Aboriginal people six times more likely to be murdered in Canada

Statistics Canada released new data on homicides in the country and found Aboriginal people were six times likely to be murdered than non-Aboriginal people.

Nearly a quarter of the 516 murders in 2014 were Aboriginal people when they represent just five per cent of the general population.

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Aboriginal males in particular are at greater risk for being victims of homicide – they’re murdered seven times more than non-Aboriginal males.

Beyond that, Aboriginal people accounted for over 30 per cent of all murder accusations in Canada. Over half of all women accused of homicide were Aboriginal.

When it comes to Aboriginal women, the homicide rate remains unchanged since 1980, while it declines for non-Aboriginal women. Aboriginal women represent 21 per cent of all female murders in Canada.

In B.C., the rate of Aboriginal homicides is about three times that of non-Aboriginal people and the province recorded twelve more homicides across all groups over the previous year. Manitoba had the highest rate in the country for Aboriginal homicide at 13.29 per 100,000 people versus 1.41 per 100,000 non-Aboriginal people.

However, a higher proportion of murders of Aboriginal people were solved by police compared to non-Aboriginal people. Around 85 per cent of Aboriginal murders were solved, as compared to 71 per cent of non-Aboriginal homicides.

And Canada’s murder rate overall is the lowest it’s been since 1966 at 1.45 per 100,000 people.

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