Canada’s violent crime rate has risen sharply, outpacing that of the United States, according to a new Fraser Institute report analyzing crime trends between the two countries. The study revealed a 43.8% increase in Canada’s violent crime rate between 2014 and 2022, reaching 434.1 violent crimes per 100,000 people.In comparison, the U.S. violent crime rate stood at 380.7 per 100,000 people during the same period, making Canada’s rate 14% higher.Property crime in Canada has also seen a troubling rise, with the rate climbing 7% to 2,491 crimes per 100,000 people between 2014 and 2022. In contrast, the U.S. property crime rate dropped by 24.1% during the same period, leaving Canada’s property crime rate 27% higher than its southern neighbor. The report noted that Canada’s property crime rate had been lower than the U.S. until 2015, the year Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took office.Homicide rates in Canada, while still below those in the U.S., have also increased significantly, rising 53.5% between 2014 and 2022.Critics blame government policies for the surge in crime. “Trudeau’s radical catch-and-release policies have set violent repeat offenders loose on our streets,” read a statement from the Conservative Party on Thursday. The party pledged to reform the justice system by prioritizing jail time for violent repeat offenders over bail, saying Canadians deserve safer communities.
