Interview · June 2026 · Vol. 1 No. 2
An interview with Tony Labillois
On official statistics, accessibility, and the responsibility of data
Authors
In brief
Tony Labillois spent more than 35 years in official statistics, rising from methodologist to Director General at Statistics Canada, co-leading the Disaggregated Data Action Plan and serving for over two decades as Champion for Persons with Disabilities. Born with low vision in a village in the Gaspésie, he was told by a university professor that he had no place in statistics. In this conversation he traces the path from that classroom to the United Nations Human Rights Council, and explains what it actually takes for data to be accessible.
“Official statistics turn data into understanding, and understanding into action for the public good.”
What the article covers
- Two meanings of accessible data: data that anyone can find, understand and use, and data about accessibility itself.
- The softwood lumber dispute, and what happened when the lawyers could not read the tables.
- Why accessibility is a design choice and a discipline, not a compliance exercise.
- Elected Member of the ISI in 2025, and what recognition is for.
Read the article
Pages 26–29 of Vol. 1 No. 2, June 2026. Free to read, no registration.
How to cite
Tony Labillois and Interviewed by Manuele Leonelli. “An interview with Tony Labillois.” vISIon: The ISI Magazine Vol. 1 No. 2, June 2026, pp. 26–29.