Hate is once again revealing itself in Canada.
According to recent figures from Statistics Canada, hate crimes reported to police are on the increase.
The figures, released March 22, showed 3,360 hate crimes were reported to police in 2021. This is up 27 per cent from the 2020 figures. The numbers in 2020 were up 35 per cent from the year earlier.
These figures include incidents involving religion, sexual orientation and race.
Hate incidents involving religion rose by 67 per cent across Canada, while in British Columbia, the number of religious hate crimes reported were more than double, with 150 cases reported. In Alberta, hate crimes involving religion tripled.
Hate crimes involving sexual orientation rose by 63 per cent nationwide, although in Ontario these incidents rose by 107 per cent.
Incidents involving race or ethnicity also showed significant increases.
Not all incidents of hate are reported to police. A 2022 report from the Human Rights Commission stated that 72 per cent of hate incidents in British Columbia go unreported. The report also stated that more than two-thirds of respondents did not believe reporting a hate crime would make a difference.
Canada has worked to develop a reputation as a place where all are welcomed and accepted. Many families living here today are here because they or previous generations chose to come to a country where they believed they would be tolerated and accepted.
The rise in reported hate crimes tarnishes Canada’s reputation as a tolerant society. Unless the trend reverses quickly, Canada could be seen as a place where not all are wanted.
In September, India’s government warned its citizens in Canada of a rise in hate crimes and sectarian violence here.
More recently, in late March, 2023, an international student was attacked at a Kelowna bus stop, after returning home from a grocery trip. He was beaten, his turban was ripped from his head and he was dragged by his hair.
While this event has shocked people in the Okanagan Valley and beyond, it is not the only hate incident on record.
The disgust and outrage felt over this and other hate crimes is important. If such incidents had lost the power shock the public, hate and intolerance would be normalized.
The rise in hate-related incidents is a trend that needs to be reversed.
– Black Press