Is crime really going up?

This article is part of the Reality Check series by Canada's National Observer. Have a question for us? Reach out at [email protected].

Throughout his campaign, and during the debates, Pierre Poilievre has referenced the rising crime rates in Canada, and maligned the Liberals’ approach to crime. 

He’s talked about needing to bring “safety back to our streets.” He has also derided the Liberal criminal justice policies as a “hug-a-thug” approach, saying their oversight has made life for Canadians more dangerous. 

At campaign stops, Poilievre has said, “Once-safe streets have become scenes of chaos and disorder. For too many Canadians, the threat of crime is now an everyday fact of life,” and referenced rising rates of vehicle theft in cities like Toronto. 

Verdict: Misleading

So is crime going up? That depends on what crime you’re talking about — and how wide your lens is. 

From 2013 on (when Harper was in power) we have seen a roughly 7 percentage point increase in non-violent crime, but a 25-point increase in violent crime. Police reported violent crime is back to about the level it was in 1998, while non violent crime remains way under 1998 levels. Non-violent crime was also more widely reported in 1998. 

It’s also worth noting that the definition of violent crime has expanded since the 90s. It now includes things like nonconsensual sharing of intimate images, known as “revenge porn.” 

But non-violent crimes like car thefts are down slightly, especially in places like Toronto. From 2014 to 2023, there was a massive jump in vehicle theft in the city. The 2024 numbers are down slightly, but nowhere near where they were a decade ago. But Toronto police did advise residents to leave their car keys by the front door, “to prevent the possibility of being attacked in your home” in the case of an escalating break-and-enter.