Homicide in Canada, 2016

Homicides account for a small proportion of all police‑reported violent Criminal Code offences in Canada, representing less than 0.2% in 2016 (Keighley 2017).^Note  While homicide continues to be a relatively rare occurrence in Canada, homicide rates are considered benchmarks for levels of violent activity both in Canada and internationally (Ouimet and Montmagny‑Grenier 2014). Further, homicide rates may influence perceptions of safety within communities (Romer et al. 2003).

Since 1961, police services have been reporting detailed information on homicide occurrences in Canada through Statistics Canada's Homicide Survey. Using data drawn from the Homicide Survey, this Juristat article explores the prevalence and characteristics of homicide incidents, victims, and accused persons reported in 2016, and compares these findings to short and long term trends.

Two additional homicides in Canada in 2016, but rate declined 1%

• Police reported 611 homicide victims in Canada in 2016, two more than the previous year and the highest number of homicides reported since 2008 (Table 1a).^Note  Despite an increase in the number of homicide victims, the homicide rate (1.68 per 100,000 population) decreased by 1% from the previous year (1.70 per 100,000 population in 2015)^Note  due to growth in Canada’s population (Table 1b). The 2016 homicide rate was similar to the average rate for the previous decade (average of 1.69 per 100,000 population) (Chart 1).
• The attempted murder rate also decreased in 2016 (Keighley 2017). Police reported an equal number of attempted murders in 2016 compared with the previous year (777). Again, due to growth in Canada’s population, the rate decreased 1% to 2.14 per 100,000 population (see CANSIM table 252-0051). The attempted murder rate has remained consistently higher than the homicide rate since the 1980s, with trends for these two offences often being similar (Chart 2).
• In 2016, police reported 583 incidents of homicide, the majority involving a single victim (96%). There were 21 incidents involving two victims (4%), and three incidents involving three or more (less than 1%).^Note  These proportions have remained consistent since homicide data collection began in 1961.
• Despite year‑to‑year fluctuations of Canadian homicide statistics, the rate of homicide in Canada has generally been decreasing over the years. Compared to its peak in 1975, the rate of homicides in 2016 was 44% lower (Chart 2). Through the years, declines in the number and rate of homicides have also been observed in other countries, such as the United States (Smith and Cooper 2013), England and Wales (Osborne 2012), and Australia (Bryant and Cussen 2015). The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2014) has also reported a decrease in the global homicide rate trend between 1995 and 2012.^Note 
• In 2016, 75% of homicide victims and 86% of homicide accused were male. These findings have remained relatively stable over the past 11 years for homicide victims and since the beginning of collection in 1961 for homicide accused.
• Rates of homicide among male victims were highest for those aged 18 to 24 years (5.87 per 100,000 population), followed by those aged 25 to 34 year (5.22). For females, the highest homicide rate was reported for those aged 25 to 34 years (1.19), followed by females aged 35 to 44 years (1.12) (see CANSIM table 253-0003).
• The rate of accused persons amongst the male population in 2016 was highest for those aged 18 to 24 years (6.98 per 100,000 population). Among females, the rate of accused in 2016 was highest for those aged 25 to 34 years (1.07) (see CANSIM table 253-0003).

Saskatchewan reported a record high number and rate of homicides in 2016

• While at the national level, police reported two additional homicides compared to 2015, there were notable declines in homicides in Alberta (-17 homicides), Quebec (-12) and British Columbia (-10) whereas large increases were reported in Ontario (+32) and Saskatchewan (+10) (Table 1a).
• Saskatchewan recorded its highest number of homicides (54) since 1961 when the Homicide Survey began collection, as well as its highest rate of homicide in 39 years (see CANSIM table 253-0001). The rate for Saskatchewan was the highest rate reported amongst the provinces in 2016 with 4.69 homicides per 100,000 population (Table 1b). Of note, Quebec reported its lowest homicide rate since the Homicide Survey began collection in 1961 (0.80 per 100,000 population).
• While Manitoba (-12%) and Alberta (-14%) both reported decreases in their homicide rates, they followed Saskatchewan in terms of having the highest rates among the provinces (Table 1b). Among provinces that had homicides, Quebec (67 homicides) recorded the lowest rate (0.80 per 100,000 population) followed by Newfoundland and Labrador (1.32) and Nova Scotia (1.37) (7 and 13 homicides respectively). Prince Edward Island did not report any homicides in 2016.
• The rate of homicides per 100,000 population tends to be more variable from year to year within the territories, due to their smaller population counts. This was true for 2016 in the Yukon, where the homicide rate increased from 2.67 to 10.67 per 100,000 population (+3 homicides). The Northwest Territories and Nunavut both recorded a decrease in their rates of homicide in 2016. Of note, the 2016 homicide rate in Nunavut was the lowest reported rate since becoming a territory in 1999 (Table 1b).

Among the 33 census metropolitan areas, homicide rates were highest in Thunder Bay, Edmonton and Regina

• Eighteen of the 33 census metropolitan areas (CMAs)^Note  in Canada recorded a decrease in their homicide rate from the previous year. Reporting one homicide each in 2016, the CMAs of Victoria (-7 homicides from the previous year) and St. Catharines–Niagara (-6 homicides from the previous year) reported the largest decreases in their homicide rates. Kingston, Greater Sudbury and Trois‑Rivières reported no homicides for 2016 (Table 2).
• Thunder Bay (8 homicides) recorded the highest homicide rate among CMAs at 6.64 per 100,000 population (an increase from 2.48 in 2015). Edmonton with 47 homicides (+9 from the previous year) and Regina with 8 homicides (-1 from the previous year) had the next highest homicide rates (3.39 and 3.23 per 100,000 population, respectively).
• The increase in the number of homicides in Ontario was due to increases in the CMAs of Toronto and Ottawa.^Note  Toronto reported the highest number of homicides at 96, representing an increase of 14 from the previous year (1.55 per 100,000 population). Despite the increase, Toronto’s rate was lower than the national rate. Ottawa reported 17 more homicides in 2016 reaching a total of 24 and a rate of 2.37 per 100,000 population. Although the number of homicides is smaller than in Toronto or Ottawa, the CMA of Thunder Bay reported the highest homicide rate in the province (6.64 per 100,000 population) (Table 2). Homicides outside CMAs in Ontario remained stable from the previous year.

Increase in gang‑related homicides in 2016

• In 2016, police reported 141 gang‑related homicides,^Note  an increase of 45 from the 96 reported in 2015. These represented almost one‑quarter of the homicides in 2016 where police knew whether or not the incident was gang‑related (see CANSIM table 253-0008). The rate increased 45% from 0.27 to 0.39 per 100,000 population. This was the second year in a row that the number and rate of gang‑related homicides increased after decreasing between 2011 and 2014. The peak for gang‑related homicides occurred in 2008 (Chart 3).
• The overall increase in gang‑related homicides was mostly due to increases in Ontario (+24) and British Columbia (+10) (Table 3). Increases in those provinces were mostly due to increases in Toronto (+21), Ottawa^Note  (+5) and Vancouver (+6). Together, these three census metropolitan areas (CMAs)^Note  made up 42% of all reported gang‑related homicides (Table 4).
• The increase in Saskatchewan’s total number of homicides was partly due to an increase in reported gang‑related homicides (+8). Of the 53 reported homicides where the gang‑related status was known in this province, a quarter were gang‑related (13) compared to 11% in 2015 (Table 3). Of the 13 reported gang‑related homicides in Saskatchewan, more than half were reported outside a CMA.
• New Brunswick reported two gang‑related homicides in 2016, the first ones reported since 2012. Alberta was the only province to report a decrease from the previous year in its number of gang‑related homicides (-8). Alberta’s number of gang‑related homicides (20) was close to its previous ten‑year average (17). Calgary (6) reported a decrease of 6 gang‑related homicides from the previous year, while Edmonton (11) reported an increase of 5.
• Overall, gang‑related homicides accounted for 30% of homicides that occurred in CMAs in 2016. In Kelowna, Montréal, Vancouver, Abbotsford–Mission, Regina and Guelph, gang‑related homicides accounted for 40% or more of their reported homicides (Table 4).

Firearm homicides increased for third year in a row

• For the third year in a row, firearm‑related homicides increased in number and rate. In 2016, there were 223 firearm‑related homicides, 44 more than the previous year. This represents a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 population, a 23% increase from the rate in 2015 and the highest rate since 2005. The higher number and rate of firearm‑related homicides is due to increases in all firearm types, with the exception of sawed‑off rifles or shotguns (Table 5).
• Handguns continue to be the most frequently used type of firearm, representing 58% of all firearm‑related homicides in 2016 (an increase of 1% from the previous year). The rate for this type of firearm (0.36 per 100,000 population) is at its highest point since 2008 and increased by 26% from the previous year (0.28 in 2015).
• Homicides involving a rifle or a shotgun also increased in number (+13) and rate (+34%) in 2016. Police reported 50 homicides involving this type of firearm at a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 population, representing 22% of all firearm‑related homicides (Table 5).
• Ontario, with an additional 33 firearm‑related homicides in 2016, accounted for much of the national increase. British Columbia (+9), Saskatchewan (+6) and Nova Scotia (+6) also reported a greater number compared to the previous year. The majority of provinces and territories reported a decrease, or stability, in their number of firearm‑related homicides. Decreases were reported in Alberta (-5), Manitoba (-2), Newfoundland and Labrador (-1), Quebec (-1), and the Northwest Territories (-1). The number of firearm‑related homicides in New‑Brunswick (3) and the Yukon (1) remained the same in 2016 compared to the previous year (Table 3) and for the second consecutive year, there were no reported firearm‑related homicides in Nunavut.
• The highest rate among provinces for firearm‑related homicides was reported in Saskatchewan (1.48), an increase of 52% from the previous year (0.97). The second highest rate was reported in Alberta (1.03). However, its rate represent a decrease of 12% from the previous year (1.17).
• Overall, 78% of all firearm‑related homicides in Canada in 2016 were reported in a census metropolitan area (CMA).
• With 51 reported, the CMA of Toronto had the greatest number of firearm‑related homicides among the CMAs in 2016. These represented 56% of all its reported homicides. Edmonton CMA reported the second highest number of firearm‑related homicides (23), followed by the CMAs of Montréal (22), Vancouver (18), Calgary (14), and Ottawa (12). Halifax’s nine firearm‑related homicides accounted for 75% of its total number of homicides in 2016 (Table 4). Despite having reported the greatest number of firearm‑related homicides, Toronto did not have the highest rate of firearm‑related homicides among CMAs (0.82 per 100,000 population). Halifax with 2.11 per 100,000 population reported the highest rate of firearm‑related homicides followed by the CMA of Edmonton (1.66 per 100,000 population) and Abbotsford–Mission (1.61 per 100,000 population).
• In 2016, 54% of firearm‑related homicides were also related to gang activity compared to 43% in the previous year, representing the greatest proportion since 2009.^Note  The largest increases in the number of gang‑related homicides committed with a firearm were reported in Ontario (+22) and British Columbia (+12), with these largely occurring in Toronto and Vancouver. With a total of 30, Toronto saw 18 more gang‑related homicides committed with a firearm than in 2015. Vancouver saw six more, reporting a total of 16.
• In 2016, shootings were the most common method of committing a homicide in Canada (38%), exceeding stabbings (30%) for the first time since 2012. Beatings were the third most used method of committing a homicide (20%) (Chart 4).
• The rate of homicides by shooting in 2016 was 21% higher than the average for the previous 10 years (0.61 compared to 0.51 per 100,000 population), while the rate of homicides by stabbing was 15% lower compared to the average for the previous 10 years (0.48 compared to 0.57 per 100,000 population) (Table 6).

Solve rate for 2016 homicides lower compared with previous years

• In 2016, police reported solving 407 (67%) of the total 611 reported homicides (see Text box 1), a proportion that is somewhat lower than the average over the previous 10 years. An examination of the initial solve rate at the time data were released for each of the last 10 reporting years shows that an average of 74% of homicides were solved within the data collection cycle they occurred. The increase in gang‑related homicides in 2016 may have had an impact on the solve rates as these have been shown to take longer to solve (Cotter 2014; Trussler 2010). From a statistical perspective, the time of the year a homicide occurs may influence whether or not it is reported in the annual statistics as solved. For instance, if a homicide occurs near the end of the survey reference year, there is less time for police to submit it as solved before the data collection period ends. However, for 2016, the number of homicides that occurred at the end of the reference year was no different than in previous years therefore this was not a factor in the relatively low solve rate for 2016 (see Text box 1).
• In total, police reported 480 accused persons associated with the 407 solved 2016 homicides.

Homicide rate for Aboriginal females down 31% from the previous year

• Aboriginal people^Note  accounted for 24% of homicide victims in 2016, compared to 25% in 2015^Note  (see CANSIM table 253-0009). In total, police reported 142 Aboriginal victims of homicide in 2016 (Table 7) compared to 148 in 2015. Based on population projections, Aboriginal people represented an estimated 5% of the Canadian population in 2016 (Statistics Canada 2015).
• In 2016, the homicide rate for Aboriginal people decreased by 7% from the previous year (8.19 and 8.76 per 100,000 Aboriginal people, respectively)^Note  (Table 7). This was due to a notable decrease in the rate of Aboriginal female victims. There were 12 fewer Aboriginal female victims in 2016 than in 2015 (29 compared to 41), resulting in a 31% decrease in the homicide rate for Aboriginal females (3.30 per 100,000 Aboriginal females compared to 4.79 in 2015) (Chart 5).
• In comparison, the number of Aboriginal male victims increased from 107 to 113, resulting in a rate that was 3% greater than the previous year (13.20 per 100,000 Aboriginal males compared to 12.83 in 2015).
• Since the first release of complete information on the Aboriginal identity of both male and female victims of homicide in 2014, the rate of homicide increased 12% for Aboriginal people. The rate for Aboriginal males has grown for two consecutive years, from 11.11 per 100,000 Aboriginal males in 2014 to 13.20 in 2016 (Chart 5). For Aboriginal females, the rate of homicide was 8% lower compared to 2014 (3.30 per 100,000 Aboriginal females compared to 3.60).
• For female victims, data on Aboriginal identity are available back to 1980 as a result of an update to historical records (Miladinovic and Mulligan 2015). Based on data for this long‑term trend, the rate of homicide for Aboriginal females in 2016 marked the lowest rate reported since 2001, which is the earliest year that population projections for Aboriginal people are available for the calculation of rates.
• Overall, the rate of homicide for Aboriginal people in 2016 was about six times higher than for non‑Aboriginal people (Table 7). Among females, the rate of homicide for Aboriginal victims was five times that of non‑Aboriginal victims (3.30 per 100,000 Aboriginal females compared to 0.69 per 100,000 non‑Aboriginal females). It was also higher than the rate for non‑Aboriginal males (3.30 per 100,000 Aboriginal females compared to 2.00 per 100,000 non‑Aboriginal males).
• The rate of homicide for Aboriginal males in 2016 was seven times that for non‑Aboriginal males (13.20 per 100,000 Aboriginal males compared to 2.00 per 100,000 non‑Aboriginal males) and four times that of Aboriginal females (13.20 per 100,000 Aboriginal males compared to 3.30 per 100,000 Aboriginal females) (Table 7).
• The highest number of homicides involving an Aboriginal victim were reported in Saskatchewan (36), Alberta (31), and Manitoba (27) (Table 7). Among these three provinces, the rate of homicide for Aboriginal people in 2016 was highest in Saskatchewan (18.88 per 100,000 Aboriginal people) and increased 17% from the previous year. In Manitoba, the rate decreased (-24%) and stood at 11.71 homicides per 100,000 Aboriginal people. With 10.99 homicides per 100,000 Aboriginal people in 2016, the rate in Alberta decreased 19% from the previous year. The police‑reported rate of homicide of Aboriginal people in British Columbia (6.50) was lower than the other western provinces.
• Thirty‑nine percent of Aboriginal people lived in a census metropolitan area (CMA) in 2016, according to population projections (Statistics Canada 2015), and 42% of homicides involving an Aboriginal victim were reported as occurring within a CMA. The rate of homicides involving an Aboriginal victim was 8.69 per 100,000 Aboriginal people within CMAs compared to 7.87 outside CMAs.
• According to population projections the four CMAs with the largest proportion of Aboriginal people were Winnipeg (5%), Edmonton (5%), Vancouver (4%) and Calgary (3%) (Statistics Canada 2015). Among these, Winnipeg reported the highest rate of homicides among its Aboriginal population (15.14 per 100,000 Aboriginal people), followed by Calgary (14.77), and Edmonton (9.87). Among these four CMAs, Vancouver had the lowest homicide rate among its Aboriginal population (3.21).

Proportion of Aboriginal and non‑Aboriginal female homicide victims previously reported as missing down from the previous year

• In 2016, 50 victims were on record as a missing person at the time the homicide became known to the police. This represented 8% of all homicides and is 14 fewer victims on record as missing than in the previous year (64 or 11% of all homicides).^Note 
• The proportion of victims previously reported as missing was the same regardless of whether the victim was Aboriginal or non‑Aboriginal (8% each).
• For females, 10% of Aboriginal victims in 2016 compared to 13% of non‑Aboriginal victims were previously reported as missing (Chart 6). For both Aboriginal and non‑Aboriginal female victims, the proportion reported missing in 2016 was lower than the previous year (17% and 19%, respectively).^Note 
• For males, 7% of Aboriginal victims were on record as a missing person in 2016, as were 6% of non‑Aboriginal victims (Chart 6). These figures were similar to 2015.
• Female victims were reported as a missing person prior to the discovery of their death twice as often as their male counterparts (14% of female victims, compared to 6% of male victims).
• Victims less than 12 years old were most frequently previously reported as a missing person (19% of their age category), while those aged 25 to 34 years and 65 years and older were both the least frequently reported as missing, each representing 5% of homicides in their age category.

Solve rates in 2016 lowest for non‑Aboriginal male victims

• In 2016, the lowest solve rate was for non‑Aboriginal male victims, with police reporting just over half (53%) of these homicides being solved. In comparison, 83% of homicides of Aboriginal males were solved. The low solve rate for non‑Aboriginal male victims may be related to the fact that 61% of these unsolved homicides were gang‑related,^Note  a type of homicide that tends to be harder to solve (Cotter 2014; Trussler 2010).
• Solve rates in 2016 for Aboriginal female victims (86%) and non‑Aboriginal female victims (85%) were similar.

Rate of Aboriginal persons accused of homicide 11 times higher than rate for non‑Aboriginal persons

• Where the Aboriginal identity status of the accused was reported for the 480 accused persons in solved homicide cases, 36% were identified as Aboriginal persons, and 64% were non‑Aboriginal persons (see CANSIM table 253-0010).^Note  The rate of Aboriginal persons accused of homicide was 11 times higher than the rate of accused among non‑Aboriginal people (9.75 per 100,000 Aboriginal people, versus 0.88 per 100,000 non‑Aboriginal people) (Table 7).
• Of the 67 females accused of homicide in 2016 for whom information on Aboriginal identity was known, 38 (57%) were Aboriginal and 29 (43%) were non‑Aboriginal. The rate of Aboriginal females accused of homicide was 25 times higher than rate of non‑Aboriginal female accused (4.33 per 100,000 Aboriginal females compared to 0.17 per 100,000 non-Aboriginal females).
• Where the Aboriginal identity of the accused was reported for the 413 male accused persons, 131 (32%) were Aboriginal and 274 (68%) were non‑Aboriginal.^Note  The rate for Aboriginal male accused was about 10 times higher than the rate for non‑Aboriginal male accused (15.30 per 100,000 Aboriginal males compared to 1.61 per 100,000 non‑Aboriginal males) (Table 7).

Youth continue to account for less than 10% of persons accused of homicide

• Youth aged 12 to 17 years accounted for 5% of the 480 persons accused of homicide in 2016.^Note  This is consistent with findings reported by police over the past five years, where youth have accounted for less than 10% of all persons accused of homicide (see CANSIM table 253-0003).
• In 2016, the rate of youth accused of homicide decreased by 39% from the previous year, which may be partly explained by a relatively low solve rate in 2016. Police reported that there were 0.95 youth accused of homicide for every 100,000 youth aged 12 to 17 years in Canada, compared with a rate of 1.55 in 2015. Overall, there were 22 youth accused of homicide in 2016, 14 fewer than the previous year.
• Youth accused of homicide in 2016 were about two and a half times less likely to be involved in a gang‑related incident compared to adults (5% of youth accused compared to 13% of adults accused).^Note  This is contrary to the average for the previous 10 years, where youth accused of homicide were on average two times more likely to be involved in a gang‑related incident compared to adults.

Close to one in five accused persons was reported as having mental health or developmental disorders

• In 2016, police suspected 77 persons accused of homicide as having a mental or developmental disorder,^Note  representing 17% of all accused persons.^Note  This is comparable to the proportion in 2015 (16%) and to the average over the previous 10 years (16%).
• In 2016, the largest proportion of accused persons with mental health or developmental disorders was reported amongst the 45 to 54 age group (24%) (Chart 7). In comparison, those aged 65 years and older accounted for a lower proportion of accused persons with mental health or developmental disorders (21%), which is contrary to the average for the previous 10 years. According to the average over the previous 10 years, the presence of mental or developmental disorders among accused persons has been shown to generally increase with age (Chart 7).

The number of intimate partner homicides decreased in 2016

• Information on the relationship between victim and accused has consistently shown that homicides are frequently committed by someone known to the victim. In 2016, 86% of victims knew the accused involved in their death, similar to 2015 (87%) (Table 8).^Note 
• The number of victims killed by a stranger in 2016 declined to 58, from 65 reported in 2015, and continued to account for 14% of solved homicides (Table 8).^Note  It should be noted that the relatively low solve rate in 2016 will be a factor in the lower number of victims killed by strangers (as well as other relationship) types because information on accused‑victims relationship is only available for solved homicides.
• Police reported a decrease in the number of homicides committed by a person with whom the victim had a criminal relationship. While these accounted for 12% in 2015, they accounted for 8% in 2016 (Table 8).
• Decreases were reported in the number of homicides committed by family members other than current or ex‑spouses or common law partners. These made up 20% of solved homicides in 2016, compared to 22% in 2015. This was largely due to a decrease in homicides committed by parents and extended family members (Table 8).
• There were 72 intimate partner homicides reported in Canada in 2016, 13 fewer than in 2015 (Table 8). The rate of intimate partner homicides decreased in 2016 to 0.24 per 100,000 population aged 15 years and older compared to 0.28 in 2015.
• The rate of female intimate partner homicides decreased from 2015 (0.19 per 100,000 population compared to 0.24 in 2015, or -21%), while the rate for males increased from 0.04 in the previous year to 0.05 in 2016.
• In 2016, the proportion of intimate partner related homicides was comparable to the average of the previous 10 years (18% compared to 19%) (Table 8).

Charts

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Detailed data tables

Table 1a Number of homicides, by province or territory, 1986 to 2016

Table 1b Rate of homicides, by province or territory, 1986 to 2016

Table 2 Homicides, by census metropolitan area, 2015 and 2016

Table 3 Homicides, by gang‑related and firearm‑related status and province or territory, 2015 and 2016

Table 4 Homicides, by gang‑related and firearm‑related status and census metropolitan area, 2016

Table 5 Firearm‑related homicides, by type of firearm, Canada, 1996 to 2016

Table 6 Homicides, by shootings and stabbings and province or territory, 2016

Table 7 Rates of homicide victims and accused persons, by sex and Aboriginal identity and province or territory, 2016

Table 8 Homicides, by closest accused to victim relationship, Canada, 2015 and 2016

Survey description

Homicide Survey

The Homicide Survey collects police‑reported data on the characteristics of all homicide incidents, victims and accused persons in Canada. The Homicide Survey began collecting information on all murders in 1961 and was expanded in 1974 to include all incidents of manslaughter and infanticide. Although details on these incidents are not available prior to 1974, counts are available from the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Survey and are included in the historical aggregate totals.

Whenever a homicide becomes known to police, the investigating police service completes the survey questionnaires, which are then sent to Statistics Canada. There are cases where homicides become known to police months or years after they occurred. These incidents are counted in the year in which they become known to police (based on the report date). Information on persons accused of homicide are only available for solved incidents (i.e., where at least one accused has been identified). Accused characteristics are updated as homicide cases are solved and new information is submitted to the Homicide Survey. Information collected through the victim and incident questionnaires is also accordingly updated as a result of a case being solved. For incidents involving more than one accused, only the relationship between the victim and the closest accused is recorded.

Due to revisions to the Homicide Survey database, annual data reported by the Homicide Survey prior to 2015 may not match the annual homicide counts reported by the UCR. Data from the Homicide Survey are appended to the UCR database each year for the reporting of annual police reported crime statistics. Each reporting year, the UCR includes revised data reported by police for the previous survey year. In 2015, a review of data quality was undertaken for the Homicide Survey for all survey years from 1961 to 2014. The review included the collection of incident, victim and charged/suspect‑chargeable records that were previously unreported to the Homicide Survey. In addition, the database excludes deaths, and associated accused records, which are not deemed as homicides by police any longer (i.e., occurrences of self‑defence, suicide, criminal negligence causing death that had originally been deemed, but no longer considered homicides, by police). For operational reasons, these revisions were not applied to the UCR.

Population estimates

Denominators of homicide rates by Aboriginal identity for the years of 2001 to 2016 are based on population counts provided by the Demography Division of Statistics Canada. Population counts prior to 2001 were not available for this Juristat release. In the absence of the availability of annual estimates of the Canadian population by Aboriginal identity, the population counts used in this article are either derived or projected, depending on the years. As such, these population counts are subject to a certain level of uncertainty, and subject to revisions in the future. Between the years of 2001 and 2011, population counts were calculated using linear interpolations between the 2001 and 2006 censuses of population and the 2011 National Household Survey (NHS), adjusted for net under‑coverage, partially enumerated reserves, and populations living in collective dwellings. For the years 2012 to 2016, population counts were obtained from custom projections based on the adjusted 2011 NHS. The selected projection assumptions regarding components of growth are mostly based on the reference scenario of Projections of the Aboriginal Population and Households in Canada, 2011 to 2036 (Statistics Canada 2015), with further calibrations to adjust for fertility, mortality, immigration and emigration, taken from the population estimates from 2012 to 2016. Population counts were selected for the mid‑point of the year. Information from the 2016 Census of Population by Aboriginal identity were not available for this Juristat release. Further, in order to maintain consistency across all years for which rates of homicide by Aboriginal identity are available, the population projections as described above were used to calculate homicide rates by Aboriginal identity for 2016. Calculations of homicide rates using the 2016 Census of Population may differ slightly from the homicide rates presented in this article using projected population counts for 2016.

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