Data shows violent crime has increased since 2015. Police say that’s not all – National
Recently released data on the increase in violent crime Travel across Canada tells only part of the story, according to a national police organization.
The volume and severity of police-reported crime is following “an upward trend that began in 2015,” Statistics Canada said in a report released last week.
The violent crime severity index was “virtually unchanged” last year, the statistics agency said, due to a decline in more serious crimes such as homicides. However, violent crimes such as assaults, robberies and extortion increased by nearly seven per cent, according to Statistics Canada.
But the National Police Federation (NPF), the union that represents about 20,000 RCMP members, says the data may not fully reflect the reality of crime rates across the country, something Statistics Canada also notes.
“An armed robbery in a small town in Saskatchewan, for example, skews the violent crime data across Saskatchewan,” NPF President and CEO Brian Sauvé told Global News in an interview.
“Saskatchewan has a lot of small towns. But does that make Saskatchewan a particularly violent province?”
The overall crime severity index increased by two per cent in 2023, according to the Statistics Canada report, marking a third consecutive annual increase.
The nonviolent crime severity index increased 3 percent last year, following a 5 percent increase the year before. The most recent increase was driven by a 5 percent increase in police-reported motor vehicle thefts — a topic of growing concern and attention over the past year — and double-digit increases in fraud and shoplifting.
When it comes to violent crime, the severity index has increased by 32% since 2015, the year when, as the Conservatives point out, the current Liberal government was first elected.
The new data also appears to confirm another Conservative argument: the total number of violent Criminal Code offences reported to police has increased by nearly 50 per cent since 2015.
“Total and violent violations of the Criminal Code” is a generic term This includes homicide, attempted murder, assault, including sexual assault, robbery and kidnapping.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre on Thursday blamed the rise in crime on current government policies, blaming both the governing Liberals and the NDP, which supported the Liberals in key confidence votes over the past two years.
Sauvé said he has heard the “frustration” of NPF RCMP members, who are increasingly being called upon to deal not only with crime, but also with increasing mental health incidents and drug overdoses.
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He said all levels of government are responsible for cutting supports and the lack of “robust public safety continuity plans” to ensure people do not resort to crime or violence.
“There is a growing desperation among people… who may not be able to pay their rent for the month and feel they have no choice but to resort to something drastic,” he said.
“The real question is not ‘why is there more crime’ but ‘why are people more dissatisfied with their lot in life?'”
Several recent surveys suggested Canadians are increasingly concerned about their personal finances in a context of rising costs of living, including inflation and high interest rates.
Bail policies under fire again
On Thursday, Poilievre also stressed the recent murder of 17-year-old Breanna Broadfoot17-year-old, who police say was a victim of domestic violence. The Conservative leader said the suspect had been arrested previously but was released before the fatal attack on Broadfoot.
“She is just the latest victim of the radical, crazy, catch-and-release justice system put in place by the Liberals and the NDP,” Poilievre said at a news conference outside a schoolyard.
“This allows the same violent repeat offenders to go free again and again.”
Last year, the Liberal government worked with all provinces and territories to make changes to the bail system, following growing calls from provincial and territorial premiers and justice ministers for stronger laws following reports of crimes committed by chronic offenders.
The new changes require defendants who have been arrested and charged with certain offences to prove to the court why they should be released, instead of the Crown having to prove why they should remain behind bars.
A week ago, The Prime Ministers wrote a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calling for a further review of the bail system in light of another stabbing death in British Columbia last month.
Tori Dunn, 30, was killed in her home in Surrey, B.C., in June. The suspect had a long history of violent crime and had been released from prison a few weeks before her murder.
“Last year’s changes to federal bail legislation represent valuable progress, but recent troubling incidents suggest that this legislation may not be working as intended,” the premiers said in a joint statement after their meeting in Halifax.
Justice Minister Arif Virani on Thursday offered his condolences to Broadfoot’s family “for a heartbreaking tragedy that should never have happened” but placed the blame on the provinces.
“We have responded to calls from the provinces for stronger measures in the Criminal Code. Now it is time for them to enforce the law effectively,” Virani said in a statement Thursday with Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc.
Sauvé said the NPF has also called on provinces and territories to do their part to strengthen justice and correctional services in their jurisdictions to properly implement the “second half of the equation” of bail reform — the first half being the federal changes.
Poilievre has promised that if he becomes prime minister, he will prevent repeat violent offenders from being eligible for bail, house arrest, probation or parole. He has also pledged to stop the flow of federally regulated drugs, commonly known as safer supplies, and to close supervised consumption sites near schools, redirecting federal funding for those services to treatment and recovery services.
The New Democrats deny having contributed in any way to the increase in the crime rate because they are not in government.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said bail reform cannot be the only solution to keeping communities safe. New Democrats have called for better supervision of people released on bail and stronger supports for people with mental health and addiction issues.
—With documents from the Canadian Press
