# Statistics Canada Data Tables Scraper (`parseforge/statcan-canada-scraper`) Actor

Scrapes Statistics Canada data catalogue by keyword and returns dataset metadata as flat rows. No API key required. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/parseforge/statcan-canada-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [ParseForge](https://apify.com/parseforge) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, Education, Automation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $4.52 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

[![ParseForge](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ParseForge/apify-assets/main/banner.jpg)](https://apify.com/parseforge?fpr=vmoqkp)

### Statistics Canada Data Tables Scraper

**Scrape Statistics Canada data tables by keyword, up to a million datasets per run.** Every dataset comes with its title, catalogue number, and metadata. No login or API key. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

Statistics Canada's official API needs a key and rate-limits you. This reads the public data catalogue directly, filtered by keyword, and returns each matching dataset in one fixed schema. Search for population, health, employment, trade, or any other topic.

| Who uses it | What they scrape Statistics Canada for |
|---|---|
| Market researchers | Which datasets Statistics Canada publishes for a given topic |
| Data journalists | Finding official Canadian statistics for a story |
| Policy analysts | Monitoring new data releases in their policy area |
| Academic researchers | Building a bibliography of Canadian data sources |

### What it does

This Actor collects Statistics Canada datasets by keyword and returns each one as a flat row.

- 🔎 **Keyword search:** case-insensitive substring match against the English table title.
- 📚 **Full catalogue:** leave the keyword empty to return every dataset up to your max items limit.
- ⚙️ **Max items control:** set how many datasets to collect per run, from 1 to 1,000,000.

Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or straight from the API.

### What you can do with Statistics Canada data

**📈 Track new data releases.**

A policy analyst runs the scraper weekly with the keyword 'labour' to see which new labour force datasets Statistics Canada has published.

**📊 Build a research dataset list.**

An academic researcher searches for 'health' to compile a list of all health-related datasets available from Statistics Canada.

**🗞️ Find data for a story.**

A data journalist searches for 'trade' to locate official Canadian trade statistics for an article.

**🧪 Audit data coverage.**

A market researcher runs the full catalogue to understand what topics Statistics Canada covers before designing a survey.

### Why choose this scraper

|  | What you get |
|---|---|
| **Official Canadian data** | Direct from Statistics Canada's public catalogue |
| **No API key** | No registration or OAuth required |
| **Flexible export** | CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML |

### How it compares

No other Store actor targets Statistics Canada the same way, so the honest comparison is with the alternatives teams actually weigh.

| | Statistics Canada Data Tables Scraper | Build it in-house | By hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup | Run it now, zero config | Days of engineering | None, but hours per pull |
| When Statistics Canada changes | Maintained for you | You fix it | You re-learn the page |
| Proxies, retries, anti-bot | Built in | Your problem | Browser only |
| Output | Fixed JSON schema, CSV/Excel export | Whatever you build | Copy-paste |
| Cost | Pay per result | Engineering time | Analyst hours |

### Configure the run

Drive the Actor from a search keyword, and the filter runs as each dataset is read so only matches reach your dataset. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

```json
{
  "searchQuery": "population",
  "maxItems": 10
}
```

A larger pull:

```json
{
  "searchQuery": "population",
  "maxItems": 200
}
```

### Pricing

Pay-per-result: **$0.005 per result** collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

| Results collected | Approximate cost |
|---|---|
| 100 results | $0.50 |
| 1,000 results | $5.00 |
| 10,000 results | $50.00 |

New Apify accounts start with $5 in free credit.

### Free users

Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a preview. [Upgrade your Apify plan](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp) to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.

### Run it

1. [Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp).
2. Open the [Statistics Canada Data Tables Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/statcan-canada-scraper?fpr=vmoqkp).
3. Set your inputs and any filters, then click **Start**.
4. Export the results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML from the **Dataset** tab.

Run it programmatically through the [Apify API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2) (`run-sync-get-dataset-items`) or the [ApifyClient](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js) for JavaScript and Python.

### Use with AI agents (MCP)

Give an AI agent live access to Statistics Canada through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=parseforge/statcan-canada-scraper"
```

Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.

### Troubleshooting

**Why am I getting no results?**

Check your search keyword. It must be a substring of the English table title. Try a broader keyword or leave it empty to return the full catalogue.

**Why did the run stop before reaching maxItems?**

The Actor stops when it has collected all matching datasets. If there are fewer matches than maxItems, it returns what it found.

**Can I get French dataset titles?**

The current version matches only English titles. If you need French titles, consider scraping the full catalogue and filtering locally.

**Why is the run slow?**

The Actor reads the catalogue page by page. A high maxItems with a broad keyword can take longer. Try narrowing your keyword or reducing maxItems.

### FAQ

| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Do I need an API key? | No. This Actor reads the public Statistics Canada data catalogue directly, so no API key or registration is required. |
| What does the search keyword match against? | The keyword is matched case-insensitively against the English table title. For example, 'population' matches 'Population estimates, quarterly'. |
| Can I get the full catalogue? | Yes. Leave the search keyword empty and set maxItems to a high number to return the full catalogue up to that limit. |
| What output formats are supported? | You can export the results as CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML from the Apify dataset. |
| How many datasets can I scrape in one run? | You can set maxItems from 1 to 1,000,000. The actual number returned depends on how many datasets match your search. |
| Does this scraper get the actual data values? | No. This Actor collects the dataset metadata, such as title and catalogue number. To get the actual data values, you would need to download the dataset files separately. |
| Is the search case-sensitive? | No, the search is case-insensitive. Searching for 'POPULATION' and 'population' returns the same results. |
| Can I search in French? | The search matches against the English table title only. For French titles, you may need to use the English keyword or search the full catalogue. |
| How often is the catalogue updated? | The Actor reads the live Statistics Canada catalogue, so it reflects the latest published datasets at the time of the run. |
| Can I schedule this scraper? | Yes. You can schedule the Actor to run daily, weekly, or at any interval using Apify's scheduler. |

### Related actors

Browse the full [ParseForge collection](https://apify.com/parseforge?fpr=vmoqkp) for more scrapers.

🆘 **Need help?** Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.

⚠️ **Disclaimer.** This Actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Statistics Canada. It collects only publicly available data. You are responsible for using the collected data in compliance with the source's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Do not use it to collect personal data unlawfully.

# Actor input Schema

## `searchQuery` (type: `string`):

Optional. Case-insensitive substring matched against the English table title (for example population, health, employment, trade). Leave empty to return the full catalogue up to the max items limit.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

How many datasets to collect per run.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "searchQuery": "population",
  "maxItems": 10
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "searchQuery": "population",
    "maxItems": 10
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("parseforge/statcan-canada-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "searchQuery": "population",
    "maxItems": 10,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("parseforge/statcan-canada-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "searchQuery": "population",
  "maxItems": 10
}' |
apify call parseforge/statcan-canada-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,parseforge/statcan-canada-scraper"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/UagIUTOVCZHPJ6BgD/builds/wBUnqOSbfRwYE0RUh/openapi.json