Editor’s note: As this article indicate, the statistics on hate crime in the Canada do not show a wave of anti-Muslim activity, nor any need to counter “Islamophobia”. As well, recently released FBI Hate Crime Statistics confirm the same.
Overview: Police reported 1,409 hate crimes in Canada in 2016, 47 more than in 2015. This represented less than 0.1% of the 1,895,546 crimes (excluding traffic violations) that were reported by police services. The 3% increase in hate crimes was a result of more incidents targeting South Asians and Arabs or West Asians, the Jewish population, and people based on their sexual orientation. In contrast, hate crimes against Muslims and Catholics declined in 2016. Canada's population has become more diverse as the proportion of foreign-born, non-Christian religion and people who report as being gay, lesbian, bisexual or in a same-sex relationship continues to grow. For instance, overall, one-fifth of Canada's population was foreign-born in 2016 and this could reach from 24.5% to 30.0% by 2036. Since comparable data became available in 2009, the number of police-reported hate crimes have ranged from 1,167 incidents in 2013 to 1,482 incidents in 2009. On average, about 1,360 hate crime incidents have been reported annually by police since 2009. Police report fewer hate crimes targeting the Muslim population
Police reported 460 hate crimes targeting religious groups in 2016, 9 fewer than in the previous year. These accounted for one-third of all hate crimes in Canada. Following a notable increase in hate crimes against the Muslim population in 2015, police reported 20 fewer in 2016 for a total of 139. The decrease in police-reported hate crimes against Muslims was the result of fewer reported incidents in Quebec (-16), Alberta (-8) and Ontario (-6). Similarly, after an increase in 2015, hate crimes against Catholics also decreased, from 55 to 27 in 2016. Ontario reported 16 fewer incidents, and declines were also seen in Quebec (-7) and the Atlantic provinces (-5). In contrast, hate crimes against the Jewish population grew from 178 to 221 incidents an increase of 25%. Increases were seen in Ontario (+31), Quebec (+11) and Manitoba (+7). Full details and tables can be viewed on the Statistics Canada website by clicking here.