(Ottawa) Homicides against Indigenous women and girls are less likely to result in the most serious charge of first-degree murder than in cases where the victims were non-Indigenous, according to a new Statistics Canada report.
More than half of cases involving non-Indigenous women and girls between 2009 and 2021 resulted in first-degree murder charges, but second-degree murder and manslaughter offenses were more common when the victim was Indigenous.
During this period, Indigenous women and girls were killed at a rate six times higher than that of non-Indigenous women and girls, notes Statistics Canada.
The report released Wednesday coincides with Sisters in Spirit Day and the National Day of Remembrance for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, as well as 2SLGBTQIA+ people.
The federal agency says 87% of homicides of Indigenous women and girls are solved, compared to 90% of cases where the victim was a non-Indigenous woman or girl. Both categories have the same conviction rate, namely 55%.
Data shows that most Indigenous women and girls were killed by someone they knew and the accused was likely Indigenous.