Thank you very much, honourable chair and members of the committee.
I'd like to first thank you for the opportunity to present our most recent statistics on firearm-related violent crime. It's always a privilege as a public servant to be able to attend these sessions.
The information I will be providing to you today is based on two surveys within Statistics Canada: the uniform crime reporting survey, which collects information on all crimes reported to police; and the homicide survey, which collects more detailed information specifically related to infanticide, manslaughter, and first- and second-degree murder.
I will be focusing primarily on 2020, which is the most recent data available. As a context, following the remarks of one of my co-panellists, I would like to explain that in the first year of the pandemic, in 2020, all police-reported crime, including violent crime, decreased for the first time in five years. Previous to the pandemic, we had seen five year-over-year increases in crime.
Before discussing crimes involving firearms, I would like to note that my remarks will exclude Quebec. Unfortunately, given technical issues with Quebec's firearm data, we are unable to include it in our national figures.
In 2020, violent crime involving firearms accounted for less than 3% of police-reported violent crime. However, in the previous five years before the pandemic, the rate of firearm-related crime had been increasing year over year. In 2020, there were 8,344 victims of violent crimes involving firearms, again, excluding Quebec. The rate per a population of 100,000 in 2020 was similar to 2019.
In urban areas, firearm-related violent crime primarily involves handguns, while in rural areas, the firearm used most commonly is a rifle or a shotgun. In some major urban centres, handguns were used in the vast majority of firearm-related crimes, including Toronto at 86%, Windsor at 80%, and Ottawa and Barrie both at 78%.
I would like to provide some information very specific to homicides and the use of firearms. The national homicide rate increased for a second consecutive year in 2020, marking the highest rate since 2005. Police reported 743 homicides in 2020, 56 more than in 2019. Of these 743 homicides, 37%, or 277, were committed with a firearm. This is a slight increase compared to 2019.
The rate of homicides involving firearms has generally been increasing over the last eight years. Handguns continue to be the most used firearm, with about half of all homicides committed with a handgun. Gangs were involved in 39% of homicides involving firearms in 2020. This is the lowest proportion since 2015. However, firearms are used in the vast majority of gang-related homicides, and most often it is a handgun.
In closing, Statistics Canada recognizes there are still significant information gaps in the national data, including the source of the firearm, and we are continuing to work with our partners to identify and address these critical information needs.
Thank you very much.