Statistics Canada Report on Hate Crimes

The article Police-reported hate crime in Canada, 2018 is now available in the Statistics Canada publication Juristat.

In 2018, there were 1,798 police-reported hate crimes in Canada, down 13% from the record-high of 2,073 incidents reported in 2017. Despite the decline, the number of hate incidents reported in 2018 was the second highest since 2009.

A hate crime incident may be carried out against a person or property and may target race, colour, national or ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, language, sex, age, mental or physical disability, or any other similar factor. Additionally, there are four specific offences listed as hate propaganda or hate crimes in the Criminal Code of Canada: advocating genocide, public incitement of hatred, willful promotion of hatred, and mischief motivated by hate in relation to property used by an identifiable group.

Among the highlights of the report:

• The decrease in the total number of incidents was largely attributable to a decrease in police-reported hate crimes motivated by hatred of a religion (-203 incidents).
• Compared with 2017, the number of police-reported hate crimes motivated by religion declined by 24% in 2018, from 842 to 639. This decrease was largely due to fewer police-reported crimes motivated by hate against the Muslim population, which declined from 349 incidents to 173 incidents in 2018 (-50%). Hate crimes against the Jewish population declined slightly in 2018 after two years of increases, from 360 to 347 incidents (-4%).
• Between 2017 and 2018, the number of police-reported crimes motivated by hatred of a race or ethnicity decreased 11%, from 878 to 780. Much of this decrease was a result of fewer hate crimes targeting the Black (-38 incidents) and Arab and West Asian populations (-31 incidents). Hate crimes targeting the Black population remained one of the most common types of hate crimes (16% of all hate crimes). Police-reported violent hate crimes against Indigenous and Muslim populations more likely than other hate crimes to involve female victims. Police-reported hate crimes targeting sexual orientation declined 15% in 2018 to 173 incidents, compared with 204 incidents in 2017. 
• Based on data from police services that reported characteristics of hate crimes, a 21% decrease in non-violent hate crimes accounted for much of the national decrease. Non-violent hate crimes accounted for 57% of all hate crimes in 2018. The number of non-violent hate crimes fell from 1,239 to 978 incidents, primarily driven by a decrease in general mischief (-26%). Violent hate crime decreased 2% in 2018 compared to 2017, however total assault increased 6% year-over-year.
• In 2018, a total of 31% of hate crime incidents were cleared, meaning solved. Of those incidents that were cleared, 68% resulted in charges laid against one or more individuals, and 32% were cleared otherwise, meaning an accused was identified but a charge was not laid. In comparison, among all Criminal Code violations (excluding traffic violations), 40% were solved by police, with 65% cleared by charges laid and 35% cleared otherwise.
• Police-reported hate crime targeting sexual orientation (64%), the South Asian (64%), the Arab and West Asian (63%), and the East and Southeast Asian (56%) populations was more likely to be violent than non-violent, according to data reported from 2010 to 2018. In contrast, police-reported crimes against the Catholic (92%), Jewish (84%), Black (60%) and Muslim (60%) populations were more likely to be non-violent violations, primarily mischief.