Violent crime in Canada has seen the greatest increase compared to all other crime categories in the last 10 years of recorded incidents, rising 30 percent in a decade.

Violent crimes are all those carried out or threatened against the body of another, such as assault.

According to analysis by The Hub, in 2023 there were 1,427 such crimes committed per 100,000 people, compared to 2013, when the rate was 1,095.

The top violent crimes in 2023 were assault not using weapons or resulting harm, uttering threats, and assault employing weapons or resulting in harm.

Just over half (55 percent) of Canadians want violent crime to be a top priority for government decision-makers, and even more (78 percent) believe Canada’s justice system has been too lenient with those found guilty of such crimes, according to a 2023 Leger survey.

Repeat violent offenders being offered bail is a key concern of those surveyed (79 percent). In 2022, 29 percent of homicides were committed by someone on some form of release, such as house arrest or parole.

Canadians’ concerns about crime have prompted a look into which specific crimes are increasing throughout the country, which are decreasing, and which are remaining stagnant.

Violent crime’s increase was followed by property crime and “other Criminal Code violations.”

Last year, property crimes (including theft) were far more numerous, but were only 7 percent higher than 2013 rates.

In 2023, property crime rates were more than double violent crimes. Violent crimes, meanwhile, were more than all driving, drug, other federal statutes, and Youth Criminal Justice Act violations combined.

Like property crimes, “other Criminal Code violations” were also 7 percent higher than 2013 crimes in the same category. These include the use of weapons, administration of justice, disturbances to the peace, sexual exploitation, and illegal gambling.

Youth Criminal Justice Act violations by criminally alleged young people ages 12 to 18, declined the most, down 89 percent relative to 2013.

Impaired driving violations were down 19 percent from 2013, although changes in legislation likely affected the collection of data in this category.

Within the violent crime category, rates of extortion, human trafficking, and non-consensual distribution of intimate images rose the most relative to a decade earlier.

Extortion—defined in the Criminal Code as making threats, accusations, menaces, or violence often to receive money—rose the most, by 429 percent from 6 to 34 incidents per 100,000 people.

Although significantly fewer, rates of human trafficking saw violent crime’s next greatest relative increase at 395 percent, from 2013’s 0.22 incidents to 2023’s 1.09 incidents per 100,000 people.

The making and distribution of child pornography (within the “other Criminal Code violations” category) had the third-highest recorded increase. In seven years between 2016 (when this data started being collected) and 2023, it rose a whopping 288 percent from 10 to 40 incidents per 100,000 residents.

Canada’s 2019 National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking included a $75 million investment to curb the crime it described as most acutely affecting women, through measures including national awareness campaigns, an assessment of the immigration process, and community-sourced tech development to track human trafficking on social media.

In February, the federal government introduced the Online Harms Act (Bill C-63) in part to force online platforms to remove child pornography and other harmful content within 24 hours of posting. However, the bill has faced criticism for its other components which some say will limit free speech.

In 2023, the property crime of theft under $5,000 had the highest rate. Mischief followed (property destruction and damage), and then fraud, which is defined as the illegal obtaining of property, money, valuables, or services by deceit.

This past Wednesday, Hub readers and listeners in Ottawa were treated to an intimate and informative conversation between co-founder and editor-at-large Sean Speer and journalist and author David Frum, organized by the Centre for Civic Engagement.

The conversation, which was held at the National Arts Centre, touched on everything from the state of the U.S. presidential election, to Israel’s fight against Hezbollah, to the role Canada must play on the world stage, to Frum’s call for a type of conservatism that is broadly appealing and ready to govern the country.

“The game in Canada needs to be about serious government-oriented conservatism,” Frum told a sold-out audience of MPs, journalists, lobbyists, and locals. “You need to be present in the cities. You need to be present where people have college degrees. You need to be attractive to women. You need to be attractive to different kinds of people from different kinds of backgrounds.”

You can listen to that conversation, in podcast form, here.

In the coming months, Hub readers will have the chance to attend an increasing number of live in-person events featuring a variety of smart thinkers. These will include David Frum, as well as American public policy advisor Oren Cass. We’ll also be holding pub nights that will give our audience the chance to speak face-to-face with Hub staff. These events will take place in Calgary, Toronto, and Ottawa. Stay tuned for those announcements.