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Indigenous people continue to be dramatically overrepresented among Canadian murder victims, according to a new report released by Statistics Canada.

First Nations, Métis and Inuit make up only 5% of Canada's population, but in 2018 they made up 22% of the country's homicide victims. Of the 651 murders that took place in Canada in 2018, 140 were of Indigenous people: 96 men and 44 women.

"While the number of male victims decreased for the first time since 2014 ... there were six more female victims of homicide than in 2017, marking a second consecutive annual increase," the report reads.

The data on murders is only one part of a much larger picture of violence made complicated by poor data collection procedures.

Earlier this year, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls released its damning final report. That document called what is happening to Canada's Indigenous peoples a "genocide" that "has been empowered by colonial structures".

The annual police-reported crime statistics have only been tracking Indigenous peoples specifically since 2014. Throughout that time, Indigenous peoples have represented between one-quarter and one-fifth of all murder victims each year. Estimates from before that time suggest that the numbers would have been similarly high before tracking began.

Data collection about crime and Indigenous people in Canada is spotty, as the National Observer reported in June. "Up until very recently, [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] didn't even record whether victims or offenders were Indigenous," the Observer reported. "And such data that does exist was reported inconsistently."

The RCMP, Canada's national force, polices more than 600 Indigenous communities across the country. Its current and historical role in the ongoing crisis in Indigenous communities was a major topic in the national inquiry.

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Indigenous people much more likely to be murdered than other Canadians

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Indigenous people continue to be dramatically overrepresented among Canadian murder victims, according to a new report released by Statistics Canada. First Nations, Métis and Inuit make up only 5% of Canada's population, but in 2018 they made up 22% of the country's homicide victims. Of the 651 murders that took place in Canada in 2018, 140 were of Indigenous people: 96 men and 44 women.

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Why is that indigenous women are so susceptible to violence? Is it because they are women or because they are indigenous? Who feels that they have the right to inflict violence on these women? They could be someone's daughter, someone’s wife, someone’s mother, someone’s girlfriend or someone’s friend. In fact, these same women are 12 times more likely to go missing or to be killed. Who are the perpetrators of this violence? Are they trying to assert their dominance to compensate for their own weaknesses by praying on someone in a more vulnerable position?

In Canada, Indigenous women and girls are targeted for violence more than any other group. Abigail Andrews, Gloria Moody, Jamie McGuire... the list goes on and on. These are just some of the indigenous women who were victims of murder, violence, or abduction. The lack of social services in their communities make these women subject to danger in their everyday lives. For example, 54% of indigenous women reported severe forms of family violence. Furthermore, systemic racism against indigenous peoples will turn seemingly safe places into danger zones for these women. In the medical field, racial bias and mistreatment of indigenous women is a prominent and concerning issue. This was true for Joyce Echaquan, a woman who died in a Quebec hospital after her pain and cries for help were ignored by staff. The RCMP covers 75% of Canada's geography and serves 630 indigenous communities. But there are no standard policies for tracking violence against the indigenous population.

While it is improving, the media coverage and data necessary to help these women is insufficient. This is why, more than ever, it is so important to educate ourselves and talk about violence against indigenous women. There are many Canadian charities and organizations serving and supporting Indigenous women such as True North Aid. In addition, the Native Women's Shelter of Montreal is facing an increasing demand to provide new and diverse programming. But your financial contributions are extremely helpful to these organizations and are very appreciated.

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In Canada, official statistics have consistently documented at the national level what is highlighted above in the Intimate Femicide in Ontario study: Indigenous women are significantly more likely to be killed by male partners than non-Indigenous women in Canada. In fact, Indigenous women and girls are overrepresented as victims of femicide more generally. For example, about four percent of the Canadian population is Indigenous and female yet they represented 24 percent of homicide victims in 2015. Despite their higher risk of intimate femicide, however, some research shows that Indigenous women and girls are also often killed by male acquaintances and strangers.

This fact was brought to light by the Sisters in Spirit grassroots initiative launched in 2005 by the Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC) who documented that, by 2010, over 580 Indigenous women and girls across Canada were murdered or went missing. Among the findings was that Indigenous women and girls were more often killed by male acquaintances or strangers than by male partners, although official statistics indicate that they remain eight times more likely to be killed by male partners than non-Indigenous women.

The initial estimate of femicide documented by the grassroots initiative has risen to almost 1,200 since the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) began investigating the issue following the Sisters in Spirit campaign. After repeated calls for an inquiry into the treatment of Indigenous women and girls, the Canadian government launched the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in 2016. The mandate is to report on systematic causes of all forms of violence against Indigenous women.

The Sisters in Spirit initiative highlighted various systemic issues including the impunity of many of the perpetrators, similar to what is being documented in other world regions. Their study found that nearly half of the cases involving indigenous women and girls remain unsolved and no charges were laid in about 40 percent of the cases. These figures continue to be contested and debated by others, including the RCMP, who reported clearance rates that were much higher, ranging from 80 to 100 percent. The proportion of those that resulted in charges or convictions is not currently known.

Regardless, it is now recognized, most recently in the inquiry's interim report, that the high risk of violence experienced by Indigenous women and girls stems, in large part, from a failure of police and others in the criminal justice system to adequately respond to, or provide for, the needs of Indigenous women and girls.

Femicide can be used to describe the killings of indigenous women and girls. Given the role of racialized violence and the documented impunity of some of the perpetrators, the term 'feminicide' which has become more common in Latin American countries may also be appropriate given that it is meant to capture the impunity of perpetrators and the inadequate state responses to these crimes. Because gender remains an important determinant of their risk of lethal violence in some contexts compared to Indigenous men, femicide has been used to describe these killings.

[For example, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/canadas-femicide-epidemic-brings-calls-for-inquiry-9687855.html]

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Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls

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In Canada, official statistics have consistently documented at the national level what is highlighted above in the Intimate Femicide in Ontario study: Indigenous women are significantly more likely to be killed by male partners than non-Indigenous women in Canada. In fact, Indigenous women and girls are overrepresented as victims of femicide more generally.

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Indigenous overrepresentation in the criminal justice system
PDF Version
May 2019

Research and Statistics Division

Indigenous people are overrepresented in Canada's criminal justice system as both victims and as people accused or convicted of crime.

There are only a few national data sources that provide criminal justice statistics disaggregated by Indigenous identity. National data that does exist to identify Indigenous people in the criminal justice system include the General Social Survey (GSS) on self-reported victimization, police-reported homicide statistics, and data on provincial/territorial and federal custody.

This fact sheet uses data from the 2014 General Social Survey (GSS) on Victimization. Every five years, the GSS on Criminal Victimization presents data on Canadians aged 15 years and older who report having been victimized in the previous twelve months. For comparison's sake, the survey focuses on eight specific categories of crime: sexual assault, robbery, physical assault, theft of personal property, break and enter, theft of motor vehicle or parts, theft of household property, and vandalism. This fact sheet also uses data from special studies conducted by the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics at Statistics Canada, Statistics Canada's Homicide Survey, and the correctional surveys from Statistics Canada: Adult Correctional Services Survey (ACS); Integrated Correctional Services Survey (ICSS); and Canadian Correctional Services Survey (CCSS).

Indigenous people, in particular women, are more likely to be victims of crime

In 2014, 28% of Indigenous people (aged 15+) reported being victimized in the previous 12 months, compared to 18% of non-Indigenous Canadians. The rate of violent victimization among Indigenous people was more than double that of non-Indigenous people (163 incidents per 1,000 people vs. 74 incidents per 1,000 people).

Indigenous women had an overall rate of violent victimization that was double that of Indigenous men and close to triple that of non-Indigenous women. The rate of violent victimization for Indigenous women in 2014 was 220 violent incidents per 1,000 people, while the rate for Indigenous men was 110 per 1,000. The rate of violent victimization reported by non-Indigenous women was 81 per 1,000, and for non-Indigenous men was 66 per 1,000. Indigenous women also reported a sexual assault rate of 115 incidents per 1,000 population, much higher than the rate of 35 per 1,000 reported by non-Indigenous women.

Researchers can use analysis strategies to study particular risk factors for victimization. When controlling for various risk factors, Indigenous people are no more at risk of violent victimization than their non-Indigenous counterparts. Rather, the higher rates of victimization observed among Indigenous people appear to be related to the increased presence of other risk factors-such as experiencing childhood maltreatment, perceiving social disorder in one's neighbourhood, having been homeless, using drugs, or having fair or poor mental health.

However, high victimization rates among Indigenous women cannot be fully explained by risk factors of victimization. Even when controlling for various risk factors, Indigenous identity was a risk factor for violent victimization of Indigenous women. Notably, Indigenous women were more likely to report experiencing both physical and sexual maltreatment as a child than their male counterparts. Such childhood maltreatment is a risk factor for victimization.

Indigenous people are overrepresented as homicide victims and people accused of homicide

In 2017, there was a 32% increase in the rate of homicides for Indigenous women victims (4.22 per 100,000 Indigenous women) from the previous year. In comparison, the homicide rate for Indigenous men (13.40 per 100,000 Indigenous men) increased by 2% in 2017. The homicide rate for Indigenous men has been increasing consistently since 2014.

More than one-third (38%) of persons accused of homicide in 2017 were identified by police as Indigenous. This proportion has been increasing since 2014 when 31% of persons accused of homicide were Indigenous. The rate of Indigenous people accused of homicide in 2017 was 12 times higher than the rate of non-Indigenous accused (11.12 vs. 0.93 per 100,000 population).

In 2017, the rate of Indigenous men accused of homicide (18.05 per 100,000 Indigenous men) was 11 times higher than the rate of non-Indigenous men (1.69 per 100,000 non-Indigenous men). The rate of Indigenous men accused of homicide in 2017 was four times higher than the rate of Indigenous women accused (4.33 per 100,000 Indigenous women).

Indigenous adults are overrepresented in custody and the numbers are increasing

Saskatchewan can report unique persons entering custody to provide more accurate data than admissions counts

Over a three year period in Saskatchewan, the number of unique Indigenous men who entered custody decreased from 4,137 in 2015/2016 to 4,080 in 2017/2018, which represents a 1% decrease. In contrast, the number of unique non-Indigenous men who entered custody decreased from 1,621 to 1,492, which represents an 8% decrease. The number of unique men, where Indigenous identity is unknown, decreased 19% from 296 to 241.

Indigenous youth are overrepresented in custody and the numbers are increasing

Indigenous youth are overrepresented in both custody and community supervision, making up 48% of custody admissions and 39% of community admissions in 2017/2018 in the reporting jurisdictions.

Overrepresentation in custody is more pronounced for Indigenous women

In 2017/2018, Indigenous adult men accounted for 28% of the men admitted to custody in the provinces and territories. Indigenous women made up a greater proportion of custody admissions than their male counterparts, accounting for 42% of the women admitted to custody. Compared to 2007/2008, the number of admissions of Indigenous men to provincial/territorial custody increased 28% while the number of admissions of Indigenous women increased 66% in the provinces and territories.

There is more criminal justice system re-contact among Indigenous people

Statistics Canada conducted a special study using record linkage procedures to explore an individual's re-contact with the criminal justice system. A re-contact study with the Saskatchewan justice system found that Indigenous people were significantly more likely than non-Indigenous people to have re-contact with police following correctional involvement (80% vs. 57%).

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Statistics Canada. 2017. " Aboriginal peoples in Canada: Key results from the 2016 census."(The Daily). Statistics Canada catalogue no. 11-001-X.

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JustFacts - Indigenous overrepresentation in the criminal justice system

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Department of Justice Canada’s Internet site

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Topic: Aboriginal crime and justice in Canada

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Find the most up-to-date statistics and facts on Aboriginal crime and justice in Canada.

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These are the cases authorities say do not involve foul play

CBC News has looked into 34 cases across Canada which involve the death or disappearance of Indigenous women, but which authorities say were not due to foul play.

In every case, families of the women say they do not accept the findings of police. They suggest murder may be involved.

CBC News found evidence in many of the cases that points to suspicious circumstances, unexplained bruises and other factors that suggest further investigation is warranted.

Many advocates for missing and murdered Indigenous women say these are exactly the kinds of cases requiring further scrutiny in a national inquiry.

We have created a profile for each person. You can view each one by choosing the profile in the bar above.

This project is part of CBC's investigation into missing and murdered Indigenous women. This page was last updated on September 26, 2018 and is no longer being maintained. To search more than 250 of those cases, use the Case Explorer below.

The statistics about missing and murdered Indigenous women are stark and staggering. Explore the cases of these women through filtering by age, their confirmed status, the last province in which they were seen, or the year of their last sighting. Alternatively, you may search for a specific case by name.

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These are the cases authorities say do not involve foul play CBC News has looked into 34 cases across Canada which involve the death or disappearance of Indigenous women, but which authorities say were not due to foul play. In every case, families of the women say they do not accept the findings of police.

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