The study includes analyses of age differences, location, and means of offense commission. The role of the stranger in homicide is highlighted by contrasting it with the actions of more intimately related victims and offenders. Data originated with the homicide project of the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics. Data were supplied by Canadian police departments. The general focus of the study is on the proportional difference between relational categories as they change from year to year. Canada's homicide rate peaked in 1975, fell until 1980, and has risen somewhat since then. The recent rise in the homicide rate has apparently resulted from a rising proportion of homicides involving more distant rather than intimate victim-offender relationships. The proportion of intimate homicides has dropped dramatically in the 22 years examined, and homicides by friends, acquaintances, and strangers have risen. Female offenders commit 13 percent of Canadian homicides and are victims in 37 percent of homicides. The percentage of female offenders is similar to that found in U.S. studies, but the percentage of female victims is significantly higher. Causal explanations of the data are suggested for future research. 84 footnotes, 5 tables, and 7 figures.