Canada’s homicide rate remains at lowest levels in nearly five decades

Even the national average was higher where Aboriginals died at a rate almost 6.5 times higher than for non-Aboriginals.

The number of homicides in Calgary was up a year ago, but across Canada the homicide rate was unchanged, remaining at the lowest levels in nearly five decades. The homicide rate past year for aboriginal people in the province was nine times higher than for the non-aboriginal population. It’s the first time the agency has released data specifically about aboriginal victims of homicide.

Data taken in 2013 and 2014 found the homicide rate was stable at 1.45 per 100,000 people.

While 23 per cent or 116 of the 516 Canadian victims in 2014 were aboriginal (six times higher than that of non-aboriginal people), the rate of Aboriginal people accused of homicide in Canada was also 10 times higher than the rate for non-aboriginal people. In contrast, the number of non-aboriginal female victims peaked in 1991 and has been declining ever since, mirroring the national trend.

In total, Canadian police services reported 516 homicides in 2014.

Police reported 156 firearm-related homicides in 2014, 21 more than in 2013, representing a 14 per cent increase in the rate of firearm-related homicides.

Dawn Lavell Harvard, president of the Native Women’s Association of Canada, says the scope of a long-awaited inquiry into missing and murdered women should not change. Aboriginal women represent more than half of all female murder accusations. The highest figure was in Manitoba at 22.5 times as many.

Overall, when the crimes were solved, most victims – 83 per cent – knew their killers, data show – a situation that has always been the case. At the other end, Newfoundland and Labrador had the fewest killings relative to population followed by Nova Scotia, which recorded its lowest rate since StatCan started collecting the relevant data in 1961.

Thunder Bay, Ont., had the poorest record among major urban centres, reporting an “unusually high” number in 2014, StatCan reported. Regina had a rate of 2.09, putting it in 8th spot.

Statistics Canada did note that the territories historically have the highest homicide rates in Canada – with Nunavut leading the way a year ago.