Hate crimes in Canada up dramatically: Stats Can

MONTREAL – Statistics Canada’s latest report reveals the number of hate crimes in Canada increased by 37 per cent last year.

The data shows hate crimes targetting race or ethnicity rose by 92 per cent in Black communities, 152 per cent against Indigenous peoples, and 301 per cent for east or southeast Asian communities.

This is largely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Part of what’s going on [is] COVID-19 and the pandemic has really shaken everyone’s idea of normality and sense of safety,” said Charles Xu, an anti-Asian attack victim and advocate.

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“I think there’s a lot of uncertainty and fear that’s going around that’s really tearing at the fabric of our multicultural society, if you will. And when people are afraid, they like to scapegoat.”

But advocates say solutions are not going to come easy.

“Too many Canadians are the target of hate crimes and as a country, we have to do something about it,” said Fo Niemi, the founder and executive director for the Centre for Research-Action and Race Relations in Montreal.

“What do we do about it? We need to come up with a consistent and coherent strategy or plan of action for authorities to act with civil society to bring down the level of hate, intolerance, and violence. We need to be very resilient and very, very persistent in doing so because if not hate will choose any victim that society forgets.”

Marginalized communities say having Statistics Canada data back up what they have been saying for over a year is a big step.

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“For action to take place at the institutional level you need to first acknowledge that the problem exists in the first place and I think these hard numbers really paint the picture of what is happening on the ground right now and I think it’s time for the government to step up and take action,” said Xu.

Since April 2020, the Quebec anti-Asian hate Facebook group has received thousands of testimonies of racist attacks.

One of the page administrators says it has given the community a safe space to share difficult and traumatic stories– something that hasn’t been common in the Asian community before last year.

“Yes, the numbers are rising, but in a way as a community member, we like to hear that. We like to hear that the Asians are reporting, and that we’re breaking those taboos,” said Sarah-Lê Côté, co-founder and legal consultant for Montreal-based Groupe d’entraide contre le racisme envers les asiatiques au Quebec (GECREAQ).

“To see, to be able to gather this data, and for people to see that they’re not alone, and that it’s okay to report. There has been an awakening in the communities,” she added.

The numbers to see to gather this data and for people to see that they’re not alone that it’s okay to report there has been an awakening in the communities.