The world has never been more interconnected than it is today. Not only are goods traded across borders, but people go abroad to work as well. Expatriates (or more commonly known as expats) are those who have lived and worked in another country, usually for a large, multinational corporation However, they are the ones who choose to remain citizens of their home country instead of applying for citizenship in their country of employment. Since they have been residing in another country, their voting rights have come into question. Countries like the United States allow their citizens to vote by a blank absentee ballot sent to them. Canada has yet to restore their expats’ voting rights, and with the new Liberal government, the issue has come up in court.
Citizens are proud for their right to vote, and expats are still citizens of the country. https://flic.kr/p/9ASNzG
The law preventing expats to vote was first challenged in 2014, and the Ontario Supreme Court agreed that it violated the right to vote under The Charter of Rights and Freedoms. However, the Conservative government appealed against the ruling, and the province’s top court reversed the ruling and agreed that a five-year limit was reasonable; after that period, expats are no longer eligible to vote. The new Liberal government is fighting for a bill to restore voting rights for expats who have lived outside the country for more than five years. Should they succeed, Canadian citizens may continue to vote in the elections despite residing in a different country for a long time.
Expats are still citizens of their country despite working abroad. While some might argue that they are more integrated into their country of employment, the fact remains that they pay taxes, have a right to vote under The Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and have made an active choice to not change their citizenship. Furthermore, they are motivated to vote, so that means that they are still aware of their homeland’s issues and would like to participate in the political changes that are to happen. Their distance from Canada is not a barrier to being aware of what is happening there.
Full Article: Canadian Expats and Their Right to Vote ·.