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statcan-mcp

statcan-mcp

by koleharv
OverviewSchemaSourceRelated ServersDiscussionsAdmin
TypeScript
Remote

statcan-mcp

An MCP server that gives Claude and other LLMs live access to Statistics Canada — all 8,200+ data tables from the Web Data Service: CPI, GDP, labour force, housing starts, population, trade, and more.

No API key required.

Sibling project: bank-of-canada-mcp for Bank of Canada rates and FX.

Why this exists

StatCan's API is powerful but hostile: POST-only lookups, opaque numeric vector IDs, 10-position "coordinate" addressing, and numeric code enums everywhere (scalarFactorCode: 3). This server translates it into something an LLM can actually drive:

  • Discovery flow built into the tools — search tables → inspect dimensions → fetch data, with each tool description pointing to the next step.

  • Context-friendly by default — a CPI dimension has 359 members and a series can span a century; members are capped and keyword-filterable, data defaults to the last 12 periods.

  • Codes decoded at runtime via StatCan's own code-set endpoint — responses say "scale": "thousands" and "note": "use with caution", not scalarFactorCode: 3, statusCode: 5. Nothing hardcoded to go stale.

  • Forgiving inputs — vector IDs accepted as v41690973 or 41690973; coordinates padded automatically.

Related MCP server: mcp-canada

Quick start

Claude Code

claude mcp add statcan -- npx -y statcan-mcp

Claude Desktop — add to claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "statcan": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "statcan-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

The same npx invocation works in Cursor, Windsurf, and any other MCP client.

Tools

Tool

What it does

search_tables

Keyword search across all ~8,200 data tables

get_table_metadata

A table's dimensions and members (capped, filterable) — the map you need to pull data

get_data_by_vectors

Time series by vector ID(s), date range or latest-N

get_data_by_coordinate

Time series by table + one member choice per dimension

get_series_info

Decode a mystery vector ID into its title and source table

Example prompts

  • "What's Canada's current unemployment rate, and how has it trended over 12 months?"

  • "Compare gasoline price inflation in Ontario vs Quebec since 2024."

  • "How many housing starts were there in Canada last quarter?"

  • "What is vector v41690973?"

Development

npm install
npm test           # offline unit tests (vitest)
npm run build      # tsc → dist/
node scripts/smoke.mjs   # live smoke test against the real API

Architecture: src/wds.ts is a plain WDS client with pure, unit-tested logic (catalogue search, coordinate padding, code decoding); src/index.ts is the MCP wiring. API failures (unknown vector, bad coordinate) come back as MCP tool errors carrying StatCan's own message so the model can self-correct.

Notes

  • Data is © Statistics Canada, used under the Statistics Canada Open Licence. This project is not affiliated with or endorsed by Statistics Canada.

  • English output only for now (the API also carries French — see roadmap).

Roadmap

  • French-language output (*Fr fields are already in the API responses)

  • Full-table CSV download for bulk analysis

  • Streamable HTTP transport for remote deployment

License

MIT

Available Tools

5 tools
get_data_by_coordinateGet time series by table coordinateA

Fetch observations by choosing one member ID per dimension of a table (get them from get_table_metadata). Example: table 18100004 with member_ids [2, 2] = CPI, Canada, all-items.

Inputs: member_ids (required), product_id (required), latest_n.

get_data_by_vectorsGet time series by vector IDA

Fetch observations for up to 10 Statistics Canada vector IDs (a vector uniquely identifies one time series, e.g. v41690973 = CPI all-items Canada). Give a date range, or latest_n most recent periods (default 12).

Inputs: vectors (required), end_date, latest_n, start_date.

get_series_infoDecode a vector IDA

What is this vector? Returns the series title, source table, and coordinate for a vector ID.

Inputs: vector (required).

get_table_metadataGet table dimensions and membersA

Structure of a Statistics Canada table: its dimensions and their members with member IDs. Large dimensions are truncated — pass member_filter (e.g. 'gasoline') to find specific members. Use the member IDs with get_data_by_coordinate.

Inputs: product_id (required), max_members, member_filter.

search_tablesSearch Statistics Canada data tablesA

Keyword search across all ~8,200 Statistics Canada data tables (CPI, GDP, labour force, housing, population...). Returns product IDs to explore with get_table_metadata.

Inputs: query (required), limit.

Tool Schema Changelog

Recent tool additions, removals, and schema changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Loading tool schema changelog…

    Deploy Server
    One endpoint for every MCP toolRayrun runs every MCP server behind one URL and holds the credentials. Each call is decided per client, tool, and argument, then recorded.ray.runAd

    TDQS

    A4.1/5.0

    Scored across 5 tools

    Disambiguation5/5

    Each tool has a distinct role: searching tables, inspecting metadata, fetching data via vectors, fetching data via coordinates, and identifying series. The two data-fetch tools are clearly separated by their ID system, with descriptions explaining the difference.

    Naming Consistency5/5

    All tool names use a consistent verb_noun pattern in snake_case (search_tables, get_table_metadata, get_data_by_vectors, get_data_by_coordinate, get_series_info). The verbs and nouns are clear and uniform in style.

    Tool Count5/5

    Five tools is well-scoped for a statistical data server, covering discovery, schema exploration, and data extraction without unnecessary redundancy or bloat.

    Completeness4/5

    The tools cover the full workflow from finding a table to retrieving specific data values. A minor gap exists in the lack of a direct table-level description tool, but get_table_metadata provides sufficient structural information to work around this.

    Maintenance

    ActivityMaintained
    ResponsivenessNo recent community issues

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