Critics of the police and tougher bail and sentencing laws to combat violent crime have two approaches to the release of annual statistics on crime.

But they both end up in the same place.

GOLDSTEIN: Claims Canada's crime rate is down aren’t reporting the real story Back to video

If crime is up, they argue the criminal justice system isn’t working and we need to divert money earmarked for law enforcement into social programs.

If crime is down, they argue there is no need for making the criminal justice system tougher and we need to divert money earmarked for law enforcement into social programs.

So it’s no surprise what the reaction from the usual suspects was when Statistics Canada recently released its 2025 report on Canada’s crime rate.

It showed Canada’s crime severity index dropped for the second year in a row – down 4.9% in 2025 and 4% in 2024 – while the violent crime severity index decreased by 4.2%, police-reported crime by 2.4% and a 16% drop in the homicide rate, the third consecutive year of decline and the biggest year-over-year decrease in four decades.

Toronto........

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