Data sources

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Incident-based Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR2) Survey

The Incident-based Uniform Crime reporting (UCR2) survey collects detailed information on individual criminal incidents reported to police including characteristics of victims, accused persons and incidents. In 2006, detailed data were collected from 149 police services representing approximately 90% of the population of Canada. Hamilton Police Service is excluded from the analysis due to data quality of the relationship variable. Other than Ontario and Quebec, the data are primarily from urban police departments. The reader is cautioned that these data are not geographically representative at the national or provincial level.

The UCR2 Trend Database contains historical data that permits the analysis of trends in the characteristics of incidents, accused and victims, such as victim-accused relationship. This database currently includes 63 police services that have reported to the UCR2 survey consistently since 1998. These respondents accounted for 53% of the population of Canada in 2006.

Weighted proportions

Due to data quality and comparability issues, rates of spousal violence at the provincial/territorial levels are not presented in this report. A number of police services reported a substantial proportion of violent incidents where the relationship between the accused and the victim was ‘unknown’ which if ignored would result in the underestimation of the proportion of incidents attributed to spousal violence. For example, Hamilton Police Service coded 98% of violent incidents as relationship ‘unknown’, RCMP in Alberta reported 60% and the OPP 48%. A UCR data quality measure that evaluates this relationship variable indicated that Hamilton Police Service should be removed from all analyses. To handle the remaining respondents with significant ‘unknowns’, a methodology was developed to take into account the proportion of unknown relationships.

The following table shows the percentage of violent incidents reported by police where the relationship between the accused and the victim was coded as ‘unknown’ by province and territory.

To compensate for the unknown relationships and to ensure that provincial/territorial statistics are representative and comparable, it was necessary to calculate a weighted proportion of spousal violence for each province and territory. Rather than simply ignore the unknown relationships, a proportion for spousal violence was calculated for each police service. The weight that each police service carries in the overall provincial number is equal to the total number of violent offences for that police service. The underlying assumption here is that the violent incidents with unknown relationships are similar to those with known relationships. Again, the same UCR data quality measure used to determine that Hamilton should be excluded supported this assumption.

General Social Survey on Victimization (GSS)

In 2004, the victimization cycle of the General Social Survey (GSS) was conducted for the fourth time. Previous victimization cycles were conducted in 1988, 1993 and 1999. The target population included all non-institutionalized people aged 15 and older (i.e., individuals living in households). Households without non-cellular telephones were excluded from the survey. This exclusion represents a small proportion (2%) of the population.

Data were collected each month from January 2004 to December 2004. Over this period, a total of approximately 24,000 people were successfully interviewed using Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI), yielding a response rate of 75%. Some types of non-responses included respondents who refused to participate, those who could not be reached, or individuals who could not speak English or French well enough to complete the survey.

It is important to acknowledge that there are limitations to the data. The data that appear in the report are based on estimates from a sample of the Canadian population and are therefore subject to sampling error. This type of error refers to the difference between an estimate derived from the sample and the one that would have been obtained from a census that used the same procedure to collect data from every person in the population.

In addition, there is the possibility of non-sampling errors. These refer to such issues as the respondents’ inability to remember/report events accurately, refusal by respondents to report, and errors in coding and processing of data.

Using the 2004 GSS sample design and sample size, an estimate of a given proportion of the total population, expressed as a percentage, is expected to be within one percentage point of the true proportion 19 times out of 20.

Homicide Survey

The Homicide survey began collecting police-reported data on homicide incidents, victims and accused persons in Canada in 1961, and began collecting data on family-related homicides in 1974. When a homicide becomes known to the police, the investigating police department completes a survey questionnaire, which is then forwarded to the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics. The count for a particular year represents all homicides reported in that year, regardless of when the death actually occurred. In 1991 and 1997, the survey was revised and expanded to include additional variables, such as previous conviction histories of the accused and victim, employment of the accused and victim, victim’s use of force at the time of the incident, and Shaken Baby Syndrome as a cause of death.

The Homicide Survey also contains a narrative section, where investigating officers insert additional details on the homicide that are not included in the questionnaire portion of the survey. These additional details include such information as the presence/absence of a restraining order and the attempted suicide of the accused. However, generalizations cannot be made to all homicides, since the availability of this supplementary information varies between homicide reports.

Transition Home Survey

The Transition Home survey (THS) was developed under the federal government’s Family Violence Initiative in consultation with provincial/territorial governments and transition home associations. The objectives of the survey are to collect information on the characteristics of residential services for abused women and their children during the previous twelve months of operation. In addition, the THS collects information on selected characteristics for the women and children residing in these shelters on a specified ‘snapshot’ day. In 1991-1992, Statistics Canada began collecting basic information on transition home services and clientele. A more comprehensive survey was developed and administered in subsequent years.

The THS is a biennial mail-out/mail-back census survey of all residential facilities providing services to abused women and their children. Shelters that serve a broader population, in addition to women escaping domestic violence, such as those providing residential services to male victims of spousal abuse and men and women seeking refuge for reasons other than abuse are also included on the THS. Facilities that exclusively serve male victims of spousal abuse fall outside the scope of this survey. At the time of this survey, one such facility was known to be in operation. The THS does not include shelters that do not provide residential services. For additional results from the THS, refer to the Juristat entitled: Canada’s Shelters for abused women, 2005/2006.

Victim Services Survey

Until recently, there were no nationally available data on the number and types of victim service agencies in Canada. In an effort to fill this information gap, the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics (CCJS), with funding from Justice Canada’s Policy Centre for Victim Issues, conducted its first national survey of victim services in 2003. It was developed in consultation with federal, provincial and territorial ministries responsible for justice and victim services, and with a number of victim service agencies from across Canada. The objectives of the survey are to provide a profile of victim service agencies, information on the types of services offered, and some insight into the clients who use them through a snapshot of clients served on a specific date. In addition, the survey collects standardized information from criminal injuries compensation and other financial benefit programs regarding applications for compensation and awards for victims of crime.

Recognizing the need to monitor the number and types of victim service agencies and to address emerging issues in the field of victim services, the Victim Services Survey (VSS) was repeated in 2005/2006.

Victim services are defined as agencies that provide direct services to primary or secondary victims of crime and are funded in whole or in part by a ministry responsible for justice matters. The survey covered system-based, police-based, court-based and community-based agencies, sexual assault centres, criminal injuries compensation programs and other financial benefit programs.

The VSS is a mail-out/mail-back paper questionnaire and is intended to be a census of all victim service agencies that fall within its scope. Although it was intended that each service location complete one form, for administrative reasons, some lead agencies submitted one form representing data for all service locations under their administration. For additional results from the VSS, refer to the Juristat entitled: Victim Services in Canada, 2005/2006.

Maternity Experiences Survey

The Maternity Experiences Survey (MES) is the first Canadian survey devoted to pregnancy, labour, birth and postpartum experiences. It is a core project of the Canadian Perinatal Surveillance System of the Public Health Agency of Canada who sponsored this survey. Its purpose was to collect data from recent mothers on important perinatal health indicators, such as: health and health care during pregnancy; labour and birth practices as well as an overall evaluation of the experience; characteristics and health of the newborn, breastfeeding intentions and practice; mothers’ views of their postpartum health and health care; information mothers had on pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum period; and other factors that may have affected their maternity experiences (e.g., socio-demographic characteristics, reproductive history, stressful events, support).

The survey was conducted in the fall of 2006, following the Canadian Census of Population. The survey’s sample was selected using demographic information collected during the census. The target population was defined as women who: gave birth between the 15^th of February and the 15^th of May 2006 (provinces) or between the 1^st of November 2005 and the 1^st of February 2006 (territories); had a single birth; were at least 15 years of age at the time of baby’s birth; and whose baby was born in Canada and lived with the mother at least one night per month. Mothers who lived on First Nations reserves and in collective dwellings were excluded. Of the estimated 76,500 women who would meet these criteria, the MES sample included 8,542 mothers. The survey’s file contains 6,421 records of mothers who responded to the survey and gave Statistics Canada permission to share their responses with the survey sponsor.