Canada’s youth homicide rate increased last year: Statistics Canada
The youth homicide rate in Canada saw a spike last year compared to 2023, according to the latest Statistics Canada data, even as the total rate saw a slight decline.
The youth homicide rate in Canada saw a spike last year compared to 2023, according to the latest Statistics Canada data, even as the total rate saw a slight decline.
The agency published its 2024 homicide report on Tuesday, which included 72 youths charged with murder, compared with 65 in 2023.
The latest figures bring the rate of youth accused of murder to 0.94 per 100,000 youths.
Police recorded 13 incidents within that cohort that involved multiple youth accused, with five cases involving three or more youth charged.
On a more positive note, the national homicide rate decreased by 4 per cent last year, dropping from 1.99 to 1.91 homicides per 100,000 people.
“This is the second consecutive year when the homicide rate has been below 2 homicides per 100,000 population,” reads the report.
Statistics Canada noted that Indigenous people still remain the most disproportionately impacted, accounting for 30 per cent of all homicide victims last year, despite representing only five per cent of the population.
Additionally, about 17 per cent of all victims were killed by a spouse or intimate partner, a notable increase from 2023, rising from 72 victims to 100 in 2024.
The vast majority of those murdered were women, accounting for 81 per cent of all intimate-partner homicide victims last year.
“In 2024, 42 per cent of individuals accused of homicide had a record of either having committed or having been accused of previous crimes against a person, a rate slightly lower than in 2023 (47 per cent),” it said.
“From 2019 to 2024, roughly one-third of individuals accused of homicide were already under some form of justice system supervision. This proportion was 32 per cent in 2024, after peaking at approximately 35 per cent in 2023, following a low of 25 per cent in 2021. This broad category of supervision includes not only those on bail, but also those on remand, sentenced to custody or on probation,” reads the report.
Alberta, British Columbia, Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador all recorded decreases in their homicide rate last year, compared with 2023.
Meanwhile, the remaining six provinces all saw increases, with New Brunswick leading the charge.
New Brunswick saw its homicide rate nearly double, going from 1.08 to 2.11 per 100,000, with the number of victims rising from nine in 2023 to 18 in 2024.
Nova Scotia also experienced one of the largest homicide increases in the country, jumping from 1.33 to 2.32 per 100,000, with 14 homicides in 2023, compared to 25 last year.
Manitoba’s homicide rate increased by 22 per cent, while Saskatchewan saw a seven per cent jump.
Ontario’s homicide rate remained unchanged at 1.75 per 100,000.