Racism in Canada
Racism in Canada traces both historical and contemporary racist community attitudes, as well as governmental negligence and political non-compliance with United Nations human rights standards and incidents in Canada. Moreover, racial capitalism is embedded in the very foundations of contemporary Canada, which is the product of indigenous First Nations combined with multiple waves of immigration, predominantly from Europe and in modern times, from Asia.
Statistics
Although Canada is often portrayed as a tolerant and inclusive society, racism has remained a persistent issue. In 2021, the Social Progress Index ranked Canada 6th globally for overall tolerance and inclusion. Earlier international surveys, including the 2013 World Values Survey, also placed Canada among the world’s most racially tolerant countries.Despite these positive indicators, Canadian data shows ongoing racial inequities in employment, policing, and justice, as well as rising levels of hate-motivated violence. In 2020, an Ipsos poll found that 60% of Canadians considered racism a serious problem and believed systemic racism exists in Canada. Nearly half of respondents stated that major institutions, including government, police, courts, education, and media, tolerate racism.
Data from the Canadian Human Rights Commission indicates that systemic racism continues to affect institutions across the country. In 2016, one quarter of discrimination grievances received by the Commission involved race, colour, national or ethnic origin, or religion. Racialized Canadians earn approximately 81 cents for every dollar earned by non-racialized Canadians, and Black men in Toronto are three times more likely to be asked for identification by police. Employers remain 40% more likely to interview applicants with English-sounding names despite identical qualifications. Indigenous peoples are heavily overrepresented in federal correctional institutions, accounting for 27% of the prison population while comprising only 4.1% of the national population. In Quebec, applicants with Francophone-sounding names are 60% more likely to receive interview callbacks than equally qualified candidates with names associated with other ethnic backgrounds.
In 2017, 43% of police-reported hate crimes in Canada were motivated by racial or ethnic bias. Of these, 16% targeted Black individuals, 17% targeted Muslims, and 18% targeted Jewish individuals. These trends have become more concerning during a period in which populist movements that deepen mistrust, forms of authoritarianism that promise belonging and strength, and openly fascist rhetoric have become increasingly prominent in many parts of the world.
Police-reported hate crime trends
Police-reported hate crimes in Canada have risen significantly in recent years. In 2023, hate crimes increased by 32%, marking the third major rise in four years and representing a 145% increase since 2019.Hate crimes motivated by race or ethnicity rose by 6% in 2023, with 2,128 reported cases. South Asian communities experienced a 35% increase, Arab and West Asian communities saw a 52% increase, and Indigenous peoples experienced a 6% increase. Incidents decreased for Black communities by 7% and for East and Southeast Asian communities by 10%.
Religiously motivated hate crimes grew by 67% in 2023. Incidents targeting Jewish communities increased by 71%, and incidents targeting Muslims increased by 94%. Anti-Catholic incidents declined by 6%, and total religion-based hate crimes reached 1,284 cases.
Every province and Nunavut recorded increases in police-reported hate crimes in 2023. Ontario reported the highest number with 2,426 incidents, an increase of 476 from the previous year. Quebec recorded 739 incidents and British Columbia recorded 669.
Most police-reported hate crimes in 2023 were non-violent, representing 55% of all cases. Non-violent hate crimes increased by 36%, while violent incidents rose by 28%.
Overview
Canadian author and journalist Terry Glavin argues that Canada’s history of racism and racialisation remains deeply embedded in society in ways that parallel the racial divisions seen in the United States. He points to several examples of systemic racialisation that remained visible well into the late 1960s. He also claims that Canadians have traditionally identified through hyphenated white identities rather than calling themselves “white,” although cultural shifts around 2017, shaped partly by developments in the United States, have politically activated more Canadians to treat “whiteness” as a meaningful identity marker. Canada often brands itself globally as socially diverse, tolerant, and culturally open, particularly when compared to countries such as the United Kingdom or the United States, but this moralistic positioning has also made it easier for Canada to overlook and disengage from confronting long-standing and emerging forms of racism that reinforce racial inequities. This built-in self-protective firewall in the architecture, by de facto means, aids in preserving supremacy and privileges of the white European settlers in the society and institutions; it holds the line for them and perpetuates lived inequities for others. Conditions faced by many First Nations communities even in the 21st century, including lack of clean water and overcrowded, unsafe housing, illustrate these inequities. False perceptions of inclusion and "colour-blindness" have also been challenged in recent years by scholars such as Constance Backhouse, who argue that white supremacy remains prevalent in Canadian institutions. According to some commentators, racism in Canada contributes to a self-perpetuating cycle of criminalization and imprisonment. In 2019, the English and Art departments at Kwantlen Polytechnic University held an exhibition titled Maple-Washing: A Disruption, which used art and historical interpretation to challenge sanitized narratives of Canadian history.Indigenous peoples
Slavery of Aboriginals and Black Canadians
There are records of slavery in some areas of British North America, which later became Canada, dating from the 17th century. The majority of these slaves were Aboriginal, and United Empire Loyalists brought slaves with them after leaving the United States.