Police-reported hate crime in Canada, 2018

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Release date: February 26, 2020
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Infographic: Police-reported hate crime in Canada, 2018
Description: Police-reported hate crime in Canada, 2018

Police-reported hate crime in Canada, 2018

The number of police-reported hate crimes declined 13% in 2018 but was the second highest since 2009. The decline was due to fewer incidents targeting the Muslim, Black, and Arab and West Asian populations.


Number of police-reported hate crimes by year
Table summary
This table displays the results of Number of police-reported hate crimes by year. The information is grouped by Police-reported hate crimes (appearing as row headers), (appearing as column headers).
Police-reported hate crimes
Year Number
2009 1,482
2010 1,401
2011 1,332
2012 1,414
2013 1,167
2014 1,295
2015 1,362
2016 1,409
2017 2,073
2018 1,798

In 2018, 44% of all police-reported hate crimes were motivated by race/ethnicity.


Police-reported hate crime motivated by race/ethnicity
Table summary
This table displays the results of Police-reported hate crime motivated by race/ethnicity. The information is grouped by Race/ethnicity (appearing as row headers), 2017, 2018 and Percent change, calculated using number units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Race/ethnicity 2017 2018 Percent change
number
Black 321 283 -12
East or Southeast Asian 61 56 -8
South Asian 67 75 12
Arab or West Asian 142 111 -22
Indigenous 31 35 13
White 46 37 -20
OtherPolice-reported hate Note 1 169 159 -6
Race not specified 41 24 -41
Total 878 780 -11
Note 1

Motivations based upon race or ethnicity not otherwise stated and those which target more than one group.

Return to note 1 referrer

In 2018, 36% of hate crimes were motivated by religion.


Police-reported hate crime motivated by religion
Table summary
This table displays the results of Police-reported hate crime motivated by religion. The information is grouped by Religion (appearing as row headers), 2017, 2018 and Percent change, calculated using number units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Religion 2017 2018 Percent change
number
Jewish 360 347 -4
Muslim 349 173 -50
Catholic 39 35 -10
OtherPolice-reported hate Note 1 57 46 -19
Religion not specified 37 38 3
Total 842 639 -24
Note 1

Motivations based upon religions not otherwise stated.

Return to note 1 referrer

In 2018, 10% of hate crimes were motivated by sexual orientation.


Police-reported hate crime motivated by sexual orientation
Table summary
This table displays the results of Police-reported hate crime motivated by sexual orientation. The information is grouped by Motivation (appearing as row headers), 2017, 2018 and Percent change, calculated using number units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Motivation 2017 2018 Percent change
number
Sexual orientation 204 173 -15
OtherPolice-reported hate Note 1 117 171 46
Note 1

Includes mental or physical disability, language, sex, age and other similar factors.

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In 2018, the national trend was driven by a decrease in Ontario.


Number of hate crimes by province or territory
Table summary
This table displays the results of Number of hate crimes by province or territory. The information is grouped by Province or territory (appearing as row headers), Number of hate crimes, 2018 and Change in number of hate crimes, 2017 to 2018 (appearing as column headers).
Province or territory Number of hate crimes, 2018 Change in number of hate crimes, 2017 to 2018
Canada 1,798 -275
Newfoundland and Labrador 3 +1
Prince Edward Island 2 +1
Nova Scotia 33 +12
New Brunswick 16 -6
QuebecNumber of Note 1 453 -36
Ontario 762 -261
Manitoba 40 +4
Saskatchewan 30 +10
Alberta 207 +15
British Columbia 248 -7
Yukon 1 -2
Northwest Territories 1 -4
Nunavut 2 -2
Note 1

The Service de police de la Ville de Québec (SPVQ) identified an overcount in the hate crime data originally submitted to Statistics Canada for 2018. The SPVQ has committed to providing a revised count that will be published by Statistics Canada in July 2020 with the release of 2019 and revised 2018 crime statistics. This overcount mitigated the year-over-year decrease in hate crime reported in the province of Quebec in 2018.

Return to note 1 referrer

The majority of police-reported hate crimes were non-violent offences.


Police-reported hate crime by type of crime
Table summary
This table displays the results of Police-reported hate crime by type of crime. The information is grouped by Type of crime (appearing as row headers), percent (appearing as column headers).
Type of crime Percent
Non-violent 57
Mischief 39
Other non-violent offences 17
Violent 43
Uttering threats 15
Common assault (level 1) 13
Other violent offences 16

Note: Hate crimes where the type was unknown have been excluded. Therefore, the totals for each hate crime type shown will not add up to the overall total for 2017 and 2018.

Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey.

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Published by authority of the Minister responsible for Statistics Canada.

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada as represented by the Minister of Industry, 2020

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Catalogue no. 11-627-M

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