A new report from Statistics Canada shows that Manitoba continues to have the highest provincial homicide rate.
Although the rate declined 15 per cent in 2014, Manitoba has had the highest homicide rate among the provinces for eight years in a row.
Manitoba reported 3.43 homicides per 100,000 population, the report said.
The report also showed that the homicide rate among Aboriginal victims is the highest in Manitoba.
Manitoba reported homicide rates involving Aboriginal people were at 13.29 per 100,000 population, which was nine times higher than the rate among non-Aboriginal victims.
"It is hugely troublesome to see the disproportionate impact of victimization on aboriginal peoples here in Manitoba, and across the country. That is why there has to be real directed efforts,” said Manitoba Attorney General Gord Mackintosh.
Mackintosh says he looks forward to the upcoming federal inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and he hopes its report will produce some recommendations that can help reduce the murder rate.
“We’re concerned whether it’s one homicide or 25 homicides,” said Const. Jason Michalyshen of the Winnipeg Police Service. “It’s concerning. We want to see that number dropped to zero.”
Michalyshen says addiction, mental health issues and domestic violence are all things that contribute to the murder rate.
“We can’t police our way out of these things,” he said. “We have to get to the root issues, why individuals are making these extreme decisions.”
Alberta followed in second with 11.55 homicides per 100,000. All three territories also reported high homicide rates among Aboriginal people.
There were no Aboriginal homicide victims reported in 2014 for Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick.
However, across Canada homicide rates remained unchanged last year. Statistics Canada says homicides in both 2013 and 2014 were at their lowest levels since 1966.
There were 516 killings last year, just four more than the year prior.
- With files from Ben Miljure
