The Dominion Bureau of Statistics, precursor to Statistics Canada, was founded in 1918 as a centralized national agency to replace the piecemeal arrangements that had developed over time and were no longer capable of satisfying twentieth-century statistical needs. David Worton traces the Bureau's evolution and looks at the individuals who influenced it, leading to its emergence in recent years as what is assessed to be the best institution of its kind in the world.

During the Bureau's history Canada has developed from a country dependent on a staple economy to a mature industrial power poised at the brink of the information era. Information needs have mushroomed in both quantity and complexity; at the same time the technology for gathering, compiling, analysing, and disseminating information has been revolutionized. Worton looks at how Canada's statistical system has coped with these tremendous changes and outlines some notable Canadian contributions to the science and production of statistics.