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Dissemination Standards Bulletin Board Special Data Dissemination Standard (AS PROVIDED TO THE IMF BY THE RESPECTIVE COUNTRY)   Canada International reserves and foreign currency liquidity Last Posted: Nov-13-2008 Last Certified: Oct-10-2008 Last Updated: Sep-3-2003 Contact Person(s)          Printer Friendly Page   Clifton Lee-Sing, Chief, Financial Markets Division, Department of Finance, 140 O'Connor Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0G5   Phone : 1 613 943 1944   Fax : 1 613 943 2039   Email : Clifton.Lee-Sing@fin.gc.ca  Dissemination Formats Summary Methodology Access National Summary Data Page Cross-country comparisons: access the DSBB metadata query facility

The Data: Coverage, Periodicity, and Timeliness
Coverage characteristics	5.1.1 Statistical presentation Data on total Gross Official International Reserves held by the Government of Canada and the Bank of Canada are disseminated in millions of U.S. dollars, and cover foreign exchange, gold, SDRs, and the reserve position in the IMF. Since the early 1970s, with the creation of the Special Drawing Right (SDR), gold has been valued in the international reserves data at 35 SDRs per fine ounce, which approximates its historical cost.
Periodicity	4.1.1 Periodicity As of the 8th, 15th, 23rd day, and last day of each month for official reserves assets. Monthly for reserves template data.
Timeliness	4.1.2 Timeliness On the first business day following the 8th, 15th, and 23rd of each month, and on the third business day following month-end for official reserves assets. The third business day of each month, and no later than one week following the end of the reference month for the reserves template data.
Access by the Public
Advance dissemination of release calendar	5.1.3 Advance release calendar A calendar showing the precise release dates for the next 15 months is published each November by the Department of Finance on its Internet web site (http://www.fin.gc.ca). A notice to this effect is published in the Department of Finance's monthly news release "Official International Reserves", which is available to the public in a hardcopy version.
Simultaneous release to all interested parties	5.1.4 Simultaneous release The weekly report on official reserves assets is posted on the Bank of Canada's website (http://www.bank-banque-canada.ca). and no press release is issued. The monthly report on reserves template data are released simultaneously to all interested parties by issuing the press release "Official International Reserves" and simultaneously posting the data on the Department of Finance's Internet website (http://www.fin.gc.ca).
Integrity
Dissemination of terms and conditions under which official statistics are produced, including those relating to the confidentiality of individually identifiable information	0.1.1 Responsibility for collecting, processing, and disseminating statistics Bank of Canada The data are disseminated by the Bank of Canada as a service to the public. International reserves and foreign currency liquidity Monthly publication of data on Canada's official international reserves has a long-standing tradition going back to the 1960s. The data are published by the Department of Finance as a service to the public. 0.1.3 Confidentiality of individual reporters' data Bank of Canada As stated in Article 16 of the Bank of Canada Act, each employee of the Bank take an oath of secrecy and swear he/she will not disclose any confidential information that relates to the business or affairs of the Bank that he/she may learn in the course of performing his/her duties. 0.1.4 Ensuring statistical reporting Bank of Canada Under article 24 of the Bank of Canada Act, A financial institution shall provide the Bank with such information as the Bank may require, at such times and in such form as the Bank may require. However, a financial institution shall not be required to provide the Bank with information about the accounts or affairs of any particular person. 1.1.2 Selection of sources, methodology, and modes of dissemination Bank of Canada The Bank of Canada is an independent crown corporation established in 1934 by the Bank of Canada Act (revised in 1985). 1.2.1 Disclosure of terms and conditions for statistical collection, processing, and dissemination Bank of Canada The Bank of Canada Act and the Bank Act are bilingual (English and French) documents and are available on the Department of Justice Internet website (http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/B-2/index.html).
Identification of internal government access to data before release	1.2.2 Internal governmental access to statistics prior to release There is no internal government access to the data before their release.
Identification of ministerial commentary on the occasion of statistical releases	1.2.3 Attribution of statistical products Bank of Canada There is no ministerial commentary accompanying the release of the data.
Provision of information about revision and advance notice of major changes in methodology	4.3.1 Revision schedule The data are not revised. 4.3.2 Identification of preliminary and/or revised data The data are final when first released. 1.2.4 Advance notice of major changes in methodology, source data, and statistical techniques. The public is advised in advance of major changes in methodology.
Quality
Dissemination of documentation on methodology and sources used in preparing statistics	5.2.1 Dissemination of documentation on concepts, scope, classifications, basis of recording, data sources, and statistical techniques The Operational Guidelines provides the metadata for both official reserve assets and the complete template. Accounting and valuation policies are published annually as part of the "Annual Report to Parliament of the Operations of the Exchange Fund Account" by the Minister of Finance. (See also summary methodology)
Dissemination of component detail, reconciliations with related data, and statistical frameworks that support statistical cross-checks and provide assurance of reasonableness	4.2.1 Internal consistency "Official International Reserves" publishes data on a weekly and monthly basis on Canada's official international reserves broken down into the following categories: U.S. dollars; other foreign currencies; gold; special drawing rights; and the reserve position in the IMF. In addition, monthly data are disseminated on the monthly net change in reserves, broken down into the following categories: foreign currency debt, gain and losses on gold sales, return on investments, foreign currency debt charges, revaluation effects, net government operations, official interventions and other transactions. Since June 1999, the "Official International Reserves" also includes other data recommended by the IMF and the Committee on the Global Financial System of the G-10 central banks (reseves template). 4.2.2 Temporal consistency The quarterly "Bank of Canada Review" (Table 12) provides time series on the components of Canada's reserve assets.
Footnotes Last posted: Date IMF staff last posted an update to these metadata on the DSBB. Last certified: Date subscriber last officially certified the accuracy of these metadata. Last updated: Date subscriber last submitted an update of these metadata to the IMF.