GC Enterprise Data Reference Standards
The Government of Canada data reference standards are a key priority within the 2023–2026 Data Strategy for the Federal Public Service. The reference standards below are mandatory for departments and agencies subject to the Policy on Service and Digital. Reference these data standards when designing a new system or dataset to create reliable, high-quality data.
| Title | Description | Effective date | Data reference standard stewards | Machine-readable formats (available on Open Government) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data reference standard on codes for current and past official names of countries, territories and geographic areas recognized by the Government of Canada | This reference standard is intended to standardize the way countries, territories and geographic areas are described in datasets. | 2024-01-29 |
|
CSV | JSON |
| Data reference standard on Canadian provinces and territories | This reference standard is intended to standardize the way Canadian provinces and territories are described in datasets. | 2023-10-02 |
|
CSV | JSON |
| Data reference standard on industry classification system | This reference standard is intended to standardize the way industry classifications are described in datasets. | 2023-12-15 |
|
CSV |
| Data reference standard on the business number | This data reference standard is intended to ensure that departments and agencies use the business number as the standard identifier for all transactions between businesses and the Government of Canada. | 2024-05-07 |
|
not available |
| Data reference standard on person(s): gender | This data reference standard provides a standard list of values to categorize data on person(s). The list reflects the classifications of gender. | 2024-09-27 |
|
CSV |
| Data reference standard on person(s): sex assigned at birth | This data reference standard is part of a suite that provides a standard list of values to categorize data on person(s). The list reflects the classifications of sex assigned at birth. | 2024-09-27 |
|
CSV |
| Data reference standard on person(s): name architecture | This data reference standard is intended to ensure that departments and agencies of the Government of Canada use consistent fields for capturing the diverse set of names of persons. | 2024-09-27 |
|
not available |
| Data reference standard on date and time format | This data reference standard is intended to ensure that departments and agencies use a consistent numeric format for date and time. | 2024-09-27 |
|
not available |
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