Researchers using the RTRA system submit SAS programs to extract crosstabulated results.  At no time do RTRA users gain direct access to the micro-data, as would be the case for research conducted in a Research Data Centre (RDC).  As a consequence, RTRA-researchers avoid the requirement of becoming deemed employees of Statistics Canada -- which greatly reduces the time needed to get approval and access.

The RTRA complements existing methods of access to confidential micro-data, including…

The project will extend the relevance of these longitudinal files (NLSCY, NPHS, YITS, LSIC, SLID) by linking them to more recent outcome variables derived from Census/NHS and administrative data (tax and mortality, for example). The plan is to develop an "outcomes" file using Census and Tax data that can be linked with all longitudinal files. The variables on the "outcomes" file will include at a minimum: educational attainment, employment, income, mortality and geography.

The "outcomes" file…

'Programs of Research' are intended for large, nationally-funded research projects on an overarching topic.  Once a Program of Research has been approved, sub-projects under the program would not need to go through the Statistics Canada's external peer review process normally used for other RDC projects.  Rather, sub-projects would require a one-page summary, subject only to an internal review, greatly accelerating the approval process (as little as one week).

The assumption here is that if a…