Space travel just got a little safer today! Canada has finally extended their criminal jurisdiction to space.
“A Canadian crew member who, during a space flight, commits an act or omission outside Canada that if committed in Canada would constitute an indictable offense is deemed to have committed that act or omission in Canada,” reads the measure included in Bill C-19, the 443-page document implementing the provisions of the 2022 federal budget.
That means, every Canadian who commits a criminal act during their time in space will be apprehended upon returning to Earth, as reported by Calgary Herald.
The news begs the question though: were Canadians, or space travelers of other nationalities, free to commit crime prior to this ruling?
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