Canada is working on legislation that would allow for the prosecution of off-planet crimes committed during space travel. The idea of the bill, already approved in first reading, is to legally punish astronauts or passengers who commit crimes on the Moon, Mars or simply in orbit.
The amendment to the Penal Code of Canada was titled the Lunar Gateway Civil Agreement Implementation Act and considers acts committed on the surface of the moon, on the Gateway space station and while in transit to or from the gateway. The proposal exposes Canadians in these places to prosecution for alleged crimes.
“The ground rule is that ‘each partner shall retain jurisdiction and control over what it records and personnel on or on the Space Station who are its citizens,'” the European Space Agency (ESA) reported. . “This legal regime recognizes the jurisdiction of the courts of the partner states and allows the application of national laws in areas such as criminal cases, liability issues and the protection of intellectual property rights,” he added.
they all want space
Canada appears to be preparing to expand its access and responsibilities to outer space, after becoming the first country to sign the Artemis Agreement with the United States in 2019. The agreement, confirmed in 2020 by a treaty , sees Canada providing the Canadarm3 robotic arm to the Space Station Gateway in exchange for access to space. This access includes a coveted astronaut seat aboard the lunar-orbiting Artemis 2, now scheduled for launch in 2024.
If the space law section is ratified, it would have broad implications for international jurisdiction over space crimes, according to media reports. The number of space tourists is accelerating rapidly. Recent operational flights from Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin, Axiom Space and SpaceX’s Inspiration4 in 2021 and 2022 add more options for spaceflight beyond those performed by professional astronauts.
A professor at McGill University in Montreal, however, said in 2019 that more changes will be needed for the new space environment, which is expected to include more movement of people and more destinations in deep space, such as trips to the Moon. or March.
“The nature and scope of crimes can be complex, and a single criminal activity may involve individuals from different countries and hold multiple nationalities,” McGill law professor Ram Jakhu wrote in Lawyer Monthly. Jakhu was also writing about allegations made against NASA astronaut Anne McClain which have since been refuted.
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The Canadian Space Agency has joined NASA’s Lunar Orbiting Platform Gateway project for lunar exploration with its Canadarm3 robotic arm. More than a dozen Canadians have flown in space. Most of them were astronauts with dual nationality from NASA, the Canadian Space Agency or, before the creation of the CSA in 1989, the National Research Council of Canada.
Canada’s first astronaut, Marc Garneau, flew into space in 1984; he is currently a member of the liberal party and a former minister in two important portfolios: transport and foreign affairs.
At least three Canadians fled government. The most recent was contractor Mark Pathy, aboard the all-private Axiom Space Ax-1 mission which landed last month. “Star Trek” actor William Shatner flew aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard spacecraft in October 2021. Cirque de Soleil founder Guy Laliberté – a paying passenger on a 2009 Russian Soyuz flight to the ISS – attempted to claim taxes from federal agencies on his space travel, which was denied in 2020 by the Canada Revenue Agency, as reported by the Montreal Gazette.
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