Crime in Canada has occurred throughout its history, and has experienced wide swings in its prevalence. Much study has been done of the comparative experience and policies of Canada with its southern neighbour the United States, and this is a topic of intense debate within Canada. Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... Shortcut: WP:NPOVD Articles that have been linked to this page are the subject of an NPOV dispute (NPOV stands for Neutral Point Of View; see below). ...

Under the Canadian constitution, criminal law is in the federal jurisdiction, with the provinces being constitutionally responsible for enforcement and prosecution. Punishment and the laws themselves are uniform throughout the country, but some provinces maintain different levels of enforcement.

Statistics Canada data

According to Statistics Canada, in 2005, there were roughly 2.5 million crimes reported, of which 48% were property related crimes and 12% were violent crimes.^[1] However, at least one victim's rights advocate suggests that the number of crimes reported by Statistics Canada may be inaccurate. ^[2] Statistics Canada (French: Statistique Canada) is the Canadian federal government department commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Statistics Canada (French: Statistique Canada) is the Canadian federal government department commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. ...

The crime rate in 2002 was the lowest crime rate in twenty-five years with 7,590 reported incidents per 100,000 people. This number increased to over 8,000 per 100,000 in 2003 and 2004, and dropped slightly in 2005 to 7,761 per 100,000^[3]. While most types of crimes have shown a modest decrease or have held steady in the past few years, in 2005, murder and attempted murder rates rose to their highest levels in a decade, with 658 and 772 incidents respectively. Even though attempted murder has gone up every year from 2003, compared with 1995 it has decreased 20%. Homicide has only increased by 2% from 1995, but jumped 13% in 2004 and 4% more in 2005.^[4]. Much of the recent increase has been attributed to drug related turf disputes, mostly in Alberta (70% increase) and Ontario (16% increase) from 2003 to 2005. However, nationwide homicides rates are still about a third less than peak rates seen in the mid-1970s.

The province with the lowest crime rate is Ontario with 5,780 per 100,000. Quebec is close behind with 6,032 per 100,000. The province with the highest crime rates is Saskatchewan with 14,320 per 100,000. Saskatoon is the city with the highest violent crime rate of major cities overtaking its provincial counterpart Regina. Quebec City, Trois-Rivières, and Saguenay have the lowest crime rates of any city and are all located in Quebec.^[5]. In 2005, Edmonton had the highest murder rate. The three northern territories have higher crime rates per capita than any province. Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Latin: Loyal she began, loyal she remains) Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Official languages English (de facto) Government - Lieutenant-Governor David C. Onley - Premier Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 106 - Senate seats 24 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st) Area... This article is about the Canadian province. ... This article is about the Canadian province. ... Saskatoon is a city located in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. ... Nickname: Motto: Floreat Regina (Let Regina Flourish) Location of Regina in the SE quadrant of Saskatchewan Coordinates: , Country Province District Municipality of Sherwood Established 1882 Government  - City Mayor Pat Fiacco  - Governing body Regina City Council  - MPs Dave Batters Ralph Goodale Tom Lukiwski Andrew Scheer  - MLAs Joanne Crofford Doreen Hamilton Ron... Nickname: Motto: Don de Dieu feray valoir (I shall put Gods gift to good use; the Don de Dieu was Champlains ship) Coordinates: , Country Province Agglomeration Quebec City Statute of the city Capitale-Nationale Administrative Region Capitale-Nationale Founded 1608 by Samuel de Champlain Constitution date 1833 Government... Location City Information Established: January 1, 2002 Area: 228. ... Saguenay (officially Ville de Saguenay) is a city (2001 population: 148,050) in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada, on the Saguenay River, about 200 kilometres north of Quebec City. ... This article is about the Canadian province. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta, situated in the north central region of the province, an area with some of the most fertile farm land on the prairies. ...

Statistics Canada indicated that "the data came from the Canadian and American Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) programs and the Canadian and American Homicide Surveys. The different number of offences collected in the two UCR programs - 106 in Canada and 8 in the United States - prevents direct comparison of the American and Canadian total crime rates."^[6]

Comparisons

United States

Compared to the United States, Statistics Canada data have consistently demonstrated a substantially lower rate of violent crime, but similar rates of property crime^[7]. For example, in 2000 the United States' rate for robberies was 65% higher, its rate for aggravated assault was double the Canadian rate, and its murder rate was triple.

Comparing this with data from the U.S Department of Justice, in recent years the gap between in crime rates between the United States and Canada has been narrowing: crime rates in the US have declined faster than those in Canada^[8][9]. The current US murder rate is 2.5 times that of Canada per capita^[10][11], down from about four times as high during the 1980s, the primary reason for this has been a drastic drop in US homicide rates with roughly steady Canadian rates. Approximately 70% of the total murders in the US are committed with firearms, vs. about 30% in Canada[10].

Others, such as journalist David Frum, have argued that the situation is in fact far worse, with America's crime problem having dramatically improved in recent years, while Canada's is becoming seriously worse. Quoting from a Toronto Star article, he has argued "Toronto's 78 homicides in 2005 appears to compare favorably to the homicide totals of the three American cities cited by the Star. But those 78 Toronto homicides in 2005 represent a 28% increase over the 61 homicides recorded in Toronto in 1995. Meanwhile, the three U.S. cities cited by the Star each achieved dramatic decreases over the past decade: Chicago down 46% from 823, Washington down 46% from 365, Baltimore down 17% from 322." ^[12]. David J. Frum (born 1960) is a former speechwriter for President George W. Bush, and the author of the first insider book about the Bush presidency. ...

Frum's article has however been met with assertions that he has confused year-to-year variations in the number of deaths with a statistically significant trend. In fact, the 78 Toronto homicides cited by Frum for 2005 represent an unusually bad year, and the number in 2006 dropped back down to a more typical 69. The worst year of recent history remains however 1991, when 89 homicides occurred. If Frum had chose to compare the years 1991 and 2006, he would have reported a 22% decrease in the homicide rate, rather than the 28% increase he claims occurred between 1995 and 2005 ^[13].

Other countries (comparisons)

Canada's crime rate is close to the averages in Western Europe or Australia but with differences. Property crime is lower than in some nations (e.g., United Kingdom, Sweden), and significantly lower than Australia but higher than in others (e.g., Spain, France). The violent crime rate (i.e., murder, weapons offenses and rape) is higher than most western European nations, in some cases more than double and in the case of rapes, Canada has the 5th highest number of rapes per capita of any country, roughly 10x as many as the EU average^[14].

Guns

see main article Gun politics in Canada Gun politics in Canada is controversial, though less contentious than it is in the United States. ...

One of the most common explanations given for the historically higher violent crime rate in the United States are guns. Gun crimes are far more common in the United States. Only one third of Canadian murders involve firearms compared to two thirds in the States. Guns are more likely to be used in robberies in the United States. Most Canadian weapons are rifles or shotguns owned by rural property owners, hunters and target shooters, and are less likely to be used in crimes. More types of weapons are banned or restricted in Canada than the United States. The two biggest provinces, Ontario and Quebec have had a long history of strict gun controls. However, the city of Toronto is currently experiencing problems controlling the criminal use of handguns and other illegal firearms which are predominantly smuggled from the United States. ^{[citation needed]} Most of the users of these firearms are youth in their teens and early 20s who live in Toronto's low-income areas. This article is about the video game. ... Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Latin: Loyal she began, loyal she remains) Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Official languages English (de facto) Government - Lieutenant-Governor David C. Onley - Premier Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 106 - Senate seats 24 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st) Area... This article is about the Canadian province. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

It is effectively illegal to carry concealed handguns in Canada, including for self-defence, whereas forty five U.S. states have such a provision. Defensive use of firearms is much more common in the United States than in Canada.^{[citation needed]}

Canada has more guns and fewer controls on them than most nations in Western Europe (exceptions being Finland, Norway and Switzerland which have comparatively fewer restrictions) or Japan. Gun ownership rate is about 27% of households with great regional variations, rural much higher urban, west higher than east. This compares to 46% in the US.

Police

In 2005 there were 61,050 police officers in Canada which equates to one police officer per 528.6 persons, but with significant regional variations.^[15] Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island have the fewest police per capita with 664.9 persons per police officer in Newfoundland and 648.4 persons per officer in PEI. Conversely, the highest ratio of police to population is found in Canada's northern territories; Nunavut has 247.9 persons per police officer, the Northwest Territories has 248.5 persons per officer and the Yukon has 258.2 persons for each police officer.^[16] This article is about the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. ... This article is about the Canadian province. ... For the Canadian federal electoral district, see Nunavut (electoral district). ... For the former United States territory, see Northwest Territory. ... This article is about Yukon Territory in Canada. ...

That is a substantially lower rate than most developed countries with only Japan and Sweden having so few police officers. The United States has one officer per 411.5 persons, and Germany 344.8. The comparative size of the police force has begun to become a political issue in Canada, with some communities demanding greater police protection.

Canada's national police force is the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) which is the main police force in Canada's north and rural areas outside of Quebec, Ontario, and Newfoundland. Those three provinces have their own provincial police forces although the RCMP still operate throughout rural Newfoundland and also provide specific policing services in Ontario and Quebec. Many other cities and municipal districts also have their own police forces, while others choose to contract the RCMP to provide urban policing services. RCMP redirects here. ... This article is about the Canadian province. ... Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Latin: Loyal she began, loyal she remains) Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Official languages English (de facto) Government - Lieutenant-Governor David C. Onley - Premier Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 106 - Senate seats 24 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st) Area... This article is about the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. ...

Punishment

There is controversy among criminologists over whether American harsh sentences are a cause or a reflection of higher crime rates. American sentences have been higher throughout the twentieth century, even during periods when the two country's crime rates were comparable.

Canada has comparatively low sentences for many crimes and most convicts receive parole after serving one third of their sentence^{[citation needed]}. Canada also has abolished the death penalty since the 1970s. Sentences, especially for drug-related crimes are lower than sentences in the United States. Nowhere in Canada there is a law such as California's "three strikes" policy. Canadian criminals are more likely to be given alternative sentences than jail times and more money is put into rehabilitation^{[citation needed]}. Canada thus has a far lower percentage of its population in jail than the United States. Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is the execution of a convicted criminal by the state as punishment for crimes known as capital crimes or capital offences. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Three Strikes is a black & white comic book series from Oni Press written by Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir, featuring art by Brian Hurtt. ...

In addition, a less stringent approach to the punishment of some crimes, such as drug offenses, within Canada, may have the effect of skewing the data.

In 2001, Canada had about 32,000 people in prison or about 0.13% of the total population. The United States was the country with the highest number of people incarcerated. There were more than 2.2 million people living in jail (about 0.7% of the total population). The European average is of 0.2% of the total population, with France and Germany having lower rates than Canada, but with the United Kingdom, Spain and most of Eastern Europe having higher ones.

Racial factors

Although aboriginal persons make up 3.6% of Canada's population, they account for more than 20% of Canada's prison population. The prevalance of aboriginal persons incacerated in Canada is thus 3x the number per capita of incarcerated African-Americans in the United States of America. ^[17]

Immigration and crime

The federal Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada department ran a program from 1999 to 2003 called Project Early Intervention that targeted children in a community "made up of recent Arabic and Somalian immigrants" with the goal of reducing crime. Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada, legally incorporated as the federal Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, is the department of the government of Canada with responsibility for protecting Canadians and helping to maintain a peaceful and safe society. ...

In 2004, Canada established a national action plan, aimed in part at reducing violence, called A Canada Fit for Children which said "children of recent immigrants and refugee children are more likely to experience economic disadvantage with its associated risks."

Terrorist attacks in Canada have been plotted by both foreign-born (typically naturalized citizens) and Canadian-born people. Half of the 12 identified alleged terrorists in the 2006 Toronto terrorism case are foreign-born and the other half are Canadian-born. This is a list of terrorist attacks that occurred in Canada. ... A judge swears in a new citizen. ... On June 2 and June 3, 2006, police and security agencies in Ontario, Canada carried out a series of counter-terrorism raids in the Greater Toronto Area that resulted in the arrest of 17 alleged members of an Islamic terrorist cell. ...

See also

• At Her Majesty's Pleasure
• Gangs in Canada

-1... Gangs in Canada are present in several urban areas, predominately in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Winnipeg and Halifax. ...

References

Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 282nd day of the year (283rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 282nd day of the year (283rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 282nd day of the year (283rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Correctional Service Canada (commonly called Corrections Canada) administers federal prisons and parole boards.
• Crime comparisons between Canada and the United States
• Homicide rate lowest in three decades (By ALLISON DUNFIELD, Globe and Mail, September 29, 2004)
• [11]abstract with download links of David P. Farrington, Patrick A. Langan, Michael Tonry, National crime rates compared, October 2004 Fuller abstract

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