Canadian Business Expectations For The Next Quarter

Statistics Canada surveyed business expectations over a three-month horizon for the first quarter of 2026. The data is categorized by NAICS industry code, business size, type of business, activity, and majority ownership. This official survey was last updated in February 2026.

Use Cases

• Analyze correlation between business_employment_size and forward-looking expectations for revenue or hiring.
• Compare sentiment trends across different NAICS sectors to identify leading or lagging industries.
• Model the influence of majority_ownership type (e.g., domestic vs. foreign) on business outlook.
• Track changes in business_activity expectations by region or industry for economic forecasting.

Strengths

• Data is published by the national statistical office, Statistics Canada, ensuring official authority.
• Categorization by multiple dimensions including NAICS, business size, and ownership allows for granular analysis.
• Data is current, reflecting expectations for the immediate future quarter of 2026.

Limitations

• Specific row counts, sample sizes, and margin of error are unknown, limiting statistical confidence assessment.
• The dataset's scope is limited to Canada, preventing international comparative analysis.
• Without column-level detail, the precise nature of the 'expectations' metric (e.g., index, percentage) is unclear.

Provenance

Source

Statistics Canada

Collection Method

Survey of business or organization expectations.

Time Range

Expectations cover the three-month period of Q1 2026.

Freshness

Quarterly survey; data reflects Q1 2026 expectations and was updated in February 2026.

Geography

Canada