overseeing Canada's regulatory system for drugs, food, natural health products, veterinary drugs, medical devices and post-market surveillance. He also served as the Chair of the International Coalition for Medicines Regulatory Authority, as well as Chair of the Community of Federal Regulators.
427:’s Institute for Data Science. He has chaired and co-chaired multiple initiatives including the Data Governance Standardization Collaborative, as well as the Artificial Intelligence and Data Governance Standardization Collaborative. Arora also co-authored the Data Strategy for the Federal Public Service.
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Throughout his career as Chief
Statistician, Arora has received numerous personal leadership and Government of Canada achievement awards, and served, chaired, or contributed on numerous boards, both domestic and international. During his tenure, the Agency received numerous awards, including Canada's
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era, there was a major spike in demand for health, economic, labour and social data. Arora helped steer the agency through this increase in data needs and, with
Statistics Canada's established interviewing and call centre expertise, it was able to assist governing health agencies with contact-tracing
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in
September 2016. He has since led the agency through ambitious transformative changes, including the migration of its assets to the secure cloud, the first of this scale and scope in the Government of Canada. He also oversaw Statistics Canada's modernization journey, which included shifting towards
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in 1918. He first joined
Statistics Canada in 1988 and has since overseen major transformations such as computer-assisted interviewing, online publishing and multi-dimensional output databases, and more recently the migration of the agency's data holdings to the secure cloud. He led the agency during
299:
In 2008, following the successful delivery of the 2006 Census, he became the
Assistant Chief Statistician of the Social, Health and Labour Statistics, where he focused on redesigning the household surveys program. In 2009, Arora was awarded with the prestigious Association of Professional Executives
253:
Prior to his role as Chief
Statistician, Arora served in Assistant Deputy Minister roles for Natural resources Canada and Health Canada after spending over 20 years working for Statistics Canada. He is a sought-after public speaker, and has made several prominent speeches and presented at dozens of
279:
In 2000, he became
Director of the Census Management Office, and subsequently, the Director General responsible for the research functions of the 2001 Census and the entirety of the 2006 Census. In this role, Arora led the agency through the most comprehensive redesign of the Census program, which
262:
Arora was born in Dehradun, India. After his father was offered a unique career opportunity, the family immigrated to Canada, settling in Edmonton, Alberta. Moving from India to Canada in the middle of winter was a bit of a shock for the family, as they worked together to buy their first house and
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Ottawa, he oversaw the redesign of CANSIM, a multi-dimensional time-series database. He also contributed to modernizing dissemination at the agency, including the provision of publications on the web and microdata in Canada's universities, and statistical products to support literacy in schools.
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in Edmonton in 1988, where he looked after the computer mainframe and supervised data entry and clerical operations. He moved through the ranks working in regional operations, including census operations, corporate services, and the introduction of computer-assisted interviewing. After moving to
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The agency carried out many additional innovative strategies under Arora's tenure, including the use of satellite imagery, crowdsourcing, scanner data, waste-water sampling, as well as alternative data integration into the production of official statistics. He played a significant role in
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In addition to speaking at business, government, statistical or academic conferences, panels and events, Arora has made several prominent speeches during his time as Chief Statistician, including the following recent ones: Infonex: Big Data and Analytics for the Public Sector (2019), the
854:
295:
awarded Arora and his Census Operations Division the organization's first Exemplary Access Award, in recognition for the division's transformation of all census products (maps, tables and reference materials) into electronic products to better meet the demand of an online audience.
287:
to create Session Encryption with Automated Login (or SEAL) technology, which successfully allowed households across the country to complete their questionnaire online for the first time in an easy, convenient and secure fashion. SEAL was first introduced in the 2004 Census Test.
84:
300:(APEX) Leadership Award in recognition of his exceptional leadership skills and management excellence. The same year, he completed the Public Sector Leadership and Governance certificate program at the University of Ottawa.
347:, an approach aiming to produce more detailed statistical information for specific population groups, including women, LGBTQ2+, Indigenous peoples, and persons with disabilities. He also oversaw the creation of the
403:
and chaired the United Nations Future of Economic Statistics Group. He chaired the High-Level Group on the Modernization of Official Statistics, as well as the International Conference of Labour Statistics for the
351:, which aims to improve government decision making and budgeting by incorporating quality of life measurements. In addition, a partnership with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce was established to develop the
331:
project, aiming to reduce the response burden on farmers, is one such modernization initiative, turning towards Earth Observation data and machine learning rather than traditional surveys. Likewise, the
647:
442:
Canada Privacy Symposium, Government of Canada's data conferences, federal Cabinet meetings and retreats, and in 2023, delivered the Canada School of Public Service's Manion Lecture at the
859:
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included the first-in-the-world, secure online response integrated with multi-mode response channels, as well as the intelligent character recognition of paper questionnaires.
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Arora has served on the Boards of the Institute on Governance as well as the Labour Market Information Council, and as an advisor to a number of institutions, including the
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saw modifications during Arora's tenure to increase the independence of the agency and create the Canadian Statistics Advisory Council. The previous Chief Statistician,
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He remained in the post of Assistant Chief Statistician at Statistics Canada until 2010, when he became the Assistant Deputy Minister of Minerals and Metals Sector at
408:. He has overseen multi-year statistical capacity-building projects in various parts of the world, as well as conducted country reviews, offering advice to the OECD,
486:(2020), FEDTalks (2020), the Canadian Club of Ottawa (2021), CEO Mastermind Summit (2021), Global Government Forum (2021), Canadian Research Data Centre (2021), the
487:
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Anil Arora is a sought-after speaker and thought leader, and has presented at dozens of conferences both domestically and internationally, including the
336:, a cloud-based microdata centre meant to provide secure remote access to approved researchers, was also launched as part of the modernization agenda.
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Committee on Statistics and Statistical Policy (CSSP) and the Conference of European Statisticians. He also served as the Vice Chair of the
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In 2005, Arora and his team were recognized by the Government Technology Exhibit's Distinction Awards for their joint pilot project with
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Chair of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation Development's Committee on Statistics and Statistical Policy (2022 to 2023).
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Chair of the High-level Group for Modernisation of Official Statistics, Conference of European Statisticians (2018 to present).
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Chair of the Friends of the Chair Group on Economic Statistics, United Nations Statistical Commission (2019 to 2021).
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On June 14, 2023, Arora was reappointed as Chief Statistician until his decision to retire on March 31, 2024.
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Arora extended Canada's presence and influence on the international statistical landscape, having chaired the
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in Ottawa. He has delivered multiple guest lectures at various universities and colleges, including at
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an emphasis on user-centric service delivery, modern workspaces, and the use of administrative data.
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Chair of the International Coalition for the Medicines Regulatory Authorities (2014 to 2016).
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under Arora's term, with the goal of equipping businesses with market conditions data. The
793:"2023 Manion Lecture: Canada's Story – Census 2021 and the Data that Define Us (TRN4-E20)"
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from September 19, 2016 to March 31, 2024. He was the twelfth Chief Statistician since
46:
873:
348:
311:
119:
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438:, the Canadian Club, Metropolis conferences, the Safety of Our Cities Conference,
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Measuring the pandemic: How Statistics Canada kept the data flowing amid COVID-19
830:
Measuring Canada: In conversation with Canada's chief statistician, Anil Arora
648:"Guide to the Census of Population, 2021, Chapter 9 – Data quality evaluation"
413:
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597:"Innovation and information: interview with Canada's stats chief, Anil Arora"
292:
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Vice Chair for the Conference of European Statisticians (2017 to present).
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initiative, which he feared could compromise the agency's independence.
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Vice-chair of the United Nations Statistical Commission (2019 to 2021).
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622:"Vital statistician: Modernizing Canada's census for a COVID-19 world"
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Modernizing the national statistical system: Stakeholder consultations
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United States National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine
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Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce, Professional of the Year Award (2017)
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Association of Professional Executives (APEX) Leadership Award (2009)
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To retain immigrants, decision-makers must address systemic failures
310:
In 2014, Arora moved into the role of Assistant Deputy Minister for
177:
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Government of Canada extends Chief Statistician of Canada's term
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23, no. 1 (March 2006): 11–22. Co-authored with Graeme Gilmour.
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Environics Analytics Special Innovator of the Year Award (2023)
539:(2023): 2–7. Co-authored with Maire Sinha and Sharanjit Uppal.
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Indo-Canada Ottawa Business Chamber Award of Excellence (2012)
18:
570:
Statistical Journal of the UN Economic Commission for Europe
198:
Impacts Media (IMEC), Outstanding Contribution Award (2022)
855:
Data with destiny: an interview with Canada's stats chief
200:
Metropolis Award of Excellence, Policy Maker Award (2022)
835:
StatCan's new head sees good future with Shared Services
42:
850:
Modernizing Government Statistics for the 21st Century
494:(2023) and, most recently, the Manion Lecture (2023).
352:
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the challenging COVID-19 pandemic as it conducted the
750:"Anil Arora appointed chief statistician at StatsCan"
700:"2016 Census of Population collection response rates"
674:"2021 Census of Population collection response rates"
579:." Proceedings for Statistics Canada Symposium, 2003.
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2006 Census of Canada: Strategic direction and issues
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conferences, both domestically and internationally.
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National Association of Indo-Canadians Award (2009)
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440:International Association of Privacy Professionals
397:Organisation for Economic Co-operation Development
544:Now more than ever, the world needs data stewards
548:Centre for International Governance Innovation
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108:September 19, 2016 – March 31, 2024
285:Public Works and Government Services Canada
533:Canadian Identity–Past, present and future
82:
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672:Statistics Canada (November 17, 2021).
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250:and enhanced its statistical programs.
202:Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards (2022)
194:South Asian Centre Windsor Award (2017)
725:"Canadian Statistics Advisory Council"
566:Statistics Canada – Census on the Net.
698:Statistics Canada (August 30, 2016).
401:United Nations Statistical Commission
361:Environment and Climate Change Canada
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343:Arora led the implementation of the
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406:International Labour Organization
825:Anil Arora, Government of Canada
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895:Canadian federal civil servants
865:Anil Arora | Canadian Immigrant
476:Canada School of Public Service
448:Queen's University at Kingston
345:Disaggregated Data Action Plan
1:
601:www.globalgovernmentforum.com
243:Dominion Bureau of Statistics
890:University of Alberta alumni
324:Chief Statistician of Canada
318:Chief Statistician of Canada
271:Arora began his career with
235:Chief Statistician of Canada
96:Chief Statistician of Canada
16:Chief Statistician of Canada
418:International Monetary Fund
125:François-Philippe Champagne
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464:University of Saskatchewan
293:Data Liberation Initiative
32:This biographical article
797:catalogue.csps-efpc.gc.ca
492:World Statistics Congress
432:World Statistics Congress
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768:"Awards and recognition"
305:Natural Resources Canada
456:Simon Fraser University
880:Canadian statisticians
501:Titles and memberships
460:Nunavut Arctic College
386:Shared Services Canada
756:. September 17, 2016.
526:Selected publications
484:Empire Club of Canada
452:University of Alberta
436:Empire Club of Canada
357:Census of Environment
229:is a Canadian former
174:University of Alberta
45:by revising it to be
472:University of Ottawa
444:National Arts Centre
322:Arora was appointed
214:canada.ca/anil-arora
704:www12.statcan.gc.ca
678:www12.statcan.gc.ca
652:www12.statcan.gc.ca
646:Statistics Canada.
468:Carleton University
425:Carleton University
349:Quality of Life Hub
241:was founded as the
814:General references
550:(October 1, 2020).
233:who served as the
900:Statistics Canada
772:www.statcan.gc.ca
729:www.statcan.gc.ca
559:Statistics Canada
474:, as well as the
353:Business Data Lab
273:Statistics Canada
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382:Wayne Smith
366:During the
248:2021 census
140:Wayne Smith
135:Preceded by
34:is written
874:Categories
820:Anil Arora
584:References
416:, and the
414:World Bank
329:The AgZero
258:Early life
227:Anil Arora
169:Alma mater
76:Anil Arora
59:March 2024
154:(interim)
104:In office
754:CBC News
410:Eurostat
368:COVID-19
113:Minister
561:(2018).
209:Website
47:neutral
41:Please
470:, the
450:, the
412:, the
267:Career
185:Awards
178:B.Sc.
804:2024
779:2024
736:2024
711:2024
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
