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← Back to Law ExplorerLast verified: June 2026 · Source: laws-lois.justice.gc.ca
Assault & Violent OffencesHybrid
§269

Unlawfully Causing Bodily Harm

Unlawfully causing bodily harm

Assault
Maximum Sentence

10 years

Classification: Hybrid
🍁 Immigration Impact

Hybrid offence with a 10-year maximum. Constitutes serious criminality under IRPA s.36(1). This section captures bodily harm caused outside the assault context.

🍁 In Simple Terms

Hurting someone through an unlawful act, even with no punch thrown directly at them. The maximum is 10 years, exactly the level Canada treats as serious criminality. It catches injuries that happen outside a classic assault, and the immigration result is the same either way.

Legal Text, Criminal Code s. 269

Every one who unlawfully causes bodily harm to any person is guilty of (a) an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years; or (b) an offence punishable on summary conviction.

Amendment History (3)
R.S., 1985, c. C-46, s. 269
1994, c. 44, s. 18
2019, c. 25, s. 94
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