Permanent residents in B.C. should be allowed to vote in local elections, civil liberties group says

A B.C. group that supports civil liberties and human rights has backed local politicians' bid to seek voting rights for permanent residents who are not Canadian citizens.

The B.C. Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) says mayors and councillors at a convention in September endorsed a motion calling for updated provincial legislation to allow permanent residents to vote in local elections.

A statement from the association calls the resolution from the Union of B.C. Municipalities historic and an "extraordinary opportunity" to extend the vote to more B.C. residents.

The BCCLA says it is working with the group LostVotes to campaign for the change.Together, they have requested a meeting with Municipal Affairs Minister Selina Robinson to discuss next steps.

Voter turnout declining

The BCCLA says voter turnout is declining and access to citizenship is increasingly restrictive, so offering voting rights to permanent residents would be timely.

Meghan McDermott, acting policy director for the BCCLA, says the B.C. government should take advantage of the municipal resolution because enfranchising immigrants would foster deeper civic engagement.

"Given the barriers to accessing Canadian citizenship, including increasing costs and long government backlogs, we are very excited by the prospect of making local government elections more inclusive of all residents," McDermott said.