THIS ACT DOES NOT

REPRESENT US.

A REPORT BY THE CAN ADIAN CULTURAL MOSAI C FOUNDATION

A five-year study on Canadian race-based hate

incidents in English-language media.
CANADIAN CUL T URAL MOSAIC FO UNDATION

Author:
Iman Bukhari

Editor:
Megan Eichhorn

Researchers:
Avery McNarland, Gabriela Urrego, Gilary
Guzman, Huong Hoang, Iman Bukhari,
Mansharn Toor, Megan Eichhorn

Graphic Designer:
Jasmine Tan

Communications & Marketing:

Astrid Tam

D A TA FOR GOOD

Dashboard:
Jennifer Walker, Jeremy Fan,
Melissa Valgardson

Database:
Fekrat El Wehedi

Project Management:
David Chan
Acknowledgements
Canadian Cultural Mosaic Foundation acknowledges the historical and current oppression of
the original Peoples, and their cultures, on the land we now call Canada. We strive to address this
oppression through education that contributes to our shared healing and decolonizing journey
as current inhabitants of this land.

This report, published by Canadian Cultural Mosaic Foundation, contains nation-wide research and
was produced on the traditional Treaty 7 territory and oral practices of the Blackfoot confederacy:
Siksika, Kainai, Piikani, as well as the Îyâxe Nakoda and Tsuut’ina nations. We acknowledge that
this territory is home to the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3 within the historical Northwest Métis
homeland. Finally, we acknowledge all Nations—Indigenous and non—who live, work and play on
this land, and who honour and celebrate this territory.

Canadian Cultural Mosaic Foundation consists of Millennial and Gen. Z volunteers working to
improve race relations across Canada through research, advocacy, events and other projects,
with a desire for an inclusive and equitable Canada.

Data For Good, who created the dashboard, is a collective of data scientists helping non-profit and
social service organizations harness the power of their data through analytics and visualizations
to leverage their impact in the community.

This research was made possible by generous volunteers from both Canadian Cultural Mosaic
Foundation and Data For Good.
Executive Summary
This first-of-its-kind five-year study by the Canadian Cultural Mosaic Foundation
provides groundbreaking data amalgamating characteristics of race-based hate
incidents across Canada that were reported by mainstream English-language
media sources from 2018-2022.

Data on Race-Based Hate Incidents

The existing nation-wide data on race-based hate incidents in Canada is grievously
limited. A race-based hate incident (versus a hate crime) is a non-criminal action
committed against a person or property, the motive for which is based on race.
Because they are non-criminal in nature, police involvement is limited.
Snapshot of Our Data
This unique race-based data set begins to paint a fuller picture of interpersonal,
systemic and other forms of racism in Canada, through incidents in:

Government Services showing:

• denial and inaction on racism is present in all public sectors; and

• politicians continuously minimize experiences of racialized peoples

and discourage anti-racist education, while holding responsibility for
policies related to public safety, services and education.

Publicly Accessible Spaces showing:

• race-based hate incidents are commonplace across the nation
in businesses, workplaces, places of worship, online, and in both
recreational and professional sports; and

• race-based hate incidents in these spaces grew significantly in step

with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Overarching Violence against racialized women,

children, youth and seniors, manifested in ways such as:

• racial slurs and verbal attacks

• individual physical assaults; and

• group-based physical assaults (including groups of people

perpetuating harm, as well as organized hate groups).

The above findings illustrate the profound way in which racism is deeply woven into
the foundational fabric of Canadian society—with far reaching and devastating
implications. These are the areas we must focus on for reform.
Call to Action
This report is intended as a catalyst for researchers to further analyze how racism is perpetuated
in Canada. The data within can be used to inform actions and interventions at a systemic level to
improve equity among racialized citizens. Collecting and interpreting data on race-based hate
incidents in Canada is critical for measuring and identifying existing inequities that stem from
race-based hate incidents and discrimination.

Many recommendations can be made based on this data. However, we are urging for one
major action to be taken by our government. We call upon the federal government to engage
an independent agency to collect national data on race-based hate incidents. The independent
agency must be separate and beyond Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy fund and must:

have an expansive be provided with be free from any government,

understanding of and expertise ongoing and adequate legislative and/or law
in anti-racism pedagogy. funding enforcement interference
“ Racism is a complex system of social and political levers and pulleys set
up generations ago to continue working on the behalf of whites at other
people’s expense, whether whites know/like it or not.

Racism is an insidious cultural disease. It is so insidious that it doesn’t

care if you are a white person who likes Black people; it’s still going to
find a way to infect how you deal with people who don’t look like you.
Yes, racism looks like hate, but hate is just one manifestation. Privilege
is another. Access is another. Ignorance is another. Apathy is another.
And so on.

So while I agree with people who say no one is born racist, it remains
a powerful system that we’re immediately born into. It’s like being
born into air: you take it in as soon as you breathe. It’s not a cold that
you can get over. There is no anti-racist certification class. It’s a set of
socioeconomic traps and cultural values that are fired up every time we
interact with the world. It is a thing you have to keep scooping out of the
boat of your life to keep from drowning in it.

I know it’s hard work, but it’s the price you pay for owning everything.

SCOTT WOODS
Introduction
People from around the world cross land and sea to reach the promised land of Canadian
multiculturalism and diversity—an international image that Canada eagerly promotes and prides
itself on as one of its greatest strengths.

Beneath that veneer, however, is racism ingrained so deeply in Canadian society that it appears
natural to the naked eye—normalized so extensively, since the first moment of colonial contact,
that it is the prevailing factor in how people engage not just with their neighbours, but also with
the institutions that run the nation. While Canadians may clutch their pearls in horror at the rawer,
more physically violent forms of race-based hate incidents, the daily experiences of racialized and
Indigenous Peoples are obscured behind the veil of purported multiculturalism.

The Criminal Code of Canada contains provisions for hate crimes; however, they are largely reserved
for offences involving hate propaganda or the promotion or advocacy of genocide. Therefore,
most hate incidents do not meet the standard of a hate crime. Hate crimes and incidents are
vastly underreported while simultaneously increasing at a rapid rate. Yet, our governments and
institutions continue to neglect the dire need for national data on more than simply prosecuted
hate crimes, as collected by Statistics Canada.

The collection of race-based data from all social institutions is critical to discerning how race,
along with other intersecting characteristics, influence how racialized individuals experience
Canadian society.
So What Does Racism in Canada Really
Look Like?
This first-of-its-kind research project seeks to answer this question by
tracking and collecting data on race-based hate incidents reported
by mainstream, English-language media sources in Canada. Over a
five-year period (2018-2022), Canadian Cultural Mosaic Foundation
collected and analyzed race-based hate incidents, creating a
unique data set that begins to paint a fuller picture of interpersonal,
systemic and other forms of racism across the nation. The research
illustrates characteristics such as frequency and locations of
incidents, ethnicities targeted, intersectionalities (religion, gender
identity, sexuality, etc.) and more.

This unprecedented data set highlights the varied nature and

complexity of race-based hate incidents perpetrated against
racialized and Indigenous Peoples in Canada as reported by the
media. The harm caused by such incidents is both palpable and
clearly pervasive. As such, we are sharing our data with researchers,
governments and institutions to build towards a more equitable future
for all Canadians. We hope this data will inspire more Canadians to
advocate change locally in their respective communities.

Our dashboard houses all data collected, including links to the

original media sources with the option to download raw data for
further analysis.
Race Data
“Extrapolating from research in other countries, it would appear that only a
small percentage of hate-motivated crimes—perhaps one incident in ten—are
ever reported to the criminal justice system.”
Disproportionate Harm: Hate Crime in Canada: An Analysis of
Recent Statistics, University of Ottawa, 1995

According to the Canadian Criminal Code, a hate crime is defined as a crime motivated by hate,
based on race, national or ethnic origin, language, colour, religion, sex, age, mental or physical
disability, sexual orientation, or any other similar factor. Only three sections of the Canadian criminal
code specifically deal with hate crimes: s. 318, s. 319 and s. 430. While the s. 430 is not specific to
race, there are intersections related to religion, race and ethnicity.

A hate incident, however, is a non-criminal action committed against a person or property,

motivated by race, national or ethnic origin, language, colour, religion, sex, age, mental or physical
disability, sexual orientation, or other demographic factor that categorizes one as “different” from
the dominant societal group(s). These incidents are considered non-criminal in a legal context; as
such, the involvement of police and other institutions is currently limited. It is important to note that
reports generated by Statistics Canada are based solely on incidents reported to police that were
subsequently classified as motivated by hate. Incidents that do not meet the legal classification
criteria are not included in Statistics Canada reports. Our study is primarily focused on race-
based hate incidents, defined as a non-criminal action committed against a person or property,
motivated by race. These incidents are therefore racist in nature.

Historically, Canada has resisted the need for national race-based data—an attitude that became
more apparent with the government’s achingly slow response to the need for race-based data
collection in health care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the government’s lack of haste,
race-based data was eventually collected that highlights the collective, targeted and informed
calls to action needed to successfully move Canada closer to the equitable standards of other
western nations, such as the United Kingdom and United States.

However, no changes were made to the Canadian 2021 census with respect to race-based data,
as per the Government of Canada’s $6.2 million commitment to “increase reliable, usable, and
comparable data and evidence regarding racism and discrimination” and enhance the collection
of disaggregated race data (Building a Foundation for Change: Canada’s Anti-Racism
Strategy 2019-2022). As such, the government neglected to meet its anti-racism objectives by
the end of 2022.
Methodology
Race-based hate incidents in Canada are a multi-layered problem that requires a multi-layered
solution. The goal of this research is to provide disaggregated data as a foundation for the effective
implementation of evidence-based strategies and action plans for addressing race-based hate
incidents particular to each sector/institution.

Data Collection
Our research team employed Google Alerts to collect media articles related to potential
race-based hate incidents reported by media between 2018-2022. Google Alerts is a service
that emails the user when new search results (such as web pages and newspaper articles)
are found that match the user’s search term(s). With an anti-racist lens, volunteers carefully
reviewed each link in the Google Alert emails to identify incidents that fit our parameters for
data collection. Applicable articles were then stored in a data sheet that also tracked several
characteristics, including: the frequency and location of reported incidents; ethnicities targeted;
intersectionalities (religion, gender identity, sexuality, etc.); and more. The data from this sheet
was then visualized into the dashboard.

GOOGLE ALERT KEYWORDS INCLUDED:

RACIAL PROFILING RACIALLY PROFILED RACIALIZATION RACIALIZED

RACISM RACIAL TENSION RACIST CULTURAL APPROPRIATION

DISCRIMINATION WHITE SUPREMACIST WHITE SUPREMACY

HATE CRIME RACE RELATIONS NEO-NAZI ISLAMOPHOBIA

ISLAMOPHOBIA ISLAMOPHOBIC XENOPHOBIA XENOPHOBIA

Thematic Analysis
Data analysis is central to credible qualitative research. Thematic analysis is the process of
identifying patterns or themes within qualitative data. The goal of a thematic analysis is to
identify themes, i.e. frequent patterns, and use these themes to address the central research
question. All the media reports were reviewed and coded using high level descriptions of the
report (e.g. verbal assault). Once all the data was coded, codes were reviewed for patterns and
connections in order to identify high level themes.

Limitations
Canadian Cultural Mosaic Foundation is entirely run by volunteers; thus, our projects, including
this research and report, are subject to limitations in time, funding and other resources. As such,
we urge researchers to use this freely available data to further improve standards around race-
based data collection.

• The data set is subject to the limitations of the Google Alerts system for monitoring.

• Sources are limited to mainstream Canadian English-language media to ensure

the highest possible accuracy and reliability (through journalistic standards
and practices) of the data set. We occasionally include and/or reference non-
mainstream sources of reputability (including independent and/or student-run
newspapers) when necessary.

• Article publication dates may differ from incident dates; however, all incidents
included in the research occurred between 2018-2022.

• Op-eds were generally excluded from the data set, unless referencing a particular
incident.

• While we have included hate crimes as identified in the source articles, we are
unable to accurately track and quantify the total number of hate incidents that
are later deemed hate crimes due to limited resources.

• Because racism permeates every aspect of Canadian society, it also infiltrates

media, as well as individual journalists, whether consciously or unconsciously. Due
to the lack of anti-racism education/training in media (an area that also needs to
be addressed), our data set is limited by media bias. Media, particularly those with
corporate interests and beholden to shareholders and/or advertisers, may reflect
those biases in their coverage of race-based hate incidents.
 Findings
Analysis of the data (available on the dashboard) identified and refined
three major themes:

GOVERNMENT PUBLIC SPACES VIOLENCE

 For the purpose of this analysis, this section includes various
government sectors, services provided under the government
(e.g. law enforcement, health care, education), public servants
and political figures.
GOVERNMENT

Protective Services
Protective services include law enforcement (police, peace officers,
security), as well as fire and military.

Under protective services, our data found 128 police-related

incidents, 69% of which involved harassment in the form of racial
profiling or carding. Amnesty International defines carding as
instances when “police officers stop, question, and document
individuals without any evidence that they have been involved in,
or have any knowledge of, an offence.” Nationwide, police primarily
target Black people (46%) and Indigenous Peoples (31%).

When a racialized group was not specified in reports, incidents

tended to involve inaction on or denial of racism (i.e. refusing to
acknowledge racial bias, denying the presence of systemic racism
in protective services).

Transit
Transit includes public transportation services such as bus, metro,
trains, stops and stations.

There were 46 incidents reported in public transportation services,

almost all of which involved harassment ranging from hate speech
and verbal attacks to physical assault. Hate speech, largely
xenophobic, Islamophobic and/or antisemitic, was also found
in flyers, vandalism and racist imagery. Notably, 54% of incidents
specifically targeted women and girls—highlighting differential
gender experiences of navigating public spaces (see Goel et al.
2021). Examples include, but are not limited to, verbal attacks of
“speak English” towards East Asian women and assaults against
women in hijab.
Health Care
Health care includes hospitals, clinics, paramedic services and the
overall health care system.

There were a total of 112 incidents reported in a health care context,

the main findings of which were: denial of health services to
patients due to racism; inaction on race-based hate incidents; and
harassment of racialized health care staff.

The primary targets of race-based hate incidents in health

care were Indigenous Peoples (58%), who were routinely denied
appropriate medical treatment, racially profiled, verbally harassed
and dismissed early without care, sometimes even leading to
death. Health care authorities refused to acknowledge systemic
racism or the barriers faced by Indigenous Peoples, specifically,
when attempting to access health services.

Health care staff also experienced racial and religious discrimination,

from both patients and co-workers. Doctors, nurses and other staff
were subjected to hate speech, as well as patients refusing their
care due to the staff person’s race or religion.

Education
Education includes K-12 schools and boards, as well as post-secondary
institutions.

Amongst K-12 and post-secondary schools, 307 incidents were

reported. Notably, 52% of incidents targeted Black people. In K-12
schools, many incidents involved racist and/or antisemitic graffiti
on school grounds. Administration routinely minimized race-based
hate incidents, often denying the presence of systemic racism and
white supremacy within the school system.

In post-secondary schools, most reported incidents were in

Ontario (potentially related to the comparatively large number of
universities in the province). Reports showed racial slurs, particularly
the n-word, were still being used by professors and instructors with
little recourse as administration tended to minimize or dismiss
these incidents.
Politics
Politics includes the executive and legislative branches of government as well as individuals affiliated
with Canadian political parties.

In the data, politics covered a broad range of contexts but, often, involved political figures
discussing both systemic and person-to-person racism. Of these incidents, 49% involved
politicians denying the presence of racism in Canadian institutions and/or refusing to act on or
discuss anti-racism initiatives. This occurred at all levels of government—municipal, provincial
and federal. Notably:

• Politicians often denied involvement with white supremacy groups

despite evidence (e.g. photographs) to the contrary.

• Politicians routinely utilized hate speech (38%) to promote xenophobic,

Islamophobic and anti-immigrant rhetoric.

• Racialized politicians regularly experienced harassment (34%), based

on their race and/or religion, from both the public and other politicians.
Several reports covered anti-Sikh rhetoric towards Jagmeet Singh,
leader of the federal New Democratic Party.
 For the purposes of this analysis, publicly accessible spaces
include both physical spaces (businesses, workplaces, places of
worship, sporting events) and digital platforms (social media)
where individuals of different ages, backgrounds and ideologies
connect. Racism in these spaces burgeoned significantly in step
PUBLIC SPACES
with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Online
Our data found that 276 incidents occurring on digital platforms
were reported to the media, mostly race-based hate in the form
of comments, messages, posts and videos (83% hate speech. 57%
harassment). The most targeted groups on social media platforms
(e.g. Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Tik Tok, Twitter) were Black
people (37%) and Indigenous Peoples (19%). There are also social
media accounts solely dedicated to racist content (e.g. Nazis of
YEG) which have not been restricted, blocked or charged.

A trend that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic was “Zoom-

bombing”. Harvard University defines Zoom-bombing as “when
people who have not been invited enter Zoom meetings to cause
disruption.” Of the 276 online incidents, 4% consisted of race-based
hate (anti-Black harassment, Islamophobic and pornographic
images) through Zoom-bombings, largely occurring in schools and
post-secondary institutions as they transitioned to online teaching
methods due to social distancing policies.

Another pandemic trend was an outpouring of racist and personal

attacks, often with threats of violence, towards racialized health
professionals on social media.

Given the largely unregulated nature of social media and other

online spaces, it can be presumed that these 276 incidents reported
to the media is an extremely low number compared to unreported
incidents. These online platforms directly enable aggressors to create
and share race-based hate content with little-to-no consequences.
Sports
The data shows that hate speech, including racial slurs, is
commonplace in both professional and recreational sports in
Canada, affecting youth and adults alike. Race-based hate
incidents in sports were directed at racialized players, broadcasters,
commentators, coaches and fans. Of the 68 incidents reported by
media, 47% targeted Black people and 24% targeted Indigenous
Peoples—often perpetrated by an opposing team’s fans.

Businesses
Private businesses, such as retail stores and service providers,
experienced a high number of reported incidents (294), likely due to
the large and varied number of patrons utilizing businesses. These
incidents can be placed in sub-categories: businesses denying
the presence of racism in their practices; businesses selling racist
merchandise; and businesses targeted with racist attacks.

Many incidents included racial profiling (e.g. denial of entry into

businesses) of Indigenous Peoples (20% of reported incidents). As per
the Ontario Human Rights Commision, racial profiling is any action
undertaken for reasons of safety, security or public protection—whether
real or perceived—that “relies on stereotypes about race, colour,
ethnicity, ancestry, religion, or place of origin, or a combination of
these, rather than on a reasonable suspicion, to single out an individual
for greater scrutiny or different treatment”. One incident reports a
former grocery store security guard admitting to routinely flagging
Indigenous shoppers as suspicious—demonstrating the presence of
anti-Indigenous bias guiding actions, behaviours, and beliefs.
Businesses (continued)
Indigenous Peoples who use status cards—a longstanding colonial
practice forced upon Indigenous Peoples, where the Canadian
government classifies who is and is not a “status Indian” as defined
by the Indian Act—face regular discrimination in using the cards in
everyday transactions. One media-reported incident shares the story
of a Heiltsuk man who was attempting to open a bank account with
his status card and was wrongfully arrested because the employee
assumed that the card was fake. This type of profiling and denial
of entry or service impacts the Muslim populations as well (12% of
reported incidents). For example, one incident involved Air Canada
forcing a 12-year old girl to remove her hijab. The girl explained the
religious significance of wearing a hijab and was denied the request
of a private screening with solely female Air Canada agents. The airline
failed to recognize and set actions to address the discrimination.

Customers are regularly affronted with racist merchandise on

the shelves of retail businesses. For example, reports showed that
Dollarama sold offensive costumes that mock and caricaturize
Indigenous cultures—appallingly ironic considering Indigenous
Peoples experience one of the highest rates of racial profiling at retail
businesses. These businesses may take performative responsibility in
the media for these racist incidents but they seldom take action in
preventing future incidents.

Contrarily, businesses owned by racialized people were targeted

by hate speech and vandalism, even leading to closures in some
instances. Such incidents increased over the COVID-19 pandemic. For
example, a Black-owned yoga studio in Waterloo, Ontario, was closed
due to violent racist messages, which increased in frequency following
the implementation of mask and vaccine-passport mandates. Many
businesses were vandalized with swastikas, indicating antisemitic
and racist motives. Media reports of such incidents often include
statements from investigators but rarely, if ever, mention preventative
measures that will be taken to alleviate future incidents.
COVID-19
The devastating undercurrent of xenophobia towards East Asian
Peoples in Canada (335 cases) rose to the surface during the
COVID-19 pandemic, as misinformation and pandemic mandate
opposition burgeoned across the country. Asian-Canadian women
experienced racism (55% of xenophobic incidents) at an increased
rate at their workplaces and in public spaces (e.g. hair salons, drug
stores, etc.). In some cases, these incidents escalated to physical
violence—for example, a Vancouver man yelled, “you people are
why my daughter is sick” at an East Asian woman and then grabbed
her by the hair and violently hit her head against the SkyTrain seat.
Furthermore, Chinatown businesses reported a drop in activity
throughout the pandemic and an increase in vandalism with anti-
Asian slurs.

Due to longstanding colonial policies and inequities in the health

care system impacting the health of Indigenous Peoples in Canada,
they are more vulnerable to illness and disease. As such, Indigenous
Peoples were prioritized in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout—resulting
in another outpouring of discrimination, mirroring the health care
system, from the general public towards Indigenous Peoples. For
example, a medical health officer withdrew 200 hundred doses
from Nuxalk Nation members.

Another phenomena that resulted from the pandemic were the

“freedom convoys” that began in early 2022. While these convoys
purportedly protested COVID-19 mandates, media reports showed
that convoy organizers had a history of white nationalism and
Islamophobic views, resulting in 37 race-based hate incidents
within the context of these convoys
Places of Worship
Places of worship are intended as safe spaces for community
members to connect. Mosques, Sikh temples and Islamic
centres were routinely targeted (40 incidents) with both
vandalism and physical violence towards mostly young
women in hijabs and older men. These acts of hate effectively
chip away at one’s sense of belonging in the wider community,
yet the government has done little to condemn or prevent
these incidents. This is illustrated by the Ontario government’s
refusal to commit to reintroducing legislation to condemn
Islamophobia following the racist and deadly attack of the
Afzaal family in London, Ontario in 2021.
 For the purpose of this analysis, violence has been determined
as an ongoing theme depicted in various ways towards
Indigenous and racialized peoples, regardless of time. Violence
continues to be a result of racism throughout our study.
VIOLENCE

Violence
Violence as an overarching theme includes various types of harm done towards people, including:

• hate speech/verbal harassment, including racial slurs, directed at children and

youth, women and seniors

• interpersonal (person-to-person) physical assaults

• group-based physical assaults, including both organized hate groups and informal
groups of people perpetuating harm

Among all types of violence, Black and Indigenous Peoples were targeted most (32% and 16%,
respectively). These situations were the most likely to escalate to physical violence, which included
slapping, stabbing, pushing and physical assault, sometimes resulting in death. Twenty percent
of violent incidents were based on Islamophobia. For example, the accumulation of racist bullying
incidents caused the suicide of Amal Alshteiwi, a 9-year-old Syrian refugee, in 2019.
“Hate symbols”, in this report, is an umbrella term for physical-visual representations of hate. While
hate symbols and slurs can apply to various types of discrimination, they are inherently rooted in
racial hate to convey specific beliefs and opinions about race. Our data shows that 334 incidents
of vandalism used “hate speech: imagery” (including hate symbols and racial slurs) —36% of which
targeted Black people, primarily with racial slurs, and 25% of which were antisemitic in nature,
primarily with swastikas on various locations (e.g. schools, public parks, political campaign signs,
etc.). Swastikas, while specifically antisemitic in nature, are also symbols of white supremacy in
general, used to promote racial hierarchies and hate against racialized people.

Confederate flags, another hate symbol representing white supremacy, appeared multiple times
in the data. Generally, they were displayed on private property in places visible to the public (e.g.
front window of a home, on vehicles or clothing). Confederate flags are inarguably rooted in anti-
Black racism, and denial of this fact perpetuates hate. Additional white supremacy symbols in
the data often suggest the farcical concept of “reverse racism”—for example, the printing and
distribution of posters with the messaging, “It’s Okay to be White”.

Anti-Asian graffiti also featured prominently in the data, with 8.7% of vandalism incidents largely
targeting Chinatowns in various municipalities and Chinese Cultural Centres. This is likely attributed
to the spread of misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic which resulted in a rise in anti-Asian
hate. Many incidents of anti-semeitic vandalism, specifically, were investigated as hate crimes;
however, it is unclear the result of such investigations.
VISUALIZED DATA
 Visualized Data
Our unprecedented data set highlights the varied nature and complexity of race-based hate
incidents perpetrated against Indigenous and racialized peoples in Canada as reported by the
media. The harm caused by such incident is palpable and clearly pervasive. As such, we are sharing
our data with researchers, governments and institutions to build a more equitable future for all
Canadians. The full, complete and interactive dataset can be viewed on our website.

Overview: Number of reported incidents 1658

Jan 2018–Dec 2022 incidents

100

75
INCIDENTS

50

25

0
JAN 2018 JUL 2018 JAN 2019 JUL 2019 JAN 2020 JUL 2020 JAN 2021 JUL 2021 JAN 2022 JUL 2022

MONTHLY

600
490
INCIDENTS

428
400
303
249
188
200

0
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

YEARLY
 3
incidents

5
incidents

5
incidents

22
311
incidents

incidents

210
incidents

71
incidents
178
incidents

56
incidents 558
incidents 25
incidents

95
incidents

Ethnic Communities Gender

Black, African, Caribbean 535

Central Asian 16 Female 382

East Asian 163 Male 380

Indigenous 340 Other &

Unknown
60

Latin America 17
0 100 200 300 400

Middle Eastern 58
Female includes cis and trans women; male includes
South Asian 93 cis and trans men; other/unknown includes any gender
outside of the previously mentioned, as well as if the
article does not reference the gender of the victim. Due
Southeast Asian 27
to limited data in media reports, the other/unknown
category cannot be further segmented.
Not Specified* 524
Excludes incidents where gender is not applicable (e.g.
vandalism in a public space where no specific person is
* The “not specified” category applies when
the victim). Some incidents have multiple victims and are
the race of the victim is not mentioned or the
counted in more than one gender category.
victim(s) are racialized people in general.
IDENTITY-BASED INTERSECTIONALITIES

Xenophobia 335

Religious
328
Discrimination

Sexism 89

Anti
47
2SLGBTIQIA+

0 100 200 300 400

Hate Speech 957

TYPES OF INCIDENTS

Harassment 909

Denial/Inaction
301
on Racism

Vandalism 189

Other/Unknown 17

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000

Of 1658 hate incidents, 28.2% were reported to the

police. 4% had criminal charges laid.
Learn more on our dashboard.
Recommendation
Government policies and practices currently in place to address racism are insufficient, at best. Our
primary purpose for this study has always been to highlight the critical need for nation-wide data
on race-based hate incidents to drive necessary anti-racist reform. Canada must become a data-
driven country to improve equity and outcomes for racialized and Indigenous Peoples, thereby
creating transparency so all Canadians understand the importance of anti-racism work in Canada.

We ask the Government of Canada to hire an independent agency—not Statistics Canada or law
enforcement/policing organizations, due to broken trust in racialized communities—to collect
national data on race-based hate incidents and their characteristics. As previous initiatives have
failed due to government agendas and lack of funding, it is paramount that this work is data-driven
and done in partnership with provincial and municipal governments, but without interference from
any governments, including law enforcement or the wider justice system. The independent agency
must receive adequate, ongoing funding (separate from Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy budget),
in order to collect data as trends evolve over time, and a comprehensive understanding of anti-
racism pedagogy.

While our study is urging one major recommendation—for the federal government to hire an
independent agency to collect nation-wide data on race-based hate incidents—we encourage
policy-makers to use our data to generate further recommendations in areas such as politics,
government services, media, policing, education, sports, workplaces, businesses, online and other
industries/sectors where racialized Canadians are negatively impacted.
Conclusion
Every Canadian deserves to live a life of dignity and to share equitably in community with one
another. While we have highlighted these experiences of race-based hate incidents as a way to
catalyze solutions, the overarching devastation of racism is painfully immeasurable, as illustrated by
the disproportionately high rates of social issues amongst racialized communities. Socioeconomic
factors — conditions in which people are born into and live under—determine much of an individual’s
health. For example, one major social determinant of health, according to the World Health
Organization, is social inclusion and non-discrimination—i.e., feeling safe in one’s own community.

The time has come for Canada to lift its international mask of multiculturalism. This nation must
acknowledge the harm being perpetrated against Indigenous and racialized people daily, while
our institutions hide behind their lack of race-based data. More data is urgently needed to create
preventative approaches that will save lives.

Our research illustrates the importance of collecting robust and comprehensive race-based data
in creating policy changes that address systemic racism. Our data set is intended as a prototype
for conducting a full exploration of Canadian racism to end these ongoing injustices.

Historically, we have seen racial inequity data co-opted to push false narratives of racial inferiority,
and to justify heinous acts of racism. Researchers should strive to understand the traumatic effects
of racism, and how that presents in various contexts, to ensure sensitivity in the collection, storing
and interpretation of data. This helps to prevent the misappropriation of data and further harm to
racialized communities.

New studies, conducted through an anti-racist lens, are necessary to investigate the degree,
prevalence, frequency and intersectionalities of race-based hate incidents, and how racialized
communities are impacted. The data collected can inform actions and interventions at a systemic
level that will help to improve racial equity.

Beyond our recommendation, we call on all federal, provincial and municipal policymakers to
examine our findings, for characteristics specific to their legislation, to engage in necessary reform.
Racism isolates, marginalizes and destroys — it is a centuries-old pandemic that must be addressed
and eradicated.