I'm reactivating this thread as it is of current interest to me--I am an expat Canadian and there is now a by-election in progress (scheduled for March 17) in my old riding in Canada. Also a general election may come fairly soon at this point so this topic may be topical for all Canadians, expat and otherwise, again soon.
There are some thoughtful messages in this thread and I have a number of reactions. First of all, the right to vote is guaranteed in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and applies to all Canadian citizens, not just those living in Canada. Some rights in the Constitution are subject to suspension based on the controversial 'notwithstanding' clause--however the right to vote is supposed to be inalienable. As such, the government has to make a pretty strong case that allowing a particular group of people to vote would create a fundamental social problem before voting rights may be curtailed.
The taxation issue, raised several times in this thread, does not appear to be an issue in voting rights as determined by the Supreme Court of Canada. Prisoners in Canada--even those serving life without parole--are allowed to vote as determined in a ruling by the Supreme Court. Prisoners presumably are usually indigent and are unlikely--if serving a life sentence--to ever again pay meaningful taxes. Yet they can vote. And, of course, there are many resident Canadians who legally do not pay taxes, for varying reasons, and I don't think anyone would suggest they be denied the right to vote.
On the other hand the Supreme Court did rule that restricting voting rights to those 18 and over is a reasonable and constitutional restriction.
Right now to register as an expatriate voter one must sign a statement stating one left Canada less than five years ago--one can include brief visits so this is not usually a problem--and intends to resume Canadian residency in the future. No time limit, however, is given as to how long one will be out of Canada, and one need only cite an approximate date. One can also amend this date as frequently as necessary with Elections Canada. The question, therefore, arises as to whether someone who may return to Canada in the future can ethically assert an intention to return and vote--especially given that providing such a date is clearly not set in stone.
For example, I have a green card in the US and have no intention of returning to Canada at any time in the future. However, my parents are still in Canada and likely to remain there for the rest of their lives. They are presently in good health, but there is always the possibility, hopefully still many years in the future, that if they had health problems I could need to return to Canada for awhile to help out. Surely I have an interest in ensuring they get good health care at that time. And surely I still have that interest under all circumstances--they are still my parents even if I never pay another dime in Canadian taxes. I shouldn't be required to pay taxes in order to ensure they get good health care--for one thing, they are still paying Canadian taxes and I have an interest in ensuring they are treated well in their later years, even if I'm not involved financially. As a family member, I'm involved emotionally even if there is no money involved.
Another point is that a Canadian who takes advantage of a specific treaty negotiated by the Canadian government--eg a TN visa holder under NAFTA--in moving abroad should not lose their voting rights. The Canadian is still tied to Canada and Canadian policy by virtue of the treaty and therefore must still have a say in Canadian life. I would even go so far as to say that a Canadian who changes their status to something not as closely tied to a treaty--eg a green card--still should retain the right to vote. The Canadian is still entitled to consular protection from Canada--not from the US--and has the right to vote to ensure that consular protection is provided in a high quality manner.
The only case where it is more questionable in my mind is where the Canadian naturalizes in another country and voluntarily renounces their ties to Canada. That is trickier, in my view, because the Canadian (or former Canadian) has then made a voluntary decision that they no longer have any loyalty to Canada. That makes the question of whether they should continue to vote in Canadian elections much trickier ethically. But until that point I simply cannot see the basis for there even being an issue.
