Hate Crimes In Canada Were Up Last Year & These Are The Communities Most Affected
The rate is up 72% since 2019.
Two police officers. Right: A street in Toronto.
Hate crime rates are up in Canada, according to a new report, and there are a few suspected reasons why.
A study by Statistics Canada shows that in 2021, the rate of hate crimes in Canada saw a surge of 27% when compared to 2020.
In individual cases, that's a jump from 2,646 in 2020 to 3,360 in 2021.
That percentage goes all the way up to 72% when compared to the rate in 2019, which saw only 1,951 cases.
According to the report, the highest increase in police-reported hate crimes targeted religion, with over 354 incidents, a 67% increase from 2020 to 2021.
Reported hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation also saw an increase of 64% since the previous year — 423 reports in 2021 compared to 258 in 2020 — with 77% of those attacks targeting people in the gay and lesbian community.
A group that was targeted more in 2021 was people of Arab or West Asian descent, with 46% more hate crimes than last year.
Hate crimes toward the Black community decreased by 5% after a 96% increase in 2020, while those targeting the Indigenous community also dropped by 1% after a 169% increase in 2020.
The figures were up in all provinces in Canada in 2021, with the exception of Yukon, where they remained the same.
While the report states that the pandemic has likely "exacerbated" the volume, these numbers only account for crimes that have been reported and then classified as hate crimes by the police.
The report also points out that the large-scale increase might not actually be a representation of more hate crimes taking place.
It takes care to mention that police community outreach and other initiatives may mean that more people are willing to report that they've been targeted by a hate crime to police than in previous years.
In addition to this, a "heightened sensitivity after high-profile events" might also mean that more people have become more aware of hate crimes happening to them or around them.
For more insights, a much more detailed report on crime statistics for 2021 will be released in early 2023 by the Canadian government.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.