Citizens in every way but one: My ballot box issue is voting rights for permanent residents

This column is an opinion by Gurpreet Kaur Bolina, a fifth-year sociology student at the University of Alberta who lives in Edmonton. For more information about CBC's Alberta election 2023 opinion series, visit the My Priority home page.

I knock on a door, and a man opens it, smiling. I told him I was door-knocking for a municipal candidate in Edmonton's city council elections. I asked him if he knew who he'd be voting for.

His smile fades. "Oh, we're only PR, sorry."

PR. Permanent resident, a status given to immigrants that allows them to live and work in Canada, receive social benefits and be protected under Canadian law. But because they're not Canadian citizens, they're not allowed to vote.

This situation repeated itself throughout the rest of my day. Finally I asked one woman, "Even though you're PR, what municipal issue affects you most?" Her concern was about speeding in the neighbourhood. She pays municipal property taxes on her house, her kids go to the same junior high school that I attended in southeast Edmonton, and she's worked in her job for the past 10 years. But she can't vote.

I ask her if she's ever contacted her city councillor's office to voice her concerns. She says no, then explains that candidates always focused their language around votes. "Who are you voting for?" "Can I look forward to your vote in the upcoming election?"

Rules of civic engagement

According to Section 3 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, "Every citizen of Canada has the right to vote in an election of members of the House of Commons or of a legislative assembly and to be qualified for membership therein."

However, this was not always the case. Before 1982, when the Charter came into effect, the right to vote in Canada depended on one's gender, race and age. For example, it was only in 1960 that Indigenous women and men could vote without giving up their Indian status. In 1948, Asian Canadians were granted the right to vote, regardless of which province they lived in.

To vote in Alberta today, you must be a Canadian citizen who is 18 or older, and be a resident of the province.

I believe that definition should be expanded to include permanent residents in Alberta.

It's not a new concept; countries like New Zealand and 44 others have introduced some form of legislation that allows non-citizens to vote. Canadian cities such as Toronto and Saint John have attempted to pass legislation or have appealed to their respective provincial governments to do so that would allow non-citizens to vote, all of which have failed. However, there is hope as New Brunswick looks at legislation to allow permanent residents to vote in the 2026 municipal elections.

A second class of citizenship

You may be asking, "If PRs wantto vote so badly, why don't they just apply for citizenship?"

Citizenship in Canada not only grants one the right to vote, it also gives one a Canadian passport, the right to work a job with a high-security clearance and further protection from the risk of deportation.

But when someone immigrates to Canada, they don't cut all ties with their home country, whether family, land ownership, businesses or identity.

Acquiring Canadian citizenshipmay complicate land ownership titles in their home country or put them at risk when travelling internationally. Dual citizenship can be a solution but not for everyone. Only 49 countries, including Canada, allow dual citizenship.

As of April, it takes just under two years to process a citizenship application in Canada. Before signing your application, you must have lived in Canada for at least three years. There are also costs associated with citizenship, permanent residency and work permits in Canada. The cost for a family with two parents and two children would be $1,460.

I'm voting for voter equity

I'm raising this topic now so that MLAs and political candidates can think about this issue and speak to what they'll do to create change. In terms of how they can effect this change, it would be through a private member's bill by an elected MLA.

I've seen both the NDP and UCP bring up immigration and support for BIPOC communities as major points in their platforms, but this issue is a chance for them to show that they truly believe in equity where it counts in the votes of Alberta residents.

People may say I'm trying to undermine citizens' right to vote, but that's not true. I'm asking for equity in our voting system. I was born and raised in Edmonton, but my life experiences have shown this is a major roadblock in modernizing our voting system and the rights of Canadian residents.

In the past two general provincial elections, held in 2015 and 2019, our voter turnout has been 57 per cent and 67.5 per cent respectively. In Edmonton, our voter turnout for the municipal election in 2021 was just 37.6 per cent, and that was high compared to previous elections.

Granting permanent residents in Alberta the right to vote in their municipal and provincial elections would increase voter turnout, allow permanent residents to be involved in our democracy and make our electoral process more equitable, modern and reflective of the values I want Alberta to uphold.

My Priority

What's the one thing that means the most to you in terms of the provincial election and why is that? We recruited over a dozen residents from across Alberta to answer that question. Read their opinion pieces as they're published at cbc.ca/opinionproject.

Keep in mind, these pieces should not be taken as endorsements of any particular political party by either the writers or the CBC. They are expressions of the writers' points of view, and a look at how those opinions came to be formed.