Criminal Code
Arson — damage to property
Last verified: June 2026 · Source: laws-lois.justice.gc.ca
Every person who intentionally or recklessly causes damage by fire or explosion to property that is not wholly owned by that person is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding fourteen years.
Justice Laws is the authoritative version. If this copy and it ever differ, Justice Laws wins.
Immigration
This offence is damaging property by fire or explosion when the person does not wholly own it. It must be charged by indictment. The top sentence is 14 years, which makes a conviction serious criminality under IRPA s.36(1)(a). Deemed rehabilitation does not apply to serious criminality. The route is a record suspension for a conviction in Canada (s.36(3)(b)), or an application to be found rehabilitated for one outside Canada (s.36(3)(c)).
This is how the law sorts the offence, not a reading of any one record. An officer decides each case.
No guide cites this section directly. These guides cite related offences.