Canadian visa holders should have voting rights

June 12 2009 by Liam Clifford

David Miller, Mayor of Toronto

The Mayor of Toronto, David Miller, has renewed his promise to do his best to win the right to vote in municipal elections for the 262,000 people who live in Toronto after receiving a Canadian visa.

Currently, the huge immigrant group is excluded from voting in the local council elections and is also barred from voting for school boards of trustees.

The discussion about whether the newcomers on Canadian visas should get the vote has been a long-running one. The 'I vote Toronto' campaign that supports the right to vote for non-citizens settling in Canada has now attracted the support of 57 community groups.

However, there are concerns that it is unlikely that the Municipal Elections and Education Acts will be changed in time for the elections in 2010.

Advocates of the changes claim that offering the vote to immigrants makes Canadian immigration a much more attractive option for skilled immigrants.

Many of the immigrants work or study in Canada, own houses and are involved in their local community. Giving them the vote encourages further civic engagement, helping newcomers to assimilate and settle in Canada.

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