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Table 8
Homicides, by closest accused to victim relationship and Indigenous identity, Canada, 2020

Table 8
Homicides, by closest accused to victim relationship and Indigenous identity, Canada, 2020
Table summary
This table displays the results of Homicides. The information is grouped by Relationship type (victim killed by) (appearing as row headers), Closest accused to victim relationship, 2020, Average 2016 to 2019, Indigenous victims and Non-Indigenous victims, calculated using number and percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Relationship type^{Table 8 Note 1} (victim killed by)	Closest accused to victim relationship
	2020				Average 2016 to 2019^{Table 8 Note 2}
	Indigenous victims^{Table 8 Note 3}		Non-Indigenous victims^{Table 8 Note 4}		Indigenous victims^{Table 8 Note 3}		Non-Indigenous victims^{Table 8 Note 4}
	number	percent^{Table 8 Note 5}	number	percent^{Table 8 Note 5}	number	percent^{Table 8 Note 5}	number	percent^{Table 8 Note 5}
Family relationship	40	27.4	94	30.6	47	37.6	97	30.6
Spousal relationship^{Table 8 Note 6}	9	6.2	35	11.4	15	12.0	43	13.6
Other family relationship^{Table 8 Note 7}	31	21.2	59	19.2	32	25.6	54	17.0
Intimate relationship (non-spousal)^{Table 8 Note 8}	10	6.8	15	4.9	6	4.8	17	5.4
Acquaintance^{Table 8 Note 9}	69	47.3	108	35.2	53	42.4	105	33.1
Criminal relationship^{Table 8 Note 10}	11	7.5	24	7.8	10	8.0	36	11.4
Stranger	16	11.0	66	21.5	11	8.8	62	19.6
Unknown relationship	7	Note ...: not applicable	34	Note ...: not applicable	6	Note ...: not applicable	19	Note ...: not applicable
Total solved homicides^{Table 8 Note 11}	153	100.0	341	100.0	131	100.0	336	100.0
Unsolved homicides	48	Note ...: not applicable	169	Note ...: not applicable	24	Note ...: not applicable	154	Note ...: not applicable
Total homicides^{Table 8 Note 12}	201	Note ...: not applicable	510	Note ...: not applicable	155	Note ...: not applicable	489	Note ...: not applicable
... not applicable Note 1 Includes homicides with a known accused. If there were more than one accused, only the closest relationship to the victim was recorded. Return to note 1 referrer Note 2 The year 2014 marked the first cycle of collection of the Homicide Survey data for which complete information regarding Indigenous identity was reported for victims of homicide. Return to note 2 referrer Note 3 "Indigenous identity" includes those identified by police as First Nations persons (either status or non-status), Métis, Inuit, or an Indigenous identity where the Indigenous group was not known to police. Return to note 3 referrer Note 4 "Non-Indigenous identity" refers to instances where the police have confirmed that a victim is not identified as an Indigenous person. Return to note 4 referrer Note 5 Solved homicides where the type of relationship was unknown are excluded from the calculation of percentages. Return to note 5 referrer Note 6 Includes legal husband/wife, common-law husband/wife, separated or divorced husband/wife, separated common-law husband/wife and same-sex spouse. Return to note 6 referrer Note 7 Includes father, mother, son, daughter, sibling, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, uncles, aunts, cousins, in-laws, etc., related by blood, marriage (including common-law) or adoption. Return to note 7 referrer Note 8 Includes boyfriend, girlfriend, same sex relationship, extra-marital lover, ex-boyfriend / girlfriend and other intimate relationship. Return to note 8 referrer Note 9 Includes close friend, neighbour, authority or reverse authority figure, business relationship and casual acquaintance. Return to note 9 referrer Note 10 Includes, for example, drug dealers, and their clients, loan sharks, or gang members. When more than one relationship applies (e.g., criminal relationship and close friend), police are asked to report the primary relationship. Return to note 10 referrer Note 11 Includes homicides with a known accused. Return to note 11 referrer Note 12 Total homicides excludes victims where the Indigenous identity was reported as unknown by police (i.e., 4% of victims in 2020). Return to note 12 referrer Note: Indigenous identity is reported by the police and is determined through information found with the victim, such as status cards, or through information supplied by the victims' families, community members, or other sources (i.e., such as band records, or forensic evidence such as genetic testing). There may be a small number of homicides included in a given year's total that occurred in previous years. Homicides are counted according to the year in which they are reported to Statistics Canada. Percentages may not add up due to rounding. Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, Homicide Survey.

Date modified:: 2021-11-25