202 RELATION OF ORIGINS AND NATIVITY TO CRIME 
Canadian born population corrected for both age and sex. When a similar procedure is 
followed with the data for the “Other British” and Foreign born the following rates 
are found: — 
Nativity 
Canadian.........covuireiinint ieee erenniaens. 
Other British Born...... 
Foreign born... . 
Number who would 
be convieted per 
100,000 population 
(both sexes) under 
axisting age and sea 
distribution, on the 
assumption of a 
uniform crime rate 
for all nativity 
groups 
133-3 
206-1 
229-0 
The actual rates in the census year 1921 were as follows: — 
Canadian born....................... 
Other British born............... 
Foreign born................. .. 
Nativity } 
Actual number 
of convictions 
per 100,000 
population in 1921 
156 
236 
408 
raking the Canadian rate as a base in each of the above cases and expressing the rates 
for each of the other nativity groups as a proportion of the Canadian rate, we get the 
following results: — 
Nativity 
Canadian born...............ccoceeviunnn.,. 
Other British born.........c..ooouuvvein. 
Foreign born. ...... FE 
Number who woulc 
be convicted per 
100,000 of each 
nativity group 
on the basis of a 
uniform crime for 
all, expressed as 
percentages of the 
‘ate for the Cana- 
dian born 
Actual rates 
in 1921 
expressed as 
ercentages of 
the rate for 
the Canadian 
born 
00 100 
155 151 
179 205 
Ratio 
of actual 
convictions 
to expected 
convictions 
100 
98 
152 
it is apparent from the above percentages that sex and age distribution are adequate 
to account for the entire difference in crime rate between the Canadian and “other 
British” born. In the case of the foreign born, the expected number of convictions per 
100,000 was 72 p.c. greater than that for the Canadian born population; the actual rate 
was some 162 p.c. greater in 1921, leaving an excess of 90 convictions or 52 pc. to be 
iccounted for on grounds other than age and sex. 
The figure of 90 convictions or 52 pe. probably understates the difference for two 
reasons. In the first place, for 2,625 or 13.5 p.c. of the convictions birthplace was not given. 
There are reasons to believe that more than a proportionate number of these were of foreign 
birth. If so, had the “not givens” been distributed, the rate for the foreign born would 
have been relatively higher than appears in the table. Further, the analysis has proceeded 
on the assumption that the age distributions of the foreign and Canadian born within the 
broad age group 21-39 were similar. Now Table 6, Volume II, of the Census 1921 shows 
that this is not the case. Of the Canadian born males between 20 and 29, the largest 
number were in the age group 20-24 and the second largest in the group 25-29. Thus 
relatively larger proportions of the Canadian born males were in the twenties. With 
the foreign born, on the other hand, the largest numbers were between 35 and 39 years 
of age and the next largest quinquennial group was 30-34—that is, relatively larger propor- 
tions were in the 30's. The 20's are the years most favourable to crime, as is shown above 
by penitentiary data. Thus the age distribution of the foreign born between 20 and 40 
was less favourable to crime than that of the Canadian born in the same broad age group. 
In view of these facts it is obvious that the results minimize the difference between 
criminality among the foreign born and the Canadian born. That such is the case is 
confirmed in the preceding discussion of penitentiary population by age and nativity. The 
foreign born males in penitentiaries show more than twice the rate for the Canadian 
horn age for age.