{"id":51258,"date":"2023-12-01T20:16:31","date_gmt":"2023-12-01T20:16:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.strategiccriminaldefence.com\/faq\/?p=51258"},"modified":"2025-09-29T05:45:38","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T05:45:38","slug":"piracy-charges-canada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.strategiccriminaldefence.com\/faq\/piracy-charges-canada\/","title":{"rendered":"Piracy Laws in Canada"},"content":{"rendered":"

Piracy is covered under section 74, Part II of the Canadian Criminal Code. <\/em>Part II covers \u201cOffences Against Public Order\u201d.<\/p>\n

A piracy charge occurs where, by the law of nations, a person has committed an act considered piratical. Piratical acts<\/a>\u00a0are committed on navigable waters and the seas outside of all national jurisdictions. As this is by the law of nations, piracy is defined through the body of laws and treaties agreed upon and subscribed to by United Nations member states, who abide by the law of nations. Thus, this section applies to Canadian citizens who commit piracy even outside of Canadian jurisdiction,\u00a0 anywhere in the world.<\/p>\n

Piracy is an indictable <\/a>offence<\/a> in Canada as indicated in section 74(2) of the Criminal Code<\/em>. These are the most serious types of offences, and can therefore result in severe penalties, such as longer maximum jail sentences and higher fees. Indictable offences generally give the accused the right to choose their type of trial: judge-alone or a jury trial, though there are certain exceptions, listed out in section 553 of the Criminal Code, <\/em>and included within those, is the act of piracy. Thus, an accused charged with piracy does not have the right to choose their mode of trial as piracy is an exclusive jurisdiction offence.<\/p>\n

Examples<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Some examples of an act of piracy charge may include the following: <\/strong><\/p>\n