An increasing number of Canadian youth are facing criminal charges, outpacing numbers seen over the past four years, newly released government data shows.
Statistics Canada’s latest figures indicate that 57,956 Canadian youths between the ages of 12 and 17 were charged with crimes in fiscal 2025-2026, which spans April 1 to March 31.
The latest statistics mark a multi-year high surpassing figures from the past four years, primarily fuelled by rises in violent crimes and property-related offences.
More than a third of the offences recorded were classified as crimes “against the person,” StatCan said. During this period, 22,042 youths were charged with these types of crimes, with male youths representing a greater proportion of the offences at 15,531, while female youths accounted for 5,002….