Statistics Canada Article on Firearms and Violent Crime

A new article on Firearms and violent crime in Canada, 2023 appeared this week in Juristat, a publication from Statistics Canada.

The article looks at the most recent police-reported data on firearm-related violent crime, including incidents where a firearm was present, as well as the firearm-specific violations of discharging a firearm with intent, using a firearm in the commission of an offence and pointing a firearm.

Among the highlights:

• According to police data, there were 14,416 incidents of firearm-related violent crime in 2023, which includes violent crime where a firearm was present, and the firearm-specific violations of discharging a firearm with intent, using a firearm in the commission of an offence and pointing a firearm. Firearm-related violent crime accounted for 2.6% of all incidents of violent crime.
• There was a decrease (-1.7%) in the rate of firearm-related violent crime, which went from 37.5 incidents per 100,000 population in 2022 to 36.9 in 2023. In contrast, overall violent crime increased 4.0%.
• Despite the decline in 2023, the rate of firearm-related violent crime was 22% higher compared to 2018 and 55% higher compared to 2013, while overall violent crime was 25% higher since 2018 and 30% higher since 2013.
• Compared to 2022, the overall rate of firearm-related violent crime decreased in the provincial urban south (-6.5%) in 2023, largely driven by declines in Toronto, Calgary, Montréal and Vancouver. All other regions had increases, the largest in the provincial rural south (+19%) and the provincial urban north (+13%).
• In 2023, half (49%) of firearm-related violent crime involved the presence of a handgun, followed by a firearm-like weapon or an unknown type of firearm (31%), a rifle or shotgun (15%) and a fully automatic or sawed-off shotgun (4.7%). In the provinces, handguns were most common in urban areas while rifles or shotguns, and firearm-like weapons or unknown types of firearms, were more common in rural areas.
• The large majority (80%) of incidents of firearm-related violent crime were physical assaults, robberies, and the firearm-specific violations of discharging a firearm with intent, using a firearm in the commission of an offence and pointing a firearm.

Statistics Canada Article on Monetary Penalties in Adult Criminal Courts

Statistics Canada today published an article on Monetary penalties in adult criminal courts:

"Fines were the most frequently ordered monetary penalty for guilty offenders, accounting for 23% of penalties in adult criminal court cases completed during the period from April 1, 2019, to March 31, 2023. These were followed by victim surcharge orders (16%) and restitution orders (4%)."

"In the Canadian criminal justice system, restitution, victim surcharges and fines are among the penalties judges can consider when selecting an appropriate sentence for an offender found guilty of the charges laid against them. These monetary penalties require that the offender pay a sum of money to the state or the victim as part of the imposed sentence."

Statistics Canada Data on Homicide Trends

Statistics Canada has published data on Homicide trends in Canada, 2023:

"Homicides remain a relatively rare occurrence in Canada, constituting 0.1% of all police-reported violent crimes in 2023. Despite their low frequency, homicide rates serve as a key indicator of overall societal violence. When considered alongside other measures like violent crime rates and the Violent Crime Severity Index, homicide rates provide a more comprehensive picture of violence trends in Canada."

"In 2023, police services reported 778 homicides across the country, 104 fewer victims than the previous year. As a result, the national homicide rate decreased by 14%, from 2.27 to 1.94 homicides per 100,000 population. Gang-related homicides and intimate partner homicides all experienced declines, contributing to the overall reduction in the national homicide rate. Significant decreases in homicide rates in Canada's three largest census metropolitan areas (CMAs)—Toronto, Montréal and Vancouver—also contributed to the overall reduction. This marks the first time since 2019 that the rate was below two homicides per 100,000 population."

Among the highlights:

• Most provinces recorded decreases in their homicide rates in 2023
• Approximately one-quarter of homicides are gang-related
• Number of youth accused of homicide declined in 2023
• Indigenous peoples continue to be overrepresented as homicide victims
• Nearly one in three homicide victims belong to a racialized group
• Nearly one-third of individuals charged with committing a homicide in the past five years were in custody or under community supervision at the time of the incident
• Women continue to be disproportionately affected by intimate partner homicide

Statistics Canada Article on Outcomes of Sexual Assault Cases

The Statistics Canada publication Juristat has published an article on Criminal justice outcomes of sexual assault in Canada, 2015 to 2019.

It examines the progression of sexual assault incidents through the criminal justice system, from police to courts. It focuses on the characteristics of incidents, victims and accused persons associated with different outcomes at various stages of the process.

Among the highlights:

• Few instances of sexual assault are reported to police, and only a fraction of police-reported sexual assaults result in charges and convictions.
• Between 2015 and 2019, 36% of sexual assaults that were reported to police resulted in charges, of which 61% proceeded to court. Once in court, 48% of cases linked to these incidents resulted in an accused person being found guilty, and 50% of these resulted in a sentence of custody.
• Relative to physical assault, sexual assault was less likely to be reported to police, less likely to result in charges being laid, and less likely to proceed to court once charges were laid. Once in court, the proportion of cases that resulted in a decision of guilt was the same, and those found guilty of sexual assault were more likely to receive a sentence of custody.
• The length of time between an incident occurring and when it was reported to police had a notable impact on attrition at multiple stages of the justice process. The rate at which incidents proceeded to court was lower when there was a delay compared with those that were reported the same day or the day after they occurred.
• Women and girls accounted for the large majority (89%) of victims of police-reported sexual assault between 2015 and 2019. A higher proportion of sexual assaults against women and girls resulted in charges being laid or recommended (38%, versus 29% when the victim was a man or boy). The difference between women and men narrowed at subsequent points of the criminal justice system.
• Over half (54%) of intimate partner sexual assaults resulted in charges being laid or recommended, higher than any other type of accused-victim relationship. The rate of cases continuing to court and the conviction rate of intimate partner sexual assault were consistent with sexual assault more broadly. 
• Sexual assaults committed by a stranger had lower charge rates (28%) but were more likely to continue to court (69%) and result in a guilty decision (56%) relative to sexual assaults where the accused was someone known to the victim.

Statistics Canada Article on Human Trafficking

The Statistics Canada publication The Daily recently published an article on Trafficking in persons in Canada, 2023:

"In 2023, 570 human trafficking incidents were reported to police, a slight decrease from the 597 reported in 2022. There was also a decrease in the rate of human trafficking (1.4 incidents per 100,000 population in 2023 compared with 1.5 in 2022)."

"Human trafficking, also referred to as trafficking in persons, is a serious human rights violation that can occur domestically and transnationally with the crossing of international borders. It is a gendered crime, with most detected victims being women and girls and the majority of accused persons being men and boys. Human trafficking offences involve the recruitment, transportation or harbouring of a person, and they include controlling and influencing movements with the goal of exploiting, or facilitating the exploitation of, a person. Human trafficking can take on many forms, most often sexual exploitation or forced labour."

"Official statistics, while important, provide only a partial picture of human trafficking in Canada due to its hidden and underreported nature. Identifying incidents of human trafficking depends in part on police resources and expertise, as well as victims' ability to recognize and report their experiences with trafficking."

Among the highlights:

• Rates of human trafficking in Nova Scotia and Ontario are higher than national average
• A large majority of police-reported human trafficking incidents were reported in urban centres
• A vast majority of police-reported victims of human trafficking are women and girls and one quarter of victims are minors
• Men make up majority of accused adults, while an equal proportion of girls and boys are among youth accused
• Over half of human trafficking incidents are unsolved

 

Statistics Canada Data on Family Violence and Intimate Partner Violence

Statistics Canada recently released new data tables that describe Trends in police-reported family violence and intimate partner violence in Canada, 2023:

"From 2009—the first year that comparable data are available—to 2014, rates of police-reported family violence and intimate partner violence generally declined from one year to the next. This was followed by several years of gradual increases then relative stability from 2021 to 2022. However, in 2023, family violence increased 3% and intimate partner violence increased 1%."

"From 2018 to 2023, police-reported violent crime increased 20%. Over the same period, overall rates of family violence (+17%) and intimate partner violence (+13%) also rose. Increases were noted regardless of gender, although they were larger for men and boys (+19% for family violence and +20% for intimate partner violence) than for women and girls (+15% for family violence and +12% for intimate partner violence)."

"Despite larger increases having been observed among men and boys since 2018, women and girls remain overrepresented among victims of family violence and intimate partner violence. In 2023, women and girls accounted for two-thirds (68%) of victims of family violence and nearly four in five victims of intimate partner violence (78%). The rate of family violence for women and girls (473 victims per 100,000 population) was twice as high as that for men and boys (220), while the rate of intimate partner violence was nearly four times higher for women and girls (549 victims per 100,000 population) than for men and boys (155)."

"Victims of intimate partner violence may not report their experience to authorities for a variety of reasons, such as the belief that it is a private or personal matter, or a lack of trust in the criminal justice system. It should be noted that some research has shown that men and boys who experience intimate partner violence may be more reluctant to report it to authorities because of the stigma surrounding male victims."

Statistics Canada Report on Impact of Cybercrime on Canadian Businesses

Today, Statistics Canada published findings on the Impact of cybercrime on Canadian businesses, 2023:

"While digitalization and a growing online presence have created many new opportunities for Canadian businesses, they have also exposed businesses to new risks regarding privacy, data protection and cyber security. In 2023, total spending on recovery from cyber security incidents doubled from 2021, demonstrating the growing importance of cyber preparedness."

"Since 2017, the Canadian Survey of Cyber Security and Cybercrime (CSCSC) has collected data on the policies and measures put in place by Canadian businesses to manage cyber security and investigated how cyber security incidents impact their operations."

"The release of 2023 data from the CSCSC coincides with Cyber Security Awareness Month, which is an internationally recognized campaign held each October to inform the public of the importance of cyber security."

Among some of the findings:

• The proportion of businesses impacted by cyber security incidents continues to decline
• Identity theft, scams and fraud, and ransomware are impacting a larger proportion of businesses
• Spending on recovery from cyber security incidents doubles, while preventative spending is stable
• The usage of cyber risk insurance is up
• The proportion of victims reporting cyber security incidents to police services increased in 2023

Statistics Canada Article on Police-reported Crime Statistics for 2023

Statistics Canada has published an article on Police-reported crime statistics in Canada, 2023 that shows an increase in the volume and severity of police-reported crime for the third consecutive year:

"The volume and severity of police-reported crime in Canada, as measured by the Crime Severity Index (CSI), increased for the third consecutive year—up 2% in 2023—an upward trend that began in 2015. Relatively large shifts in certain types of crime led to an increase in the Non-violent CSI, while the Violent CSI remained virtually unchanged."

"The Non-violent CSI—which includes, for example, property offences and drug offences—rose 3% in 2023, following a 5% increase in 2022. A significant contributor to the 2023 increase was a higher rate of police-reported child pornography (+52%)."

"Increased reporting of child pornography was partially the result of more cases—current and historical—being forwarded to local police services by specialized provincial Internet child exploitation police units and the National Child Exploitation Crime Centre."

"Other types of non-violent crime also increased in 2023, including fraud (+12%), shoplifting ($5,000 or under; +18%), and motor vehicle theft (+5%). In contrast, breaking and entering dropped 5% from 2022, continuing a general downward trend in this crime since the 1990s."

"The Violent CSI remained virtually unchanged (+0.4%) in 2023, following a 13% cumulative increase over the previous two years. Compared with 2022, the Violent CSI recorded lower rates of homicide (-14%) and sexual violations against children (-10%) in 2023. The Violent CSI also recorded higher rates of extortion (+35%), robbery (+4%) and assault committed with a weapon or causing bodily harm (+7%)."

"The CSI is one of several measures of crime in Canada. It looks at both the volume and the severity of crime, while the conventional crime rate measures only the volume of crime."

Recent Government of Canada Publications from the Weekly Acquisitions List

The Government of Canada's Weekly Acquisitions List can be a great way to discover new research reports published by various public bodies and agencies of the federal government. 

It is a record of all publications catalogued in the previous week.

Some of the documents in the most recent list include:

• How to identify misinformation, disinformation and malinformation (Canadian Centre for Cybersecurity)
• Child Support Practices in Canada: Results from the 2022 National Family Law Surveys (Justice Canada)
• Hate Crimes and Incidents in Canada (Royal Canadian Mounted Police)
• Canada’s 2030 Nature Strategy:  Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss in Canada (Environment and Climate Change Canada)

Statistics Canada Article on Police Clearance Rates for Sexual Assault

Juristat, a publication produced by Statistics Canada, has published an article on Recent trends in police-reported clearance status of sexual assault and other violent crime in Canada, 2017 to 2022.

Prior to 2018, criminal incidents were recorded by police as unfounded when there was not enough corroborating evidence.

As of 2018, incidents were recorded as "founded" (the reported incidents had in fact occurred) unless there is evidence demonstrating that incidents had not taken place.

The article looks at trends following the implementation of revised coding practices which are intended to be more victim-centric.

The article found that 14% of all reported incidents of sexual assault were classified by police as unfounded in 2017, which dropped to 7% in 2022. This pattern was similar for other selected types of violent crime.

The number of incidents of sexual assault cleared by charge increased between 2017 and 2022. However, because of the increase in the number of founded and uncleared incidents of sexual assault, the proportion of incidents of sexual assault that were cleared by charge decreased from 34% to 31% during this period.

Statistics Canada Article on Police-Reported Online Child Sexual Exploitation

The Statistics Canada publication Juristat today published an article on Online child sexual exploitation: A statistical profile of police-reported incidents in Canada, 2014 to 2022:

"The Internet has become an integral part of life for most Canadians, with an estimated 99% of households having access ...While increased accessibility to the Internet has provided society with limitless opportunities for enhancing daily life, concerns related to online safety—particularly for children and youth—have emerged."

"Advancements in technology have changed the ways that perpetrators lure and groom their victims. For example, increased accessibility to—and use of—smartphones among children and youth has made it easier for offenders to communicate with potential victims through online chatrooms and social media platforms. As digital technologies continue to evolve, there are increased opportunities for committing Internet-related crimes, including online child sexual exploitation ..."

Among the highlights of the article:

• Between 2014 and 2022, there were 15,630 incidents of police-reported online sexual offences against children and 45,816 incidents of online child pornography.
• Making or distributing child pornography accounted for almost three-quarters (72%) of all incidents of child pornography between 2014 and 2022, with possessing or accessing child pornography accounting for the remaining 28% of incidents. The rate of online child pornography increased 290% between 2014 and 2022.
• Girls were overrepresented as victims for all offence types over the nine-year period. The majority of victims of police-reported online sexual offences against children were girls, particularly girls between the ages of 12 and 17 (71% of all victims).
• Incidents of non-consensual distribution of intimate images most often involved a youth victim and a youth accused. Nearly all (97%) child and youth victims between 2015 to 2022 were aged 12 to 17 years. Nine in ten (90%) accused persons were youth aged 12 to 17. For one-third (33%) of youth victims, a casual acquaintance shared the victim’s intimate images with others.

New Statistics Canada Articles: Online Hate and Resentencing of Adults Released from Custody

Statistics Canada recently published 2 justice-related articles:

• Reconvictions among adults sentenced to custody or community supervision across five provincial correctional programs, 2015/2016 to 2018/2019: "This Juristat article presents data and information on reconvictions among adults released from full-time custody, starting an intermittent custodial sentence, or starting a community supervision sentence across five provincial correctional programs in 2015/2016. Reconvictions were examined for up to four years, from 2015/2016 to 2018/2019. Findings are disaggregated by age, gender, criminal history and population group, including Indigenous, Black and other racialized groups."
• Online hate and aggression among young people in Canada: "Frequent social media and Internet use can place younger people at a higher risk of experiencing or being incited to perpetrate online harms and cyberaggression, from exposure to harmful online content to cyber-related hate crimes and other acts of cyberbullying, such as sexual exploitation targeting specific individuals. Today, in advance of Pink Shirt Day (February 28), Statistics Canada is releasing new analysis on cyberaggression among young people ..."

Statistics Canada Report on Quality of Life in High Hate Crime Areas

Statistics Canada recently published a report showing that areas with high rates of hate crime also report lower scores on quality of life indicators:

"The total police-reported hate crime rate in 2022 across Canada was 9.2 incidents per 100,000 population, almost double the rate of 5.2 in 2019. The increasing trend in the number of hate crimes in Canada has provoked interest in exploring the social impacts and trends possibly associated with hate crimes (...)"

"Individuals subjected to hate crimes based on their race, ethnicity, religion, or a similar characteristic may experience heightened psychological distress. This is because such incidents represent an assault on a fundamental part of the victim's personal identity."

"Overall, at the community level, the percentage of people self-reporting positive mental health was lower among those living in a city that was a HHCA than those living in cities with lower rates of hate crime. This was true for both men and women. All told, 49% of men and 43% of women in HHCAs [High Hate Crime Areas] reported positive mental health, compared with 54% of men and 46% of women in cities with lower hate crime rates. It should be noted that regardless of hate crime rates, men were more likely to report positive mental health (54%) than women (44%)."

"In HHCA cities, racialized people were less likely to report positive mental health (44%) than non-racialized people (51%). On the other hand, in cities with relatively low rates of hate crime, racialized people were more likely to report positive mental health (51%) than non-racialized people (49%)."

Statistics Canada Report on Firearms and Violent Crime

A new Statistics Canada article in the publication Juristat looks at the prevalence of firearm-related violent crime in Canada. 

Recent trends in firearm-related violent crime are presented at the national, provincial/territorial and census metropolitan area levels as well as for urban and rural regions:

"Firearm-related violent crime represents a small proportion of crimes in Canada, among both police-reported crime and crimes reported by Canadians in victimization surveys. However, firearm-related violent crimes represent a larger share of the most serious crimes—such as homicide, attempted murder, robbery and aggravated assault—and gang-related crime."

"Firearm-related violent crime can have major detrimental impacts on the affected persons and communities. These of course include the physical injuries, often more serious or lethal compared to crimes committed with other types of weapons. Exposure to firearm-related violence is also known to impact mental health (...) These physical injuries and the impacts on mental health can result in significant costs for the healthcare system. In addition, firearm-related crime can adversely affect the perception of crime and safety, particularly because of the extensive media coverage that these incidents sometimes receive. Further, it has been established that an increase in or high level of firearm-related crime can have a negative impact on a community’s economy and well-being (...)"

"As a result, firearm-related violent crime remains a major concern in terms of public safety and justice, and the challenges associated with gun control regularly fuel public debate. Over the past few years, various legislative changes, funding mechanisms, and programs aimed at reducing and preventing this type of crime have been proposed or implemented (...)"

"Using data from the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey and the Homicide Survey, this Juristat article examines the latest trends in firearm-related violent crime, as well as certain characteristics of these incidents, the victims and the accused persons."

Statistics Canada Article on Human Trafficking

Statistics Canada has published an article entitled Trafficking in persons in Canada, 2022 in its Juristat Bulletin:

"Trafficking in persons, or human trafficking, is a serious human rights violation that can occur domestically or transnationally with the crossing of international borders. Human trafficking involves the recruitment, transportation or harbouring of a person and includes controlling or influencing their movements with the goal of exploiting, or facilitating the exploitation of, a person (...)"

"Human trafficking is considered a criminal offence in Canada, as outlined in the Criminal Code and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act .... The National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking, announced in 2019, further outlines the Government of Canada’s commitment to prevent and address human trafficking, including providing support to victims and survivors (...)"

"Despite legislation prohibiting all forms of human trafficking both within and outside Canadian borders, it is difficult to detect and measure due to its hidden nature. Victims of human trafficking are generally isolated and concealed from the public, and many may experience barriers or be unwilling to report to authorities for various reasons, including a general distrust of authorities, feelings of shame, fear of consequences, language barriers, or a lack of human rights knowledge ... Moreover, the detection of human trafficking cases by police services may be dependent on the availability of resources, specialized units and training received."

"While human trafficking takes various forms, trafficking for sexual exploitation is the most detected and encountered form of human trafficking by law enforcement in Canada ... It is highly gendered, disproportionately impacting women and girls, although men and boys are also victims."

Among the highlights:

•  In 2022, there were 528 police-reported incidents of human trafficking, a slight decrease compared with 2021
• Of the 3,103 detected victims of police-reported human trafficking in Canada from 2012 to 2022, the vast majority (94%) were women and girls, and were overwhelmingly young, with approximately 7 in 10 (69%) under the age of 25
• Over half (56%) of human trafficking incidents were not solved, or cleared, by police. This could be due to several factors, including the incident still being under investigation, insufficient evidence available to proceed or no accused person identified
• From 2011/2012 to 2021/2022, the most serious decision for the large majority (83%) of completed adult criminal court cases involving at least one human trafficking charge was a stay, a withdrawal, a dismissal, or a discharge. A small proportion of human trafficking cases resulted in a guilty decision (11%)

Statistics Canada Info on Trends in Police-reported Family Violence

Statistics Canada has published new data on Trends in police-reported family violence and intimate partner violence in Canada, 2022:

"According to police services in Canada, after several years of increase, rates of reported family violence and intimate partner violence were unchanged in 2022. Rates decreased to a small degree for women and girls (-1% for family violence and -1% for intimate partner violence), while they increased slightly for men and boys (+1% for family violence and +2% for intimate partner violence). Regardless, rates for both types of violence were higher for women and girls than for men and boys."

"Today, the Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics at Statistics Canada is releasing a series of downloadable data tables detailing the number and characteristics of victims of police-reported family violence and intimate partner violence (see Note to readers). This release presents high-level trends in police-reported family violence and intimate partner violence. It should be noted that the findings in this release reflect only incidents of family violence and intimate partner violence that came to the attention of the police, and past research has highlighted that these types of violence are often not reported to authorities. As such, the data presented here likely underestimate the full scope of these types of violence."

"In this release, family violence is violence committed by spouses, parents, children, siblings and extended family members and intimate partner violence is violence committed by current and former legally married spouses, common-law partners, dating partners and other intimate partners. Victims of family violence and victims of intimate partner violence are not mutually exclusive groups, as victims of a current or former spouse are included in each group."

Statistics Canada Article on Court Outcomes in Gender-related Homicide Cases

The Statistics Canada publication Juristat published an article last week about Court outcomes associated with the gender-related homicide of women and girls in Canada, 2009/2010 to 2020/2021.

This type of homicide involves homicides that were committed by at least one male accused who was an intimate partner or a family member of the victim, or who sexually assaulted the victim as part of the homicide, or who killed a victim that police identified as a sex worker.

The article looks at how cases are processed through the criminal court system. It also also examines how these cases' outcomes compare with those of non-gender-related homicides of women and girls (homicides of women or girls with no evidence of the gender-related criteria mentioned above) and with homicides of men and boys.

Among the highlights:

• 58% of persons who were accused of a gender-related homicide of a woman or girl were found guilty of any charge in the case. This proportion is higher than what was found among persons accused of a non-gender-related homicide of a woman or girl as well as those accused in a homicide case with a male victim (50% each).
• Of all adults convicted of any charge in a case that had at least one homicide charge and where sentencing details were known, more than nine in ten (93%) persons accused of committing a gender-related homicide of a woman or girl were sentenced to custody, similar to those accused of committing a non-gender-related homicide (92%) and persons accused of a homicide against a male victim (92%).
• Of those who were sentenced to custody, adults convicted in a case of gender-related homicide had an average of 12.5 years left to serve after given credit for time in custody, three years longer than those convicted of a non-gender-related homicide of a woman or girl (average 9.2 years), and six years longer than when the victim was male (average 6.1 years).
• Cases of gender-related homicide took, on average, 603 calendar days to complete in court, measured by first appearance to final decision. These cases took 89 days longer, on average, to complete than non‑gender-related homicides of women and girls and 103 days longer than cases involving the homicide of men and boys.
• In cases of attempted murder, aggravated assault and aggravated sexual assault, fewer differences in court outcomes were documented when the case was gender-related compared to when it was not. While cases of gender-related violence contained more charges on average than those with a non-gender-related female victim or male victim, similar proportions of persons accused in these crimes were found guilty of any charge in the case and sentenced to custody. However, persons convicted of a gender-related violent offence received shorter sentences, on average, than those convicted in non-gender-related cases.

Recent Justice-Related Documents from the Government of Canada

The Government of Canada's Weekly Acquisitions List can be a great way to discover new research reports published by various public bodies and agencies of the federal government. It is a record of all publications catalogued in the previous week.

Here are a few recent additions of justice-related documents:

• Financial industry forum on artificial intelligence : a Canadian perspective on responsible AI: "The rapid advancement, proliferation, and transformative nature of the artificial intelligence (AI) technology has accentuated the need to consider ethical, legal, financial and social implications of its development and deployment. This is where well-designed risk management practices come in, comprised of robust testing and evaluation frameworks, implementation of clear and transparent decision-making processes, and creation of mechanisms for accountability and redress in the event of harm (...) It was with this mindset of imagination and exploration in which the Financial Industry Forum on Artificial Intelligence (FIFAI) had operated — a gathering of Canada’s finest financial services experts in the application of AI, mixed with representatives from government bodies, and academia. We listened to leading AI experts and influential regulators from several countries, and then debated those learnings with the objective of safely harnessing AI potential to contribute significantly to Canada’s economy."
• Honouring the children who never came home : truth, education and reconciliation : interim report of the Standing Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples: "This report begins with an overview of the history of residential schools in Canada and the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC). The report then discusses issues identified by witnesses which hinder Indigenous families from locating and bringing their children home, including access to records, measures to access and examine burial grounds, legal protections for burial grounds and unmarked graves and supporting the educational work of the NCTR. Based on this evidence, the report makes six recommendations that are focused on supporting Survivors, families and communities to find their missing children and finally bring them home. "
• Victims of Hate Crime, 2015-2021: "This fact sheet focuses on police-reported hate crime and, primarily, violent hate crime.2 A hate crime is defined in the UCR [Uniform Crime Reporting Survey] as a criminal violation  motivated by hate, based on race, national or ethnic origin, language, colour, religion, sex, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation or gender identity or expression, or any other similar factor."
• Sentencing in Adult Criminal Courts in Canada in 2020–2021: "This fact sheet is based on publicly available data from Statistics Canada. It examines data from 2020–2021 ─ the first year following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, public health measures were put into place, which temporarily closed, postponed and/or restricted Canadian court proceedings. As a result, there was an unprecedented decline in the number of adult court cases, particularly in the first few months of 2020. It is important to keep this context in mind when interpreting the data in this fact sheet. "

Statistics Canada Article on Over-Representation of Indigenous Persons in Adult Provincial Custody

The Statistics Canada publication Juristat has published an article on Over-Representation of Indigenous Persons in Adult Provincial Custody, 2019/2020 and 2020/2021.

It found that the Indigenous incarceration rate was 8.9 times higher than the non-Indigenous incarceration rate in 2020/2021 in the five provinces covered (Nova Scotia, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia).

Among the highlights:

• Indigenous men were most likely to experience incarceration, with almost one-in-ten Indigenous men aged 25-34 years experiencing incarceration over this period.
• In 2020/2021, the Over-Representation Index for Indigenous people was highest in Saskatchewan at 17.7 times higher than the non-Indigenous population, followed by Alberta (10.8), British Columbia (7.9), Ontario (6.3), and Nova Scotia (1.9).
• Over-representation increased in 2020/2021 by 14% from the previous year, when the over-representation index was 7.8.  Although, over-representation increased, the Incarceration rates for both Indigenous (down 18%) and non-Indigenous people (down 27%).
• The over-representation of Indigenous women in provincial correctional facilities (15.4 times higher than non-Indigenous women) was greater than for Indigenous men (8.4 times higher), in 2020/2021.
• In the three correctional services programs for which data are available, bail was used more frequently than remand for non-Indigenous persons. The ratio between average counts for bail and remand was 4.9 (that is for everyone one person in remand, almost 5 people were on bail), compared to 2.6 for the Indigenous population.

Statistics Canada Article on Gender-related Homicide of Women and Girls

Juristat, a Statistics Canada publication, recently published an article on Gender-related homicide of women and girls in Canada.

The article analyzes police-reported data of homicides involving women and girls who were killed by an intimate partner, family member, within the context of sex work as well as those who experienced sexual violence. Some data on the attempted murder of women and girls are also presented. 

As the text explains, although most homicide victims are men and boys, women and girls are disproportionately killed by someone they know, namely an intimate partner or a family member.

Among the article's highlights:

• Between 2011 and 2021, police reported 1,125 gender-related homicides of women and girls in Canada. Of these homicides, two-thirds (66%) were perpetrated by an intimate partner, 28% a family member, 5% a friend or acquaintance and the remaining 1% a stranger.
• While the rate of gender-related homicide of women and girls has generally declined since 2001, there was a 14% increase between 2020 and 2021 (from 0.48 to 0.54 victims per 100,000 women and girls), marking the highest rate recorded since 2017.
• In 2021, the rate of gender-related homicide in Canada was more than 2.5 times greater in rural areas compared to urban areas (1.13 versus 0.44 per 100,000 women and girls).
• Between 2011 and 2021, of all gender-related homicides of women and girls, the largest proportion died by stabbing (34%). About four times as many victims of gender-related homicide died of strangulation, smothering or drowning (17%) compared to victims of non-gender-related homicides (4%).
• One-third (32%) of gender-related homicides of women and girls were reported by police as motivated primarily by the accused’s anger, frustration or despair, almost triple the proportion found among non-gender-related homicides (12%).
• Over the 11-year period (i.e., 2011 to 2021), one in five (21%) persons accused of a gender-related homicide where at least one woman or girl was killed resulted in the suicide of the accused, seven times higher than what was found among persons accused of committing a non-gender-related homicide (3%). 
• Data between 2011 and 2021 show that of all gender-related homicides of women and girls, 21% (n=233) of victims were Indigenous, despite comprising only 5% of the female population in Canada in 2021.
• Between 2011 and 2021, the largest proportion of gender-related attempted murders of women and girls occurred at residential locations, involved the presence of a weapon and resulted in physical injury.