Non-Residents now allowed to vote on Canadian Elections

[mentalfloss]

Fantastic news!


Five-year Rule Eliminated for Canadian Electors Residing Abroad

On May 2, 2014, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice invalidated certain provisions of the Canada Elections Act that prevented non-resident electors from voting by special ballot in federal electoral events if the electors had resided abroad for five consecutive years or more. The decision is effective immediately. Accordingly, Elections Canada will no longer apply those provisions.

Now, Canadian citizens aged 18 or older who reside abroad may apply to be added to the International Register of Electors and to vote by mail-in special ballot in federal general elections, by-elections and referendums, provided they have at some point resided in Canada.

When a federal general election, by-election or referendum is called, Elections Canada will mail a special ballot voting kit to all eligible electors whose names appear in the International Register.

Before this court ruling, Canadians residing abroad could vote by special ballot if they had resided abroad for fewer than five consecutive years and intended to move back to Canada in the future. Certain electors were exempt from the five-year rule, such as those serving abroad in the Canadian Forces or working at embassies abroad.

Elections Canada Online | News Releases and Media Advisories

 

[taxslave]

Now that is just plain stupid. Except for those temporarily working abroad no one not living here should get to vote.

 

[Corduroy]

Now that is just plain stupid. Except for those temporarily working abroad no one not living here should get to vote.

Why not?

 

[lone wolf]

As non-resident Canadian citizens, do they get to pay Canadian taxes?

 

[taxslave]

Why not?

Simply because the come here from various hot spots sround the globe, drop off or have a bunch of brats here,stay just long enough to meet the residency requirements then go back to whereever they came from. Don't contribute to Canada in any way shape or form but use our medical system whenever they need it, demand extraction whenever it gets too hot at home. Giving people like this the right to vote in Canada is just plain wrong. You want to vote here you live and pay taxes here.

 

[SLM]

Now that is just plain stupid. Except for those temporarily working abroad no one not living here should get to vote.

I think they should if they still have to file and pay taxes. And that can potentially cover a lot of people outside of those temporarily working abroad.

 

[lone wolf]

Simply because the come here from various hot spots sround the globe, drop off or have a bunch of brats here,stay just long enough to meet the residency requirements then go back to whereever they came from. Don't contribute to Canada in any way shape or form but use our medical system whenever they need it, demand extraction whenever it gets too hot at home. Giving people like this the right to vote in Canada is just plain wrong. You want to vote here you live and pay taxes here.

If that's the only case, I'd say screw 'em. Now, about Canadians working in overseas ventures - as in oil or mining - how's that work?

 

[Praxius]

Simply because the come here from various hot spots sround the globe, drop off or have a bunch of brats here,stay just long enough to meet the residency requirements then go back to whereever they came from. Don't contribute to Canada in any way shape or form but use our medical system whenever they need it, demand extraction whenever it gets too hot at home. Giving people like this the right to vote in Canada is just plain wrong. You want to vote here you live and pay taxes here.

And what about people like me? I was born, raised and spent 31 years of my life living in Canada and paying my taxes in Canada, while I can count on one hand the amount of times I used the medical system while being old enough to work and pay "Taxes."

I left due to my wife having two people very close to her die... one of cancer and the other brutally murdered a couple of months later and she wanted to be closer to her remaining family.

I wasn't even out of the country for 5 years and when I tried to sign up to vote outside of the country, I was apparently not eligible due to not having a fixed address within Canada and by their wisdom, I had no intentions of returning.

Just because I no longer live in Canada, that doesn't mean I don't give two craps what happens in Canada, the government, the people, the communities I lived in, the laws and most importantly, the rest of my family who still live in Canada.

The prospects of someday returning back to Canada to live is still very real and neither my wife or myself know whether or not we will stay in Australia or head back with our son, who is a dual-citizen of both countries. I suppose he shouldn't have the right to take interest in Canada or be allowed to vote when he is old enough?

That decision on whether to move back isn't as simple as some may like to think. It costs a lot of money and a lot of paper work involved beyond just booking a ticket. We have to start our lives over, yet again, from scratch and have to account on how that will affect our son. Find jobs, find a place to live, buy everything we need to live.... all from scratch again. Plus the Spousal Visa my wife has to apply for which isn't a few bucks and can take a few years for the Canadian Government to approve/review. If rejected for whatever reason, we don't get that money back.

One other reason why I went to Australia was because for me to apply for a spousal visa in Australia, I only had to wait 3 months. For my wife to apply for the same thing in Canada she had a waiting period of 3 years. So either we had to deal with her living halfway around the world for three years while I sat in Canada twiddling my thumbs, or I make the move to Australia in a much quicker time.

The people you speak of who just have anchor babies to milk the health care system & have no other interest in the nation.... do you honestly think they'd really bother to vote?

Residency in a country doesn't equate to Citizenship and unless you're a citizen, you can't vote. I'm a Permanent Resident of Australia and I can not vote unless I become a Citizen. So someone plopping their butt inside Canada for a couple of years to become a Perm. Resident won't give them any specific privileges towards voting. They can work, they must abide by the laws of the nation, they can run their own businesses, but they can not vote, they can not run for a political office and they can not have a Canadian Passport.

As a Canadian Citizen, we all have the right to vote when we are of legal age and like right to bear arms in the US, a Canadian's Right to Vote shall not be infringed.

Added:

The other thing to point out is that if people like me, Canadians Living Outside of Canada, didn't really give a crap about the country, then I wouldn't be in these forums..... and I doubt Andem would even have these forums up in running in the first place.

If the issue of me not paying taxes in Canada is a real concern for some, let's keep in mind that while I am living here in Australia, I am paying their taxes and using their services while I contribute to their society.... I don't touch any of the precious resources you guys are using in Canada and for all the tax I already paid in Canada for services I never used (Medical as one example) I'm perfectly fine with letting you guys keep that without demanding a refund.

But if that's still not good enough, tell you what.... I'll mail off $50 to the Canadian Government. That's actually $50.36 CAD, so profit for you guys.

 

[Praxius]

Oh and the comment of these people leaving the country and only coming back to use the medical system is a pile of crap.

The cost for a ticket to fly back to Canada as well as paying for a place to stay while they receive treatment would most certainly be more than the cost of them paying for medical treatment in whatever country they live in. If they could afford the trip then why the hell would they even bother and just pay for treatment in the country they reside in? They must be rich as hell to do that.

Last October the cost I paid for one return ticket from Australia to Canada was well over $2000. As I had family to live with, we saved a lot of money on that, but if not, how much would it cost to book a hotel or motel room for however long you'd stay?

Yes, there must be a huge problem of these people blowing $2000-3000 to fly to Canada, stay and get treated for the sniffles.

Must be the same people related to Canadians who live in Canada who drive across the border to the US to buy things to save $30 while blowing $70 on the gas to drive there.

 

[taxslave]

What is so difficult to grasp about you want to vote in Canada you live and pay taxes in Canada?

 

[petros]

Oh and the comment of these people leaving the country and only coming back to use the medical system is a pile of crap.

The cost for a ticket to fly back to Canada as well as paying for a place to stay while they receive treatment would most certainly be more than the cost of them paying for medical treatment in whatever country they live in. If they could afford the trip then why the hell would they even bother and just pay for treatment in the country they reside in? They must be rich as hell to do that.

Last October the cost I paid for one return ticket from Australia to Canada was well over $2000. As I had family to live with, we saved a lot of money on that, but if not, how much would it cost to book a hotel or motel room for however long you'd stay?

Yes, there must be a huge problem of these people blowing $2000-3000 to fly to Canada, stay and get treated for the sniffles.

Must be the same people related to Canadians who live in Canada who drive across the border to the US to buy things to save $30 while blowing $70 on the gas to drive there.

If it's cancer they come home. Comedian Kevin Macdonald recently came back for treatments because he would have went broke in California.

 

[Corduroy]

Simply because the come here from various hot spots sround the globe, drop off or have a bunch of brats here,stay just long enough to meet the residency requirements then go back to whereever they came from. Don't contribute to Canada in any way shape or form but use our medical system whenever they need it, demand extraction whenever it gets too hot at home. Giving people like this the right to vote in Canada is just plain wrong. You want to vote here you live and pay taxes here.

What does that have to with it? You're describing the behaviour of certain immigrants, not, ya know, the people we're actually talking about. I think you copy and pasted the wrong stupid hateful rant.

 

[skookumchuck]

What does that have to with it? You're describing the behaviour of certain immigrants, not, ya know, the people we're actually talking about. I think you copy and pasted the wrong stupid hateful rant.

Were you absent when we found that we had many thousands of Lebanese Canadians who wanted to be back "home" fast and free when the chit hit the fan?

 

[DaSleeper]

Were you absent when we found that we had many thousands of Lebanese Canadians who wanted to be back "home" fast and free when the chit hit the fan

I wonder how many went back after things settled down over there....

 

[Praxius]

What is so difficult to grasp about you want to vote in Canada you live and pay taxes in Canada?

It's not difficult at all, but the reality is that isn't a requirement for being a Canadian Citizen and thus, Vote.


Why is that difficult to grasp?

 

[Corduroy]

Some people are obsessed with taxes and think paying them confers a higher class of citizenship.

 

[wulfie68]

Sorry Praxius, but no from someone in a similar boat.

I left Canada when I was 40 and came to be with my pregnant fiance, outside Pittsburgh. My wife is an American. My almost 5 yr old son is an American. I am applying for citizenship in the US, and will soon (hopefully) be a dual citizen of both the United States and Canada.

However, for whatever reason, I made a choice to move to and live in a different country. So did you. I am no longer paying taxes in Canada. I no longer maintain a permanent residence in Canada. I'm not saying I will never move back, because who knows what the future holds? I never thought I'd be in this position to begin with.

All that being said, I cannot think of a reason that legitimizes me being given a vote in Canadian elections. Me being born in Edmonton and my willingness to stay informed of issues back home doesn't mean I contribute to Canadian society. What riding do we vote in? Do we vote in provincial or municipal elections? Where does it end and why?

If one day, my family and I return (while I'll be returning, they'll be living there for the first time), then we will establish a residence, pay taxes and I will expect to resume my voting privileges.

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

By comparison, in the U.S. you can vote by absentee ballot from the district (riding) you last lived in. It's perfectly routine. No restrictions on how long you're gone or if you intend to return.

NOT saying we're right or you're right. Just a comparison.

 

[Tonington]

What is so difficult to grasp about you want to vote in Canada you live and pay taxes in Canada?

There are plenty of Canadians who live here, vote, and don't pay taxes. They even get GST rebates so the sales taxes aren't even being paid. Students can vote, and don't pay income tax.

Paying taxes is a stupid criteria for voting, for exactly the reason listed above. Why don't we just go back to the days of being landowners before voting if we want to go that route...or worse.

And the idea that civic involvement is tied to geography is equally stupid. We have a hard enough time getting people to vote in elections. Anyone who wants to vote is showing an interest in what Canada looks like.

My company offers international assignments to high performers, and if I get the opportunity I will jmup on it. That wouldn't mean I don't care about Canada anymore, and it's completely insane to put mobility restrictions on Canadians looking to better themselves, and those who still want to remain an active citizen even while abroad.

Until someone can show that there's a tangible issue here that is causing problems, then this court ruling is great.

 

[Goober]

Do what the US does, make them file income forms. If taxes are owed then collect it.