Business · Economy · 2 days ago
Column questions Canada’s workforce mix as Statistics Canada releases data
Statistics Canada regularly publishes data about Canada.
A column says the agency’s website can be difficult to use, with too many steps to find information.
The writer says they use FRED, a free economic-data service run by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, which also carries Canadian data.
The column raises a broader question about whether Canada would benefit from having fewer lawyers and more engineers.
It does not identify a particular data release or provide figures to support that argument.
It does not say what happens next.
Financial Post columnist William Watson discussed Statistics Canada’s data releases for Oct. 1.
Watson criticized Statistics Canada’s website as difficult to navigate, saying it takes too many clicks to find information.
He said the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis’ FRED database is a convenient, free source of economic data and appears to include more Canadian data each year.
Watson noted that the Oct. 1 releases included extensive data on criminal courts and postsecondary education.
He used the juxtaposition to raise questions about how people, particularly young men, spend their time and whether Canada would benefit from having fewer lawyers and more engineers.
- Who
- William Watson and Statistics Canada
- What
- A column discussing Statistics Canada’s data releases and the accessibility of its data
- When
- Oct. 1 releases; the column was published Oct. 10, 2026
- Where
- Canada
- Why
- Watson used the releases to consider how people spend their time and the balance between professions.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Central planning of labour would be a disaster. Still, you wonder if we wouldn't do better with fewer lawyers and more engineers
Very 2005: way too many clicks to get where you want to go and no guarantee you finally do arrive there.
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This story does not have a timeline yet.
- Columnist
- William Watson
- Outlet
- Financial Post
- Column publication date
- Oct. 10, 2026
- Data release date discussed
- Oct. 1
- Topics in the releases
- Criminal courts and postsecondary education
- FRED operator
- Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Sources
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