Hate crimes numbers stayed steady in 2024 after years of increases: StatCan

A Montreal police shoulder patch is seen on an officer in Montreal on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

OTTAWA — The number of police-reported hate crimes stayed steady in 2024, after sharp increases in prior years, Statistics Canada said Monday.

There were 4,882 hate crimes in Canada in 2024, a one per cent increase over the previous year, StatCan reported.

The numbers follow a 34 per cent rise between 2022 and 2023, and come after the number of police-reported hate crimes more than doubled since 2018.

“The relative stability in the total number of police-reported hate crimes in 2024 was shaped by variation in motivation,” StatCan said.

• READ MORE: Ottawa sees 23% drop in reported hate crimes in 2025

It reported an eight per cent increase in incidents targeting race or ethnicity in 2024, and a 26 per cent drop in the number of cases targeting sexual orientation.

The number of police-reported hate crimes targeting religion stayed relatively stable, following a 154 per cent increase between 2020 and 2023, from 530 incidents to 1,345.

Seventy per cent of hate crimes targeting religion in 2024 were directed at Jewish populations. Seventeen per cent were directed at Muslim populations and the rest at other religions.

StatCan compared hate crime statistics between two three-year time periods -- 2019 to 2021 and 2022 to 2024.

The agency said the “proportion of mischief-related hate crimes targeting religion declined” in the 2022-to-2024 period, while “hate crimes targeting religion became comparatively more violent.”

• READ MORE: 187 alleged hate crimes reported in Toronto in 2024, almost half antisemitic: police

Between the 2019 to 2021 and 2022 to 2024 time periods, StatCan said, the number of violent hate crimes targeting religion increased 116.3 per cent, while non-violent hate crimes targeting religion increased 57.2 per cent.

In the 2022-2024 time period, StatCan said, hate crimes were roughly eight times more likely to take place around educational institutions than other crimes.

“Also, as may be expected, hate crimes targeting religion were the most likely to occur near a religious institution, although this declined over time,” StatCan noted.

The Liberal government has introduced a hates crimes bill that would create new offences for intimidating or obstructing someone outside a religious institution or an institution used by an identifiable group for specific reasons, such as educational or cultural purposes.

It would also make it a criminal offence to wilfully promote hate through the use of hate symbols, and would define “hatred” in criminal law for the first time. The bill passed third reading in the House of Commons last week and is now in front of the Senate.

• READ MORE: Liberals agree to hit pause on hate crimes bill and prioritize tougher bail bill

Civil liberties, community and labour groups have said the bill would give police too much power and could criminalize protest, while an amendment to remove a religious exemption for hate speech drew opposition from some faith groups and the federal Conservatives.

The StatCan data was drawn from a census of all criminal incidents of which police services in Canada are aware. Police determine whether a crime was motivated by hatred and the numbers include both confirmed and suspected hate crime incidents.

StatCan said a hate crime can be carried out against either “people or property and is motivated in whole or in part by bias, prejudice or hate,” based on factors such as race, ethnic origin, religion or sexual orientation.

The Criminal Code also lists five hate propaganda or hate crimes, including advocating for genocide against an identifiable group and wilful promotion of hatred against an identifiable group.

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press