REUTERS/Jennifer Gauthier/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOTTAWA, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Canada will change how it counts non-permanent residents, the main statistics agency said on Thursday, after an economist said the current methodology may have overlooked about a million foreign students, workers and others. Statistics Canada said it stood by its figures, but added that it will publish new, more detailed data on non-permanent residents next month using a revised methodology. Statscan's terminology for non-permanent residents covers people living in Canada with work or study permits and asylum seekers. Tal said Statscan's new approach would help to give a better sense of the actual numbers in the country. "A precondition for any policy in general, and housing policy in particular, is to know the size, the magnitude of the shortage," Tal said in a phone interview on Thursday.

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Persons: Jennifer Gauthier, Benjamin Tal, Statscan, Tal, Ismail Shakil, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Rights OTTAWA, CIBC Capital, Statistics Canada, Thomson Locations: Vancouver , British Columbia, Canada, Ottawa