Statistics Canada is the centralized statistical organization in Canada. The Health Statistics Division of Statistics Canada is authorized under the Statistics Act to collect, compile, analyze, abstract and publish statistics relating to the health and well being of Canadians. The Division’s primary objective is to provide statistical information and analyses about the health of the population, determinants of health, occupational and environmental health, vital statistics and cancer, and the scope and utilization of Canada’s health care sector. In the health statistics area, there are many forces that are changing the type and breadth of statistics required. Recently, Statistics Canada, the Canadian Institute for Health Information and Health Canada have joined forces to create a National Health Information Roadmap. These organizations conducted a broadly based national consultation on health information needs in 1998. Participants stressed that national agencies must build on and contribute to the considerable investments and expertise at local, regional and provincial/territorial levels. Canadians are keenly interested in how to improve their health, and how to prevent disease. The health care system is a major contributor, but there are many factors beyond the health care system influencing health. Our health care system has suffered from a lack of information for too long. It has been stated that managing an enterprise which accounts for 10% of the economy and 30% of the provincial/territorial budgets without good information is like flying a jumbo jet without an instrument panel. The health information system of the future should be secure, consistent, relevant, integrable, flexible, user-friendly and accessible (2). Our health information system should also provide us with information to answer the following two crucial questions: i) How healthy is the health care system? and ii) How healthy are Canadians?

There are a number of forces changing the health care environment today, such as: increasing and changing demand; demographic shifts; the increasing political importance of health care; health care consumerism; new technology developments; and the continuous pressure regarding costs (3). If one looks at the forecast of Canadian populations, there will be a significant increase in demand for health care services predicted because of the doubling of the 65 and over population in the next 25 years and the significant increase in the 40-65 age range. Longer survival will increase the number of patients with high-cost chronic diseases. The Roadmap initiatives (4) are divided into six themes:
i) National consultation;
ii) Standards;
iii) Health Services Data Gaps;
iv) Population Health Data Gaps;
v) Canadian Population Health Initiative; and
vi) Health Reports and Indicators. At present, data in the health care system tend to be organized around who is providing the service, not around who is receiving the service. To help fill various population health data gaps, we need a person-oriented perspective of what happens to individuals over time.