Homicide would be on the increase for the third year in a row according to a report on the rise in crime 2021 in the country by Statistics Canada, while Indigenous and racialized people are overrepresented among the victims.
According to the report released Tuesday, police reported 788 homicides in 2021, up 29 from the previous year. From 2020 to 2021, the homicide rate increased by 3% from 2.00 homicides per 100,000 population to 2.06 homicides per 100,000 population.
Although the number of Indigenous homicide victims increased from 208 to 190 between 2020 and 2021, the Indigenous homicide rate was almost six times higher than that of non-Indigenous people in Canada.
Aboriginal people are overrepresented among victims of violence in Canada. According to results from the 2019 GSS, the rate of violent victimization among Indigenous people (177 incidents per 1,000 people) was more than double that of non-Indigenous people (80 incidents per 1,000 people).
A total of 247 homicide victims were identified by police as belonging to a racialized population group, representing nearly one-third (32%) of homicide victims last year.
The homicide rate among racialized groups was higher than the previous year, up 34%.
Almost half (49%) of racialized victims were identified by police as Black, and 19% were identified as South Asian.
In response, the Canadian Race Relations Foundation urged Ottawa in a press release on Tuesday to invest more than $44 million to help victims of hate.
“This report clearly shows that too many victims are unable to find support when they are the target of hate,” said CRRF Executive Director Mohammed Hashim. Organizations that want to help are often faced with uncertain funding and limited resources.”
