Violence in Canada

Increasingly, violence commands government, public, media, and academic attention. Violence is both a social and a policy problem endemic to many countries’ cultural, economic, social, and political systems. Canada, one of the largest countries in the world, is not immune to various manifestations of violence. Violence has become a frequent occurrence in this Anglo-American country, particularly since the 1960s. In fact, according to a recent study, Canada has the second-highest violent crime rate in the Western world, surpassed only by the United States (Canadian Press, 1992). ¹