NCJ Number
101724
Date Published
1986
Length
278 pages
Annotation
This book reviews the types, frequency, and intensity of public violence in Canada from 1867 through 1982; compares it with public violence in 17 other Western democracies; examines theories to explain the relatively low level of public violence in Canada; and develops a checklist for analyzing the causes of public violence.
Abstract
Public violence comprises incidents widely regarded as significantly impacting society or an important part of it. Public violence in Canada has included 22 Orange-Green riots in Toronto between 1867 and 1892, 300 violent strikes between 1900 and 1974, several hundred cases of Doukhobor violence(Russian-origin ethnic group), some 170 violent incidents attributed to the FLQ (revolutionary group for Quebec's independence), and 246 incidents of collective violence in Ontario and Quebec between 1963 and 1973. Although these events belie the myth that Canada is the 'peaceable kingdom,' compared to other Western democracies, Canada has a low level of public violence. This is largely due to the government's superior resources compared to challenging groups, a political culture intolerant of extra-parliamentary opposition and violence, public support for government intervention to regulate conflicts, the structure of French-English relations, and low levels of discontent by international standards. Concentrations of public violence in particular periods and places in Canada can be partially explained through theories that focus on the erosion of restraints against violence, discontent, and the weakening of group solidarity. Chapter footnotes, 210-item bibliography, subject index, and tabular data.