A system by which Canada’s police forces will collect data on the Indigenous and racialized identity of victims and accused persons won’t begin until at least 2024.
According to the StatsCan report, Police-Reported Indigenous and Racialized Identity Statistics via the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, a collection process for new data is expected to be rolled out gradually across police services depending on a number of factors, including budgetary constrictions, implementation of new policies within police services, and training delivery timelines.
“It should be noted that while the Survey may be ready to accept data (at the beginning of 2024) …it does not mean that the data will be available to collect,” states the report issued. The report includes six draft recommendations for review.
Carol McBride, president of the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC), is disappointed that something as vital as collecting disaggregated data is still not being prioritized.