Ottawa, Dec 12 (IANS): Canada's Indigenous peoples continued to be overrepresented as homicide victims, Statistics Canada said.

Just over one in four homicide victims were Indigenous in 2023, despite representing 5 per cent of the overall population, Xinhua news agency reported quoting the national statistical agency.

Similarly, in 2022, 27 per cent of homicide victims were Indigenous and this heightened risk is deeply rooted in the ongoing effects of colonisation, including systemic discrimination, poverty and a legacy of trauma, the agency said.

In 2023, police services reported 778 homicides across the country, 104 fewer victims than the previous year. As a result, the national homicide rate decreased by 14 per cent, from 2.27 to 1.94 homicides per 100,000 population, according to the agency.

This overrepresentation translates to a homicide rate of 9.31 per 100,000 Indigenous people, a figure more than six times higher than the rate for non-Indigenous Canadians, said Statistics Canada.